> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.postsider.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Media Storage Configuration: Local or Cloudflare R2

> Configure where Volta stores uploaded media. Use the local filesystem for development or Cloudflare R2 for production cloud storage.

When you upload images, videos, or audio files in Volta — whether attaching them to a post or pulling them into the media library — those files need to be stored somewhere. Volta supports two storage backends: the **local filesystem** for simple setups, and **Cloudflare R2** for scalable, cloud-hosted storage. You choose your provider by setting `STORAGE_PROVIDER` in your `.env` file.

## Local Storage (Default)

By default, Volta stores all uploaded media in a local `./uploads/` directory relative to the project root. The backend serves these files directly.

```env theme={null}
STORAGE_PROVIDER=local
UPLOAD_DIRECTORY=./uploads
```

The `uploads/` directory is created automatically during installation. No additional configuration is needed.

<Note>
  Local storage is perfectly fine for development environments and small self-hosted teams. If you're running Volta on a single server with a manageable amount of media, local storage keeps things simple with no external dependencies.
</Note>

<Tip>
  If you're using local storage in production, make sure to **back up your `uploads/` directory** regularly alongside your PostgreSQL database. Media files are not stored in the database — a database backup alone won't capture your uploaded files.
</Tip>

## Cloudflare R2 (Recommended for Production)

For production deployments — especially those with multiple server instances or significant media volume — Cloudflare R2 is the recommended storage backend. R2 is S3-compatible object storage with no egress fees.

```env theme={null}
STORAGE_PROVIDER=cloudflare
CLOUDFLARE_ACCOUNT_ID=your-account-id
CLOUDFLARE_ACCESS_KEY=your-access-key
CLOUDFLARE_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY=your-secret-access-key
CLOUDFLARE_BUCKETNAME=your-bucket-name
CLOUDFLARE_BUCKET_URL=https://your-bucket-url.r2.cloudflarestorage.com/
CLOUDFLARE_REGION=auto
```

### Setting Up Cloudflare R2

<Steps>
  <Step title="Create an R2 bucket">
    Log into the [Cloudflare dashboard](https://dash.cloudflare.com/), go to **R2 Object Storage**, and click **Create bucket**. Give it a name (e.g. `volta-media`).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Configure public access (optional)">
    If you want Volta-served media to be publicly accessible (e.g. for embedding images in posts), enable **Public access** on the bucket and note the public bucket URL.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Create an API token">
    In the R2 section, click **Manage R2 API tokens** → **Create API token**. Grant the token **Object Read & Write** permissions scoped to your bucket. Copy the **Access Key ID** and **Secret Access Key** — these are only shown once.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Find your Account ID">
    Your Cloudflare **Account ID** is shown in the right sidebar of any Cloudflare dashboard page under **Account Home**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add the variables to your .env">
    Fill in all six `CLOUDFLARE_*` variables in your `.env` file using the values from the steps above. Set `CLOUDFLARE_REGION=auto` (this is always correct for R2).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Restart Volta">
    Restart your Volta instance for the new storage configuration to take effect. Newly uploaded files will go to R2 immediately.
  </Step>
</Steps>

### Variable Reference

| Variable                       | Description                                                 |
| ------------------------------ | ----------------------------------------------------------- |
| `CLOUDFLARE_ACCOUNT_ID`        | Your Cloudflare account ID (found in the dashboard sidebar) |
| `CLOUDFLARE_ACCESS_KEY`        | R2 API token Access Key ID                                  |
| `CLOUDFLARE_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY` | R2 API token Secret Access Key                              |
| `CLOUDFLARE_BUCKETNAME`        | The name of your R2 bucket                                  |
| `CLOUDFLARE_BUCKET_URL`        | Public or private URL for the bucket (ends with `/`)        |
| `CLOUDFLARE_REGION`            | Always `auto` for R2                                        |

## Switching Storage Providers

You can switch from local storage to R2 (or vice versa) at any time by updating your `.env` and restarting Volta. Files uploaded before the switch are **not** automatically migrated — they remain on the old storage backend. If you want to move existing files, you'll need to copy them manually (e.g. from `./uploads/` to your R2 bucket) and ensure the file paths are consistent.