diff --git a/Cargo.lock b/Cargo.lock
index d6cbfbddd..4950d7ce6 100644
--- a/Cargo.lock
+++ b/Cargo.lock
@@ -1119,18 +1119,18 @@ dependencies = [
 [[package]]
 name = "doku"
 version = "0.11.0"
-source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
-checksum = "b7669ad18bd53786107832ce23c4cd1d859d3fe2ed6393ebcc0def93f15e5fa3"
+source = "git+https://github.com/anixe/doku#10a0339a82be92b5f160aac325d11c9c2ef875e1"
 dependencies = [
  "doku-derive",
  "serde",
+ "serde_json",
+ "url",
 ]
 
 [[package]]
 name = "doku-derive"
 version = "0.11.0"
-source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
-checksum = "603fe9f91b4d0e11036df029aeaeffa90b8f97e700104d5d24abb053bf9ba858"
+source = "git+https://github.com/anixe/doku#10a0339a82be92b5f160aac325d11c9c2ef875e1"
 dependencies = [
  "darling 0.13.1",
  "proc-macro2 1.0.39",
@@ -2075,6 +2075,7 @@ dependencies = [
  "lemmy_websocket",
  "opentelemetry 0.17.0",
  "opentelemetry-otlp",
+ "parking_lot 0.12.0",
  "reqwest",
  "reqwest-middleware",
  "reqwest-retry",
diff --git a/Cargo.toml b/Cargo.toml
index 407a19ee7..f95ad8e1a 100644
--- a/Cargo.toml
+++ b/Cargo.toml
@@ -59,7 +59,8 @@ reqwest = { version = "0.11.10", features = ["json"] }
 reqwest-middleware = "0.1.5"
 reqwest-tracing = "0.2.1"
 clokwerk = "0.3.5"
-doku = "0.11.0"
+doku = { git = "https://github.com/anixe/doku", features = ["url-2"] }
+parking_lot = "0.12.0"
 reqwest-retry = "0.1.5"
 console-subscriber = { version = "0.1.3", optional = true }
 opentelemetry = { version = "0.17.0", features = ["rt-tokio"], optional = true }
diff --git a/config/defaults.hjson b/config/defaults.hjson
index 69fc34755..c85658567 100644
--- a/config/defaults.hjson
+++ b/config/defaults.hjson
@@ -75,7 +75,7 @@
   # Pictrs image server configuration.
   pictrs_config: {
     # Address where pictrs is available (for image hosting)
-    url: "string"
+    url: "http://pictrs:8080/"
     # Set a custom pictrs API key. ( Required for deleting images )
     api_key: "string"
   }
diff --git a/crates/api_common/src/request.rs b/crates/api_common/src/request.rs
index 1bc81861e..84789b17e 100644
--- a/crates/api_common/src/request.rs
+++ b/crates/api_common/src/request.rs
@@ -166,10 +166,13 @@ pub async fn purge_image_from_pictrs(
 
   let purge_url = format!("{}/internal/purge?alias={}", pictrs_config.url, alias);
 
+  let pictrs_api_key = pictrs_config
+    .api_key
+    .ok_or_else(|| LemmyError::from_message("pictrs_api_key_not_provided"))?;
   let response = client
     .post(&purge_url)
     .timeout(REQWEST_TIMEOUT)
-    .header("x-api-token", pictrs_config.api_key)
+    .header("x-api-token", pictrs_api_key)
     .send()
     .await?;
 
diff --git a/crates/routes/src/images.rs b/crates/routes/src/images.rs
index edd8fc8d4..a3d8115cf 100644
--- a/crates/routes/src/images.rs
+++ b/crates/routes/src/images.rs
@@ -27,8 +27,7 @@ pub fn config(cfg: &mut web::ServiceConfig, client: ClientWithMiddleware, rate_l
     )
     // This has optional query params: /image/{filename}?format=jpg&thumbnail=256
     .service(web::resource("/pictrs/image/{filename}").route(web::get().to(full_res)))
-    .service(web::resource("/pictrs/image/delete/{token}/{filename}").route(web::get().to(delete)))
-    .service(web::resource("/pictrs/internal/purge").route(web::post().to(purge)));
+    .service(web::resource("/pictrs/image/delete/{token}/{filename}").route(web::get().to(delete)));
 }
 
 #[derive(Debug, Serialize, Deserialize)]
@@ -200,34 +199,6 @@ async fn delete(
   Ok(HttpResponse::build(res.status()).body(BodyStream::new(res.bytes_stream())))
 }
 
-async fn purge(
-  web::Query(params): web::Query<PictrsPurgeParams>,
-  req: HttpRequest,
-  client: web::Data<ClientWithMiddleware>,
-  context: web::Data<LemmyContext>,
-) -> Result<HttpResponse, Error> {
-  let purge_string = match params {
-    PictrsPurgeParams::File(f) => format!("file={}", f),
-    PictrsPurgeParams::Alias(a) => format!("alias={}", a),
-  };
-
-  let pictrs_config = context.settings().pictrs_config()?;
-  let url = format!("{}/internal/purge?{}", pictrs_config.url, &purge_string);
-
-  let mut client_req = adapt_request(&req, &client, url);
-
-  if let Some(addr) = req.head().peer_addr {
-    client_req = client_req.header("X-Forwarded-For", addr.to_string())
-  }
-
-  // Add the API token, X-Api-Token header
-  client_req = client_req.header("x-api-token", pictrs_config.api_key);
-
-  let res = client_req.send().await.map_err(error::ErrorBadRequest)?;
-
-  Ok(HttpResponse::build(res.status()).body(BodyStream::new(res.bytes_stream())))
-}
-
 fn make_send<S>(mut stream: S) -> impl Stream<Item = S::Item> + Send + Unpin + 'static
 where
   S: Stream + Unpin + 'static,
diff --git a/crates/utils/Cargo.toml b/crates/utils/Cargo.toml
index 0ceac0906..61a2564d5 100644
--- a/crates/utils/Cargo.toml
+++ b/crates/utils/Cargo.toml
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ http = "0.2.6"
 deser-hjson = "1.0.2"
 smart-default = "0.6.0"
 jsonwebtoken = "8.0.1"
-doku = "0.11.0"
+doku = { git = "https://github.com/anixe/doku", features = ["url-2"] }
 uuid = { version = "0.8.2", features = ["serde", "v4"] }
 html2text = "0.3.1"
 rosetta-i18n = "0.1.2"
diff --git a/crates/utils/src/settings/structs.rs b/crates/utils/src/settings/structs.rs
index 70d91bde3..7ee8cf18b 100644
--- a/crates/utils/src/settings/structs.rs
+++ b/crates/utils/src/settings/structs.rs
@@ -1,29 +1,32 @@
 use doku::Document;
 use serde::{Deserialize, Serialize};
 use std::net::{IpAddr, Ipv4Addr};
+use url::Url;
 
 #[derive(Debug, Deserialize, Serialize, Clone, SmartDefault, Document)]
 #[serde(default)]
 pub struct Settings {
   /// settings related to the postgresql database
-  #[serde(default)]
+  #[default(Default::default())]
   pub database: DatabaseConfig,
-  #[default(Some(RateLimitConfig::default()))]
   /// rate limits for various user actions, by user ip
+  #[default(Some(Default::default()))]
   pub rate_limit: Option<RateLimitConfig>,
   /// Settings related to activitypub federation
-  #[default(FederationConfig::default())]
+  #[default(Default::default())]
   pub federation: FederationConfig,
   /// Pictrs image server configuration.
-  #[default(None)]
+  #[default(Some(Default::default()))]
   pub(crate) pictrs_config: Option<PictrsConfig>,
-  #[default(CaptchaConfig::default())]
+  #[default(Default::default())]
   pub captcha: CaptchaConfig,
   /// Email sending configuration. All options except login/password are mandatory
   #[default(None)]
+  #[doku(example = "Some(Default::default())")]
   pub email: Option<EmailConfig>,
   /// Parameters for automatic configuration of new instance (only used at first start)
   #[default(None)]
+  #[doku(example = "Some(Default::default())")]
   pub setup: Option<SetupConfig>,
   /// the domain name of your instance (mandatory)
   #[default("unset")]
@@ -50,19 +53,20 @@ pub struct Settings {
   /// Set the URL for opentelemetry exports. If you do not have an opentelemetry collector, do not set this option
   #[default(None)]
   #[doku(skip)]
-  pub opentelemetry_url: Option<String>,
+  pub opentelemetry_url: Option<Url>,
 }
 
 #[derive(Debug, Deserialize, Serialize, Clone, SmartDefault, Document)]
 #[serde(default)]
 pub struct PictrsConfig {
   /// Address where pictrs is available (for image hosting)
-  #[default("http://pictrs:8080")]
-  pub url: String,
+  #[default(Url::parse("http://pictrs:8080").expect("parse pictrs url"))]
+  #[doku(example = "Url::parse(\"http://pictrs:8080\").unwrap()")]
+  pub url: Url,
 
   /// Set a custom pictrs API key. ( Required for deleting images )
-  #[default("API_KEY")]
-  pub api_key: String,
+  #[default(None)]
+  pub api_key: Option<String>,
 }
 
 #[derive(Debug, Deserialize, Serialize, Clone, SmartDefault, Document)]
diff --git a/src/lib.rs b/src/lib.rs
index b0bbd4bb0..3dcc41e58 100644
--- a/src/lib.rs
+++ b/src/lib.rs
@@ -11,8 +11,9 @@ use tracing::subscriber::set_global_default;
 use tracing_error::ErrorLayer;
 use tracing_log::LogTracer;
 use tracing_subscriber::{filter::Targets, layer::SubscriberExt, Layer, Registry};
+use url::Url;
 
-pub fn init_logging(opentelemetry_url: Option<&str>) -> Result<(), LemmyError> {
+pub fn init_logging(opentelemetry_url: &Option<Url>) -> Result<(), LemmyError> {
   LogTracer::init()?;
 
   let log_description = std::env::var("RUST_LOG").unwrap_or_else(|_| "info".into());
@@ -30,7 +31,7 @@ pub fn init_logging(opentelemetry_url: Option<&str>) -> Result<(), LemmyError> {
 
   if let Some(_url) = opentelemetry_url {
     #[cfg(feature = "console")]
-    crate::telemetry::init_tracing(_url, subscriber, targets)?;
+    telemetry::init_tracing(_url.as_ref(), subscriber, targets)?;
     #[cfg(not(feature = "console"))]
     tracing::error!("Feature `console` must be enabled for opentelemetry tracing");
   } else {
diff --git a/src/main.rs b/src/main.rs
index fa771c3de..81a108b89 100644
--- a/src/main.rs
+++ b/src/main.rs
@@ -60,7 +60,7 @@ async fn main() -> Result<(), LemmyError> {
 
   let settings = SETTINGS.to_owned();
 
-  init_logging(settings.opentelemetry_url.as_deref())?;
+  init_logging(&settings.opentelemetry_url)?;
 
   // Set up the r2d2 connection pool
   let db_url = match get_database_url_from_env() {