RocketMVPRocketMVP
Important for many MVPs

File Upload Systems for MVPs

Secure file upload handling for images, documents, and media with storage and delivery optimization.

2-5 days
Typical Timeline
$500 - $2,000
Typical Cost

When to Include

  • User-generated content (photos, documents)
  • Profile pictures or avatars
  • Document management features
  • Media-heavy applications

When to Skip

  • Text-only applications
  • No user-generated content
  • External file links are sufficient

Technology Options

TechnologyProsCons
AWS S3
Industry-standard object storage
  • Highly scalable
  • Pay-per-use
  • CloudFront CDN integration
  • Mature ecosystem
  • Complex IAM setup
  • No built-in processing
  • Requires signed URLs for security
Cloudinary
Media management platform
  • Image/video transformations
  • Built-in CDN
  • Easy API
  • Free tier
  • Costs at scale
  • Less control
  • Vendor lock-in
Uploadthing
Modern file uploads for Next.js
  • Type-safe
  • Simple API
  • Built for Next.js
  • Reasonable pricing
  • Newer service
  • Next.js focused
Supabase Storage
S3-compatible storage with Supabase
  • Integrated with Supabase Auth
  • Simple RLS policies
  • CDN included
  • Tied to Supabase
  • Less image processing

Implementation Steps

1
Define file types and size limits
2
Set up storage bucket with proper permissions
3
Implement secure upload endpoint
4
Add client-side validation
5
Handle upload progress and errors
6
Implement image optimization/resizing
7
Set up CDN for delivery
8
Add file deletion and cleanup

Common Mistakes to Avoid

  • Not validating file types server-side
  • Missing size limits (denial of service)
  • Storing files without proper access control
  • Not optimizing images before storage
  • Missing CORS configuration
  • Not implementing upload resumption for large files

Frequently Asked Questions

Direct upload vs. server-side upload?

Direct uploads to cloud storage reduce server load and are faster. Use pre-signed URLs for security. Server-side only for processing requirements.

How should I handle image optimization?

Convert to WebP, resize to needed dimensions, compress appropriately. Services like Cloudinary or Sharp (Node.js) handle this automatically.

What about very large file uploads?

Use multipart uploads with resumability (tus protocol). Show progress, handle network interruptions, and implement retry logic.

Related Features

Image Processing

Resize, optimize, transform, and deliver images efficiently for web and mobile applications.

Learn more

Need Help Implementing File Uploads?

We'll build it right the first time. File Uploads is included in our $3,999 MVP package.

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