diff --git a/.env_sample b/.env_sample
index 5abe2e081..c60b7cc03 100644
--- a/.env_sample
+++ b/.env_sample
@@ -96,10 +96,10 @@ BUFFER_LISTINGS_PROFILE="Optional"
 
 # Cloudinary for image resizing and cache??
 # (https://cloudinary.com/documentation/rails_integration)
-CLOUDINARY_API_KEY="Optional"
-CLOUDINARY_API_SECRET="Optional"
-CLOUDINARY_CLOUD_NAME="Optional"
-CLOUDINARY_SECURE="Optional"
+CLOUDINARY_API_KEY=
+CLOUDINARY_API_SECRET=
+CLOUDINARY_CLOUD_NAME=
+CLOUDINARY_SECURE=
 
 # HTML/CSS to Image for generating social preview images
 # (https://docs.htmlcsstoimage.com/example-code/ruby)
diff --git a/app/services/images/optimizer.rb b/app/services/images/optimizer.rb
index 637dba381..c6ea38106 100644
--- a/app/services/images/optimizer.rb
+++ b/app/services/images/optimizer.rb
@@ -5,8 +5,10 @@ module Images
 
       if imgproxy_enabled?
         imgproxy(img_src, **kwargs)
-      else
+      elsif cloudinary_enabled?
         cloudinary(img_src, **kwargs)
+      else
+        img_src
       end
     end
 
@@ -59,6 +61,12 @@ module Images
       Imgproxy.config.key.present? && Imgproxy.config.salt.present?
     end
 
+    def self.cloudinary_enabled?
+      config = Cloudinary.config
+
+      config.cloud_name.present? && config.api_key.present? && config.api_secret.present?
+    end
+
     def self.get_imgproxy_endpoint
       if Rails.env.production?
         # Use /images with the same domain on Production as
diff --git a/config/initializers/cloudinary.rb b/config/initializers/cloudinary.rb
index 1ac97196e..e80740594 100644
--- a/config/initializers/cloudinary.rb
+++ b/config/initializers/cloudinary.rb
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 Cloudinary.config do |config|
-  config.cloud_name = Rails.env.test? ? "TEST-CLOUD" : ApplicationConfig["CLOUDINARY_CLOUD_NAME"]
+  config.cloud_name = ApplicationConfig["CLOUDINARY_CLOUD_NAME"]
   config.api_key = ApplicationConfig["CLOUDINARY_API_KEY"]
   config.api_secret = ApplicationConfig["CLOUDINARY_API_SECRET"]
   config.secure = ApplicationConfig["CLOUDINARY_SECURE"]
diff --git a/spec/helpers/application_helper_spec.rb b/spec/helpers/application_helper_spec.rb
index 81aa2c17a..e21fd2987 100644
--- a/spec/helpers/application_helper_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/helpers/application_helper_spec.rb
@@ -218,7 +218,7 @@ RSpec.describe ApplicationHelper, type: :helper do
     end
   end
 
-  describe "#cloudinary" do
+  describe "#cloudinary", cloudinary: true do
     it "returns cloudinary-manipulated link" do
       image = helper.optimized_image_url(Faker::Placeholdit.image)
       expect(image).to start_with("https://res.cloudinary.com")
@@ -240,7 +240,7 @@ RSpec.describe ApplicationHelper, type: :helper do
   end
 
   describe "#optimized_image_tag" do
-    it "works just like cl_image_tag" do
+    it "works just like cl_image_tag", cloudinary: true do
       image_url = "https://i.imgur.com/fKYKgo4.png"
       cloudinary_image_tag = cl_image_tag(image_url,
                                           type: "fetch", crop: "imagga_scale",
diff --git a/spec/helpers/social_image_helper_spec.rb b/spec/helpers/social_image_helper_spec.rb
index 4f823b1dd..7f20ad7ff 100644
--- a/spec/helpers/social_image_helper_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/helpers/social_image_helper_spec.rb
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ describe SocialImageHelper do
       expect(url).to eq article_social_preview_url(article, format: :png, host: "hello.com")
     end
 
-    it "returns the main image if set" do
+    it "returns the main image if set", cloudinary: true do
       article.main_image = Faker::CryptoCoin.url_logo
 
       url = helper.article_social_image_url(article)
@@ -66,7 +66,7 @@ describe SocialImageHelper do
       expect(url).to eq article_social_preview_url(article, format: :png, host: "hello.com")
     end
 
-    it "returns correct manipulation of cloudinary links" do
+    it "returns correct manipulation of cloudinary links", cloudinary: true do
       article.update_column(
         :main_image,
         "https://res.cloudinary.com/practicaldev/image/fetch/s--A-gun7rr--/c_imagga_scale,f_auto,fl_progressive,h_420,q_auto,w_1000/https://res.cloudinary.com/practicaldev/image/fetch/s--hcD8ZkbP--/c_imagga_scale%2Cf_auto%2Cfl_progressive%2Ch_420%2Cq_auto%2Cw_1000/https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/i/th93d625o27nuz63oeen.png", # rubocop:disable Layout/LineLength
diff --git a/spec/models/html_variant_spec.rb b/spec/models/html_variant_spec.rb
index 00be54dad..fb31dfa1f 100644
--- a/spec/models/html_variant_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/models/html_variant_spec.rb
@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@ RSpec.describe HtmlVariant, type: :model do
     expect(described_class.find_for_test(["hello"]).id).to eq(html_variant.id)
   end
 
-  it "prefixes an image with cloudinary" do
+  it "prefixes an image with cloudinary", cloudinary: true do
     html = "<div><img src='https://devimages.com/image.jpg' /></div>"
     html_variant.update(approved: false, html: html)
     cloudinary_string = "/c_limit%2Cf_auto%2Cfl_progressive%2Cq_auto%2Cw_420/https://devimages.com/image.jpg"
diff --git a/spec/models/message_spec.rb b/spec/models/message_spec.rb
index 625dfde2f..119e77613 100644
--- a/spec/models/message_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/models/message_spec.rb
@@ -43,6 +43,18 @@ RSpec.describe Message, type: :model do
 
     describe "#message_html" do
       it "creates rich link with proper link for article" do
+        link = URL.article(article)
+        message.message_markdown = "hello #{link}"
+        message.validate!
+
+        expect(message.message_html).to include(
+          article.title,
+          "sidecar-article",
+          link,
+        )
+      end
+
+      it "creates rich link with proper link for article when Cloudinary is enabled", cloudinary: true do
         message.message_markdown = "hello http://#{ApplicationConfig['APP_DOMAIN']}#{article.path}"
         message.validate!
 
diff --git a/spec/models/podcast_episode_spec.rb b/spec/models/podcast_episode_spec.rb
index cb657b273..55539a68d 100644
--- a/spec/models/podcast_episode_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/models/podcast_episode_spec.rb
@@ -96,7 +96,7 @@ RSpec.describe PodcastEpisode, type: :model do
       end
     end
 
-    describe "Cloudinary configuration and processing" do
+    describe "Cloudinary configuration and processing", cloudinary: true do
       it "prefixes an image URL with a path" do
         image_url = "https://dummyimage.com/10x10"
         podcast_episode.body = "<img src=\"#{image_url}\">"
diff --git a/spec/services/html/parser_spec.rb b/spec/services/html/parser_spec.rb
index 10ba0d191..99919d221 100644
--- a/spec/services/html/parser_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/services/html/parser_spec.rb
@@ -65,7 +65,7 @@ RSpec.describe Html::Parser, type: :service do
     end
 
     context "when an image is used" do
-      it "wraps the image with Cloudinary" do
+      it "wraps the image with Cloudinary", cloudinary: true do
         html = "<img src='https://image.com/image.jpg'>"
         parsed_html = described_class.new(html).prefix_all_images.html
         expect(parsed_html).to include("https://res.cloudinary.com")
diff --git a/spec/services/images/generate_social_image_spec.rb b/spec/services/images/generate_social_image_spec.rb
index 111ad6308..66d12129a 100644
--- a/spec/services/images/generate_social_image_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/services/images/generate_social_image_spec.rb
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ RSpec.describe Images::GenerateSocialImage, type: :labor do
     expect(described_class.call(article)).to eq(article.main_image)
   end
 
-  it "returns article social image" do
+  it "returns article social image", cloudinary: true do
     article.main_image = nil
     article.social_image = nil
     article.cached_tag_list = "discuss, hello, goodbye"
diff --git a/spec/services/images/optimizer_spec.rb b/spec/services/images/optimizer_spec.rb
index 5ac26b9ac..c52b4fee8 100644
--- a/spec/services/images/optimizer_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/services/images/optimizer_spec.rb
@@ -13,29 +13,46 @@ RSpec.describe Images::Optimizer, type: :service do
 
     it "does nothing when given a relative url" do
       relative_asset_path = "/assets/something.jpg"
-      expect(described_class.call(relative_asset_path)).to eq relative_asset_path
+      expect(described_class.call(relative_asset_path)).to eq(relative_asset_path)
     end
 
     it "does nothing when given nil" do
-      expect(described_class.call(nil)).to eq nil
+      expect(described_class.call(nil)).to be(nil)
+    end
+
+    it "returns the image if neither cloudinary nor imgproxy are enabled", :aggregate_failures do
+      allow(described_class).to receive(:cloudinary_enabled?).and_return(false)
+      allow(described_class).to receive(:imgproxy_enabled?).and_return(false)
+
+      expect(described_class.call(image_url)).to eq(image_url)
+
+      expect(described_class).not_to have_received(:cloudinary)
+      expect(described_class).not_to have_received(:imgproxy)
     end
 
     it "calls cloudinary if imgproxy is not enabled" do
+      allow(described_class).to receive(:cloudinary_enabled?).and_return(true)
       allow(described_class).to receive(:imgproxy_enabled?).and_return(false)
+
       described_class.call(image_url)
+
       expect(described_class).to have_received(:cloudinary)
+      expect(described_class).not_to have_received(:imgproxy)
     end
 
     it "calls imgproxy if imgproxy is enabled" do
+      allow(described_class).to receive(:cloudinary_enabled?).and_return(true)
       allow(described_class).to receive(:imgproxy_enabled?).and_return(true)
+
       described_class.call(image_url)
+
+      expect(described_class).not_to have_received(:cloudinary)
       expect(described_class).to have_received(:imgproxy)
     end
   end
 
-  describe "#cloudinary" do
+  describe "#cloudinary", cloudinary: true do
     it "performs exactly like cl_image_path" do
-      allow(described_class).to receive(:imgproxy_enabled?).and_return(false)
       cloudinary_url = cl_image_path(image_url,
                                      type: "fetch",
                                      width: 50, height: 50,
@@ -48,7 +65,6 @@ RSpec.describe Images::Optimizer, type: :service do
     end
 
     it "generates correct url by relying on DEFAULT_CL_OPTIONS" do
-      allow(described_class).to receive(:imgproxy_enabled?).and_return(false)
       cloudinary_url = cl_image_path(image_url,
                                      type: "fetch",
                                      quality: "auto",
@@ -67,10 +83,34 @@ RSpec.describe Images::Optimizer, type: :service do
     end
   end
 
+  describe "#cloudinary_enabled?" do
+    it "returns false if cloud_name, api_key or api_secret are missing", :aggregate_failures do
+      allow(Cloudinary.config).to receive(:cloud_name).and_return("")
+      expect(described_class.cloudinary_enabled?).to be(false)
+
+      allow(Cloudinary.config).to receive(:cloud_name).and_return("cloud name")
+      allow(Cloudinary.config).to receive(:api_key).and_return("")
+      expect(described_class.cloudinary_enabled?).to be(false)
+
+      allow(Cloudinary.config).to receive(:cloud_name).and_return("cloud name")
+      allow(Cloudinary.config).to receive(:api_key).and_return("api key")
+      allow(Cloudinary.config).to receive(:api_secret).and_return("")
+      expect(described_class.cloudinary_enabled?).to be(false)
+    end
+
+    it "returns true if cloud_name and api_key and api_secret are provided" do
+      allow(Cloudinary.config).to receive(:cloud_name).and_return("cloud name")
+      allow(Cloudinary.config).to receive(:api_key).and_return("api key")
+      allow(Cloudinary.config).to receive(:api_secret).and_return("api secret")
+
+      expect(described_class.cloudinary_enabled?).to be(true)
+    end
+  end
+
   describe "#imgproxy_enabled?" do
     it "returns false if key and salt are missing" do
       allow(Imgproxy).to receive(:config).and_return(Imgproxy::Config.new)
-      expect(described_class.imgproxy_enabled?).to eq(false)
+      expect(described_class.imgproxy_enabled?).to be(false)
     end
 
     it "returns true if key and salt are provided" do
@@ -81,7 +121,7 @@ RSpec.describe Images::Optimizer, type: :service do
       end
       allow(Imgproxy).to receive(:config).and_return(imgproxy_config_stub)
 
-      expect(described_class.imgproxy_enabled?).to eq(true)
+      expect(described_class.imgproxy_enabled?).to be(true)
     end
   end
 
diff --git a/spec/services/images/profile_spec.rb b/spec/services/images/profile_spec.rb
index cd68dbf9e..ab73edbfc 100644
--- a/spec/services/images/profile_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/services/images/profile_spec.rb
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ RSpec.describe Images::Profile, type: :services do
     end
 
     context "when user has no profile_image" do
-      it "returns backup image prefixed with Cloudinary" do
+      it "returns backup image prefixed with Cloudinary", cloudinary: true do
         user = build_stubbed(:user, profile_image: nil)
         correct_prefix = "/c_fill,f_auto,fl_progressive,h_120,q_auto,w_120/"
         expect(described_class.call(user.profile_image_url)).to include(correct_prefix + described_class::BACKUP_LINK)
diff --git a/spec/services/markdown_processor/parser_spec.rb b/spec/services/markdown_processor/parser_spec.rb
index afc11daae..be6fbe315 100644
--- a/spec/services/markdown_processor/parser_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/services/markdown_processor/parser_spec.rb
@@ -326,7 +326,7 @@ RSpec.describe MarkdownProcessor::Parser, type: :service do
       expect(generate_and_parse_markdown(markdown_with_img)).to include("<a")
     end
 
-    it "wraps the image with Cloudinary" do
+    it "wraps the image with Cloudinary", cloudinary: true do
       expect(generate_and_parse_markdown(markdown_with_img))
         .to include("https://res.cloudinary.com")
     end
diff --git a/spec/support/initializers/image_processing.rb b/spec/support/initializers/image_processing.rb
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..bdda19aa2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/spec/support/initializers/image_processing.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+RSpec.configure do |config|
+  config.before(:each, cloudinary: true) do |_example|
+    allow(Cloudinary.config).to receive(:cloud_name).and_return("CLOUD_NAME")
+    allow(Cloudinary.config).to receive(:api_key).and_return("API_KEY")
+    allow(Cloudinary.config).to receive(:api_secret).and_return("API_SECRET")
+    allow(Cloudinary.config).to receive(:secure).and_return("SECURE")
+  end
+end
diff --git a/spec/system/user_uses_the_editor_spec.rb b/spec/system/user_uses_the_editor_spec.rb
index 258ba89fe..5202abccc 100644
--- a/spec/system/user_uses_the_editor_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/system/user_uses_the_editor_spec.rb
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ RSpec.describe "Using the editor", type: :system do
       page.evaluate_script("window.onbeforeunload = function(){}")
     end
 
-    it "fills out form with rich content and click preview" do
+    it "fills out form with rich content and click preview", cloudinary: true do
       article_body = find("div.crayons-article__body")["innerHTML"]
       article_body.gsub!(%r{"https://res\.cloudinary\.com/.{1,}"}, "cloudinary_link")
 
@@ -58,7 +58,7 @@ RSpec.describe "Using the editor", type: :system do
   end
 
   describe "Submitting an article", js: true do
-    it "fill out form and submit" do
+    it "fill out form and submit", cloudinary: true do
       fill_markdown_with(read_from_file(raw_text))
       find("button", text: /\ASave changes\z/).click
       article_body = find(:xpath, "//div[@id='article-body']")["innerHTML"]
diff --git a/spec/view_objects/cloud_cover_url_spec.rb b/spec/view_objects/cloud_cover_url_spec.rb
index eeba62f43..0a67cc9fd 100644
--- a/spec/view_objects/cloud_cover_url_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/view_objects/cloud_cover_url_spec.rb
@@ -1,8 +1,8 @@
 require "rails_helper"
 
-RSpec.describe CloudCoverUrl, type: :view_object do
+RSpec.describe CloudCoverUrl, type: :view_object, cloudinary: true do
   let(:article) { create(:article) }
-  let(:cloudinary_prefix) { "https://res.cloudinary.com/TEST-CLOUD/image/fetch/" }
+  let(:cloudinary_prefix) { "https://res.cloudinary.com/#{Cloudinary.config.cloud_name}/image/fetch/" }
 
   it "returns proper url" do
     expect(described_class.new(article.main_image).call)