--- title: "File Services Overview - DreamFactory Documentation" source: "http://wiki.dreamfactory.com/File_Services_Overview" canonical_url: "http://wiki.dreamfactory.com/File_Services_Overview" converted_at: "2026-10-22T18:50:38.710Z" format: "markdown" converted_by: "html-to-md-ai" --- []() # File Services Overview From DreamFactory Wiki [Jump to navigation](#mw-head) [Jump to search](#searchInput) **Supported file storage services in DreamFactory - local, cloud, and remote file storage connectors** ## Contents - [1 File Services Overview](#File_Services_Overview) - [1.1 Supported File Services](#Supported_File_Services) - [1.1.1 Open Source (Included)](#Open_Source_(Included)) - [1.1.2 Commercial License Required](#Commercial_License_Required) - [1.2 Common Features Across All File Services](#Common_Features_Across_All_File_Services) - [1.2.1 Auto-Generated REST Endpoints](#Auto-Generated_REST_Endpoints) - [1.2.2 Standard Operations](#Standard_Operations) - [1.2.3 Security Features](#Security_Features) - [1.3 Choosing the Right File Service](#Choosing_the_Right_File_Service) - [1.3.1 By Use Case](#By_Use_Case) - [1.3.2 By Cloud Provider](#By_Cloud_Provider) - [1.4 File Service Architecture](#File_Service_Architecture) - [1.4.1 Key Architectural Points](#Key_Architectural_Points) - [1.5 Configuration Options](#Configuration_Options) - [1.6 Common API Examples](#Common_API_Examples) - [1.6.1 List Directory Contents](#List_Directory_Contents) - [1.6.2 Upload a File](#Upload_a_File) - [1.6.3 Download a File](#Download_a_File) - [1.6.4 Delete a File](#Delete_a_File) - [1.7 Common Errors](#Common_Errors) - [1.8 Next Steps](#Next_Steps) # File Services Overview DreamFactory auto-generates secure REST APIs for file storage systems. Connect any supported storage backend and instantly get endpoints for uploading, downloading, listing, and managing files with role-based access control. --- ## Supported File Services DreamFactory supports local storage, cloud providers, and remote file servers. Some connectors are included in the open-source package, while others require a commercial license. ### Open Source (Included) These file storage connectors are included in DreamFactory OSS and all commercial editions: Service Type Documentation **Local File Storage** Local [Local Storage Guide](/Local_File_Storage) **SFTP** Remote [SFTP Guide](/Creating_Sftp_Rest_Api) **FTP** Remote Standard FTP protocol **WebDAV** Remote WebDAV protocol support ### Commercial License Required These file storage connectors require a DreamFactory commercial license: Service Type Notes **AWS S3** Cloud [S3 Guide](/Aws_S3) **Azure Blob Storage** Cloud Microsoft Azure storage **Google Cloud Storage** Cloud GCS bucket access **OpenStack Object Storage** Cloud Swift-compatible storage **Rackspace Cloud Files** Cloud Rackspace object storage **Dropbox** Cloud OAuth-based access **Box** Cloud Enterprise file sharing **OneDrive** Cloud Microsoft 365 integration **SharePoint** Cloud Microsoft SharePoint libraries **GridFS** Database MongoDB file storage **ℹ️ Note: Licensing** For commercial file service connector licensing, contact [DreamFactory Sales](https://www.dreamfactory.com/contact) or visit the [pricing page](https://www.dreamfactory.com/pricing). --- ## Common Features Across All File Services Regardless of which storage backend you connect, DreamFactory provides: ### Auto-Generated REST Endpoints Endpoint Methods Description `/{service_name}/` `GET` List root directory contents `/{service_name}/{folder_path}/` `GET, POST, PATCH, DELETE` Folder operations `/{service_name}/{file_path}` `GET, POST, PUT, DELETE` File operations ### Standard Operations - **List**: Retrieve folder contents with metadata - **Upload**: Create or replace files via POST/PUT - **Download**: Retrieve file contents via GET - **Delete**: Remove files or folders - **Move/Copy**: Relocate files within the storage - **Metadata**: Access file properties (size, modified date, content type) ### Security Features - **API Key Authentication**: Required for all endpoint access - **Role-Based Access Control**: Folder and operation-level permissions - **Rate Limiting**: Configurable throttling per user or role - **Audit Logging**: Track all file operations --- ## Choosing the Right File Service ### By Use Case Use Case Recommended Service Development/testing Local File Storage Application assets in production AWS S3, Azure Blob, GCS Legacy system integration SFTP, FTP Enterprise document management SharePoint, Box User file uploads S3, Azure Blob (with pre-signed URLs) MongoDB-backed applications GridFS ### By Cloud Provider Cloud Provider Native Service DreamFactory Connector AWS S3 AWS S3 Google Cloud Cloud Storage Google Cloud Storage Microsoft Azure Blob Storage Azure Blob Storage Self-hosted Local/SFTP Local File Storage, SFTP --- ## File Service Architecture ``` ┌─────────────────┐ ┌──────────────────┐ ┌─────────────────┐ │ API Client │────▶│ DreamFactory │────▶│ File Storage │ │ (App/Service) │◀────│ (REST API) │◀────│ Backend │ └─────────────────┘ └──────────────────┘ └─────────────────┘ │ │ │ HTTP/HTTPS Connector Native Protocol + API Key (S3 SDK, (S3 API, SFTP, + JWT (optional) Azure SDK, etc.) local filesystem) ``` ### Key Architectural Points 1. **DreamFactory acts as a secure proxy** - Storage credentials are never exposed to API clients 2. **Unified API interface** - Same REST patterns regardless of storage backend 3. **Streaming support** - Large files are streamed, not buffered in memory 4. **Content type handling** - Automatic MIME type detection and headers --- ## Configuration Options All file services share these common configuration fields: Field Type Description `name` string Service name (used in API URL) `label` string Display name in admin console `description` string Service description `is_active` boolean Enable/disable the service `cache_enabled` boolean Enable response caching `cache_ttl` integer Cache time-to-live in seconds Service-specific configuration options are documented in each service guide. --- ## Common API Examples ### List Directory Contents ``` curl -X GET "https://example.com/api/v2/{service_name}/" \ -H "X-DreamFactory-API-Key: YOUR_API_KEY" ``` Response: ``` { "resource": [ { "path": "documents/", "type": "folder", "name": "documents", "last_modified": "2026-02-10T14:30:00Z" }, { "path": "readme.txt", "type": "file", "name": "readme.txt", "content_type": "text/plain", "content_length": 1024, "last_modified": "2026-02-09T10:15:00Z" } ] } ``` ### Upload a File ``` curl -X POST "https://example.com/api/v2/{service_name}/documents/report.pdf" \ -H "X-DreamFactory-API-Key: YOUR_API_KEY" \ -H "Content-Type: application/pdf" \ --data-binary @report.pdf ``` ### Download a File ``` curl -X GET "https://example.com/api/v2/{service_name}/documents/report.pdf" \ -H "X-DreamFactory-API-Key: YOUR_API_KEY" \ -o report.pdf ``` ### Delete a File ``` curl -X DELETE "https://example.com/api/v2/{service_name}/documents/old-report.pdf" \ -H "X-DreamFactory-API-Key: YOUR_API_KEY" ``` --- ## Common Errors Error Code Message Cause Solution 400 Bad Request Invalid path or parameters Check path format and parameter values 401 Unauthorized Missing or invalid API key Verify API key in request header 403 Forbidden Insufficient permissions Check role permissions for the path/operation 404 Not Found File or folder does not exist Verify the path exists 409 Conflict File already exists (on create) Use PUT to overwrite or delete first 413 Payload Too Large File exceeds size limit Check server upload limits 503 Service Unavailable Storage backend unreachable Verify backend connectivity and credentials --- ## Next Steps - **[Local File Storage](/Local_File_Storage)**: Store files on the DreamFactory server - **[AWS S3](/Aws_S3)**: Connect to Amazon S3 buckets - **[SFTP](/Creating_Sftp_Rest_Api)**: Connect to remote SFTP servers For file service-specific questions, consult the individual guides or contact DreamFactory support. Retrieved from "[https://wiki.dreamfactory.com/index.php?title=File_Services_Overview&oldid=974](https://wiki.dreamfactory.com/index.php?title=File_Services_Overview&oldid=974)" [Categories](/Special:Categories): - [File Storage](/Category:File_Storage) - [Aws S3](/Category:Aws_S3) - [Azure Blob](/index.php?title=Category:Azure_Blob&action=edit&redlink=1) - [API](/Category:API) - [Difficulty Beginner](/Category:Difficulty_Beginner)