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Accessing Pattern PXM Files via CDN

Copy CDN links for your Pattern PXM files, choose the right link type, and set custom image sizes and formats.

Written by Sean Bentley

Pattern PXM delivers your image and media files through a CDN (content delivery network), which caches files at locations around the world so they load quickly on your website, in your apps and through the API.

Your CDN host

The CDN host differs by account (for example, cdn.amplifi.pattern.com, pxm.patterncdn.com or a custom host). Always copy links from your own PXM account or API response rather than assuming one domain. In the examples below, {cdn-host} stands for your account’s host.

Good to know: CDN links are public. Anyone who has a link can open the file, so share links with care.

Copy a file link

  1. Open the file.

  2. In General Information, click Copy Link to copy the file’s link, or Open Link to open it in a new tab.

  3. For a specific size or format, open the Variants section, find the size and format, and use its Copy Link or Open Link.

  • Images (including EPS and SVG) give a custom-size /_i/ link to the current upload.

  • Videos, documents and other files give a direct link to the file itself.

Changed October 15, 2026: Copy Link and Open Link in General Information now give a /_i/ link for images and a direct link for other files. PDF and video links copied before that date may open a preview image instead of the file, so copy them again and regenerate any QR codes.

Get links for many files at once

To get CDN links for every file in a product’s media stacks, or across many products:

  1. In the Products view, tick one or more products.

  2. Open the ••• Batch Action menu (bottom right) and select Export Media Stack.

  3. Media Stacks.xlsx downloads right away. The Media column has a CDN link to each original file, listed in stack order.

There’s no copy-link option inside a media stack itself, so use Export Media Stack, or copy links file by file from Variants. See Creating Media Stacks and File Variants.

Link types

  • Custom-size link (/_i/): https://{cdn-host}/_i/{mediaId}. Points at one specific upload of an image. Replacing or versioning the file creates a new link, so old /_i/ links keep showing the old image.

  • Permalink (/p/): https://{cdn-host}/p/{fileId}. Always shows the current version of an image, even after a replace. Updates can take about 5 minutes to appear. For PDFs and videos, a /p/ link shows a preview image, not the file. Links in Variants and in the file viewer use /p/.

  • Classic size link: https://{cdn-host}/{fileId}_large.jpg (also _medium, _small and _thumb). The master file has no suffix. These fixed sizes still work, and there’s no required switch.

Which link should I use?

  • Classic links already working? Keep them.

  • Need a link that keeps showing the current image after a replace? Use the /p/ permalink.

  • Need a specific width, height or format? Use a /_i/ link with size settings, and refresh stored links after a replace.

Resize, quality and format settings for image links

You can add settings to the end of an image link to change its size, quality or format. They work on custom-size links (/_i/) and on permalinks (/p/). Start the settings with ? and separate them with &.

  • w and h: width and height in pixels. Sizes are rounded down to steps of 25 px, so w=237 gives an image 225 px wide.

  • q: quality, from 1 to 100. The default is 95. For PNG images, q sets the compression level rather than the visual quality.

  • f: format: jpg, webp or png (jpeg also works and gives a JPG). If you use any other setting and leave out f, the image comes back as a JPG, so a transparent PNG gets a white background. Add f=png or f=webp to keep transparency.

  • tpc: the background colour for transparent areas when the image comes back as a JPG. Use a 6-digit hex colour code without the #, such as 000000 for black. An 8-digit code also works, but the last 2 digits are ignored. The default is white (ffffff). WebP and PNG images keep their transparency.

  • l: the page or layer to use from a multi-page TIFF or a layered PSD. Counting starts at 0, which is the first page or layer and the default. If the page or layer you ask for isn’t available, the link returns an error instead of an image, so test it first.

How sizing works

  • The aspect ratio is always kept. Set only w or only h, and the other side scales to match.

  • Set both w and h, and the image fits inside that box without being cropped or stretched, so one side may come out smaller than the size you asked for.

  • Images are never enlarged. If you ask for a size larger than the original, you get the original size.

  • A link with no settings serves the original file exactly as it was uploaded, in its original size and format.

  • Settings that aren’t listed here are ignored. An invalid value, such as a width that isn’t a number or is less than 1, returns an error instead of an image.

Examples

Test the link in a private browser window before you store it in your website or integration.

Troubleshooting

  • Open Link downloads a PDF or video instead of showing it: share the file with a Share link instead.

  • I replaced an image but still see the old one: a /p/ link can take about 5 minutes to update. Wait, then hard-refresh your browser before reporting it. Stored /_i/ links keep showing the old upload, so copy a new link.

  • Links won’t load on our network: if your company’s firewall restricts outside content, it may need to allow Pattern CDN hosts, including *.patterncdn.com.

Older links

Older hosts and Amplifi file-server links (amp-fs.amplifi.io/file?id=…) keep working. CDN links aren’t affected by the move from amplifi.io to pxm.pattern.com.

For help working with media links, contact your Pattern CSM (Customer Success Manager).

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