diff --git a/.env.dev.example b/.env.dev.example
index 2f24378c6..e2f0999ac 100644
--- a/.env.dev.example
+++ b/.env.dev.example
@@ -50,5 +50,8 @@ EMAIL_HOST_PASSWORD=emailpassword123
 EMAIL_USE_TLS=true
 EMAIL_USE_SSL=false
 
+# Thumbnails Generation
+ENABLE_THUMBNAIL_GENERATION=false
+
 # Set this to true when initializing certbot for domain, false when not
 CERTBOT_INIT=false
diff --git a/.env.prod.example b/.env.prod.example
index a82499a32..8aa1b514a 100644
--- a/.env.prod.example
+++ b/.env.prod.example
@@ -50,5 +50,8 @@ EMAIL_HOST_PASSWORD=emailpassword123
 EMAIL_USE_TLS=true
 EMAIL_USE_SSL=false
 
+# Thumbnails Generation
+ENABLE_THUMBNAIL_GENERATION=false
+
 # Set this to true when initializing certbot for domain, false when not
 CERTBOT_INIT=false
diff --git a/bookwyrm/context_processors.py b/bookwyrm/context_processors.py
index b77c62b02..b95e1c236 100644
--- a/bookwyrm/context_processors.py
+++ b/bookwyrm/context_processors.py
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 """ customize the info available in context for rendering templates """
-from bookwyrm import models
+from bookwyrm import models, settings
 
 
 def site_settings(request):  # pylint: disable=unused-argument
@@ -7,4 +7,5 @@ def site_settings(request):  # pylint: disable=unused-argument
     return {
         "site": models.SiteSettings.objects.get(),
         "active_announcements": models.Announcement.active_announcements(),
+        "enable_thumbnail_generation": settings.ENABLE_THUMBNAIL_GENERATION,
     }
diff --git a/bookwyrm/models/book.py b/bookwyrm/models/book.py
index 4437d6280..83884f333 100644
--- a/bookwyrm/models/book.py
+++ b/bookwyrm/models/book.py
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ from model_utils.managers import InheritanceManager
 from imagekit.models import ImageSpecField
 
 from bookwyrm import activitypub
-from bookwyrm.settings import DOMAIN, DEFAULT_LANGUAGE
+from bookwyrm.settings import DOMAIN, DEFAULT_LANGUAGE, ENABLE_THUMBNAIL_GENERATION
 
 from .activitypub_mixin import OrderedCollectionPageMixin, ObjectMixin
 from .base_model import BookWyrmModel
@@ -88,20 +88,21 @@ class Book(BookDataModel):
 
     objects = InheritanceManager()
 
-    cover_bw_book_xsmall_webp = ImageSpecField(source="cover", id="bw:book:xsmall:webp")
-    cover_bw_book_xsmall_jpg = ImageSpecField(source="cover", id="bw:book:xsmall:jpg")
-    cover_bw_book_small_webp = ImageSpecField(source="cover", id="bw:book:small:webp")
-    cover_bw_book_small_jpg = ImageSpecField(source="cover", id="bw:book:small:jpg")
-    cover_bw_book_medium_webp = ImageSpecField(source="cover", id="bw:book:medium:webp")
-    cover_bw_book_medium_jpg = ImageSpecField(source="cover", id="bw:book:medium:jpg")
-    cover_bw_book_large_webp = ImageSpecField(source="cover", id="bw:book:large:webp")
-    cover_bw_book_large_jpg = ImageSpecField(source="cover", id="bw:book:large:jpg")
-    cover_bw_book_xlarge_webp = ImageSpecField(source="cover", id="bw:book:xlarge:webp")
-    cover_bw_book_xlarge_jpg = ImageSpecField(source="cover", id="bw:book:xlarge:jpg")
-    cover_bw_book_xxlarge_webp = ImageSpecField(
-        source="cover", id="bw:book:xxlarge:webp"
-    )
-    cover_bw_book_xxlarge_jpg = ImageSpecField(source="cover", id="bw:book:xxlarge:jpg")
+    if ENABLE_THUMBNAIL_GENERATION:
+        cover_bw_book_xsmall_webp = ImageSpecField(source="cover", id="bw:book:xsmall:webp")
+        cover_bw_book_xsmall_jpg = ImageSpecField(source="cover", id="bw:book:xsmall:jpg")
+        cover_bw_book_small_webp = ImageSpecField(source="cover", id="bw:book:small:webp")
+        cover_bw_book_small_jpg = ImageSpecField(source="cover", id="bw:book:small:jpg")
+        cover_bw_book_medium_webp = ImageSpecField(source="cover", id="bw:book:medium:webp")
+        cover_bw_book_medium_jpg = ImageSpecField(source="cover", id="bw:book:medium:jpg")
+        cover_bw_book_large_webp = ImageSpecField(source="cover", id="bw:book:large:webp")
+        cover_bw_book_large_jpg = ImageSpecField(source="cover", id="bw:book:large:jpg")
+        cover_bw_book_xlarge_webp = ImageSpecField(source="cover", id="bw:book:xlarge:webp")
+        cover_bw_book_xlarge_jpg = ImageSpecField(source="cover", id="bw:book:xlarge:jpg")
+        cover_bw_book_xxlarge_webp = ImageSpecField(
+            source="cover", id="bw:book:xxlarge:webp"
+        )
+        cover_bw_book_xxlarge_jpg = ImageSpecField(source="cover", id="bw:book:xxlarge:jpg")
 
     @property
     def author_text(self):
diff --git a/bookwyrm/settings.py b/bookwyrm/settings.py
index 58f1d2f78..76fb079f9 100644
--- a/bookwyrm/settings.py
+++ b/bookwyrm/settings.py
@@ -187,4 +187,5 @@ USER_AGENT = "%s (BookWyrm/%s; +https://%s/)" % (
 )
 
 # Imagekit generated thumbnails
+ENABLE_THUMBNAIL_GENERATION = env.bool("ENABLE_THUMBNAIL_GENERATION", False)
 IMAGEKIT_CACHEFILE_DIR = "thumbnails"
diff --git a/bookwyrm/templates/snippets/book_cover.html b/bookwyrm/templates/snippets/book_cover.html
index cf133e598..1e2795805 100644
--- a/bookwyrm/templates/snippets/book_cover.html
+++ b/bookwyrm/templates/snippets/book_cover.html
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 {% spaceless %}
 
 {% load i18n %}
+{% load static %}
 {% load imagekit %}
 
 {% if book.cover %}
@@ -14,97 +15,101 @@
             >
         {% else %}
 
-            {% if size_mobile == 'xsmall' %}
-                <source
-                    media="(max-width: 768px)"
-                    type="image/webp"
-                    srcset="{{ book.cover_bw_book_xsmall_webp.url }}"
-                />
-                <source
-                    media="(max-width: 768px)"
-                    type="image/jpg"
-                    srcset="{{ book.cover_bw_book_xsmall_jpg.url }}"
-                />
-            {% elif size_mobile == 'small' %}
-                <source
-                    media="(max-width: 768px)"
-                    type="image/webp"
-                    srcset="{{ book.cover_bw_book_small_webp.url }}"
-                />
-                <source
-                    media="(max-width: 768px)"
-                    type="image/jpg"
-                    srcset="{{ book.cover_bw_book_small_jpg.url }}"
-                />
-            {% elif size_mobile == 'medium' %}
-                <source
-                    media="(max-width: 768px)"
-                    type="image/webp"
-                    srcset="{{ book.cover_bw_book_medium_webp.url }}"
-                />
-                <source
-                    media="(max-width: 768px)"
-                    type="image/jpg"
-                    srcset="{{ book.cover_bw_book_medium_jpg.url }}"
-                />
-            {% elif size_mobile == 'large' %}
-                <source
-                    media="(max-width: 768px)"
-                    type="image/webp"
-                    srcset="{{ book.cover_bw_book_large_webp.url }}"
-                />
-                <source
-                    media="(max-width: 768px)"
-                    type="image/jpg"
-                    srcset="{{ book.cover_bw_book_large_jpg.url }}"
-                />
-            {% elif size_mobile == 'xlarge' %}
-                <source
-                    media="(max-width: 768px)"
-                    type="image/webp"
-                    srcset="{{ book.cover_bw_book_xlarge_webp.url }}"
-                />
-                <source
-                    media="(max-width: 768px)"
-                    type="image/jpg"
-                    srcset="{{ book.cover_bw_book_xlarge_jpg.url }}"
-                />
-            {% elif size_mobile == 'xxlarge' %}
-                <source
-                    media="(max-width: 768px)"
-                    type="image/webp"
-                    srcset="{{ book.cover_bw_book_xxlarge_webp.url }}"
-                />
-                <source
-                    media="(max-width: 768px)"
-                    type="image/jpg"
-                    srcset="{{ book.cover_bw_book_xxlarge_jpg.url }}"
-                />
-            {% endif %}
+            {% if enable_thumbnail_generation %}
+
+                {% if size_mobile == 'xsmall' %}
+                    <source
+                        media="(max-width: 768px)"
+                        type="image/webp"
+                        srcset="{{ book.cover_bw_book_xsmall_webp.url }}"
+                    />
+                    <source
+                        media="(max-width: 768px)"
+                        type="image/jpg"
+                        srcset="{{ book.cover_bw_book_xsmall_jpg.url }}"
+                    />
+                {% elif size_mobile == 'small' %}
+                    <source
+                        media="(max-width: 768px)"
+                        type="image/webp"
+                        srcset="{{ book.cover_bw_book_small_webp.url }}"
+                    />
+                    <source
+                        media="(max-width: 768px)"
+                        type="image/jpg"
+                        srcset="{{ book.cover_bw_book_small_jpg.url }}"
+                    />
+                {% elif size_mobile == 'medium' %}
+                    <source
+                        media="(max-width: 768px)"
+                        type="image/webp"
+                        srcset="{{ book.cover_bw_book_medium_webp.url }}"
+                    />
+                    <source
+                        media="(max-width: 768px)"
+                        type="image/jpg"
+                        srcset="{{ book.cover_bw_book_medium_jpg.url }}"
+                    />
+                {% elif size_mobile == 'large' %}
+                    <source
+                        media="(max-width: 768px)"
+                        type="image/webp"
+                        srcset="{{ book.cover_bw_book_large_webp.url }}"
+                    />
+                    <source
+                        media="(max-width: 768px)"
+                        type="image/jpg"
+                        srcset="{{ book.cover_bw_book_large_jpg.url }}"
+                    />
+                {% elif size_mobile == 'xlarge' %}
+                    <source
+                        media="(max-width: 768px)"
+                        type="image/webp"
+                        srcset="{{ book.cover_bw_book_xlarge_webp.url }}"
+                    />
+                    <source
+                        media="(max-width: 768px)"
+                        type="image/jpg"
+                        srcset="{{ book.cover_bw_book_xlarge_jpg.url }}"
+                    />
+                {% elif size_mobile == 'xxlarge' %}
+                    <source
+                        media="(max-width: 768px)"
+                        type="image/webp"
+                        srcset="{{ book.cover_bw_book_xxlarge_webp.url }}"
+                    />
+                    <source
+                        media="(max-width: 768px)"
+                        type="image/jpg"
+                        srcset="{{ book.cover_bw_book_xxlarge_jpg.url }}"
+                    />
+                {% endif %}
+
+                {% if size == 'xsmall' %}
+                    <source type="image/webp" srcset="{{ book.cover_bw_book_xsmall_webp.url }}"/>
+                    <source type="image/jpg" srcset="{{ book.cover_bw_book_xsmall_jpg.url }}"/>
+                {% elif size == 'small' %}
+                    <source type="image/webp" srcset="{{ book.cover_bw_book_small_webp.url }}"/>
+                    <source type="image/jpg" srcset="{{ book.cover_bw_book_small_jpg.url }}"/>
+                {% elif size == 'medium' %}
+                    <source type="image/webp" srcset="{{ book.cover_bw_book_medium_webp.url }}"/>
+                    <source type="image/jpg" srcset="{{ book.cover_bw_book_medium_jpg.url }}"/>
+                {% elif size == 'large' %}
+                    <source type="image/webp" srcset="{{ book.cover_bw_book_large_webp.url }}"/>
+                    <source type="image/jpg" srcset="{{ book.cover_bw_book_large_jpg.url }}"/>
+                {% elif size == 'xlarge' %}
+                    <source type="image/webp" srcset="{{ book.cover_bw_book_xlarge_webp.url }}"/>
+                    <source type="image/jpg" srcset="{{ book.cover_bw_book_xlarge_jpg.url }}"/>
+                {% elif size == 'xxlarge' %}
+                    <source type="image/webp" srcset="{{ book.cover_bw_book_xxlarge_webp.url }}"/>
+                    <source type="image/jpg" srcset="{{ book.cover_bw_book_xxlarge_jpg.url }}"/>
+                {% endif %}
 
-            {% if size == 'xsmall' %}
-                <source type="image/webp" srcset="{{ book.cover_bw_book_xsmall_webp.url }}"/>
-                <source type="image/jpg" srcset="{{ book.cover_bw_book_xsmall_jpg.url }}"/>
-            {% elif size == 'small' %}
-                <source type="image/webp" srcset="{{ book.cover_bw_book_small_webp.url }}"/>
-                <source type="image/jpg" srcset="{{ book.cover_bw_book_small_jpg.url }}"/>
-            {% elif size == 'medium' %}
-                <source type="image/webp" srcset="{{ book.cover_bw_book_medium_webp.url }}"/>
-                <source type="image/jpg" srcset="{{ book.cover_bw_book_medium_jpg.url }}"/>
-            {% elif size == 'large' %}
-                <source type="image/webp" srcset="{{ book.cover_bw_book_large_webp.url }}"/>
-                <source type="image/jpg" srcset="{{ book.cover_bw_book_large_jpg.url }}"/>
-            {% elif size == 'xlarge' %}
-                <source type="image/webp" srcset="{{ book.cover_bw_book_xlarge_webp.url }}"/>
-                <source type="image/jpg" srcset="{{ book.cover_bw_book_xlarge_jpg.url }}"/>
-            {% elif size == 'xxlarge' %}
-                <source type="image/webp" srcset="{{ book.cover_bw_book_xxlarge_webp.url }}"/>
-                <source type="image/jpg" srcset="{{ book.cover_bw_book_xxlarge_jpg.url }}"/>
             {% endif %}
 
             <img
                 class="book-cover"
-                src="/images/{{ book.cover }}"
+                src="{% get_media_prefix %}{{ book.cover }}"
                 itemprop="thumbnailUrl"
                 alt="{{ book.alt_text|default:'' }}"
             >
@@ -116,7 +121,7 @@
     <figure class="cover-container no-cover {{ cover_class }}">
         <img
             class="book-cover"
-            src="/static/images/no_cover.jpg"
+            src="{% static "images/no_cover.jpg" %}"
             alt="{% trans "No cover" %}"
         >
         <figcaption class="cover-caption">