We messed up: data URLs in our sync API

In October 2024, Replicate faced challenges with the rollout of a new sync mode for their API, which aimed to streamline model outputs by returning data URLs directly to clients. The rollout, which was meant to be opt-in, inadvertently broke applications due to the interaction of the default behavior in updated client libraries and the phased implementation of data URLs, leading to unexpected issues for users who were relying on established behaviors. The company realized that these changes, although technically backward compatible, were not effectively communicated, causing disruptions as applications that expected HTTPS URLs received data URL responses instead. As a result, Replicate rolled back the data URL feature to minimize further disruptions and acknowledged the need for better communication and versioning strategies to prevent similar issues in the future.