---
title: 'Storage'
description: 'Supabase Storage'
---

# Storage

## Overview

Supabase Storage makes it simple to store and serve large files.

### Files

Files can be any sort of media file. This includes images, GIFs, and videos. It is best practice to store files outside of your database because of their sizes.

### Folders

Folders are a way to organize your files (just like on your computer). There is no right or wrong way to organize your files. You can store them in whichever folder structure suits your project.

### Buckets

Buckets are distinct containers for files and folders. You can think of them like "super folders". Generally you would create distinct buckets for different Security and Access Rules. For example, you might keep all public files in a "public" bucket, and other files that require logged-in access in a "restricted" bucket.

## Getting started

This is a quick guide that shows the basic functionality of Supabase Storage. Find a full [example application in GitHub](https://github.com/supabase/supabase/edit/master/examples/nextjs-ts-user-management), which you can deploy yourself.

<a href="https://vercel.com/new/git/external?repository-url=https%3A%2F%2Fgithub.com%2Fsupabase%2Fsupabase%2Ftree%2Fmaster%2Fexamples%2Fnextjs-ts-user-management&project-name=supabase-user-management&repository-name=supabase-user-management&demo-title=Supabase%20User%20Management&demo-description=An%20example%20web%20app%20using%20Supabase%20and%20Next.js&demo-url=https%3A%2F%2Fsupabase-nextjs-ts-user-management.vercel.app&demo-image=https%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FZ3HkQqe.png&integration-ids=oac_jUduyjQgOyzev1fjrW83NYOv&external-id=nextjs-user-management">
  <img src="https://vercel.com/button" alt="Deploy with Vercel" />
</a>

### Create a bucket

You can create a bucket using the Supabase Dashboard. Since the storage is interoperable with your Postgres database, you can also use SQL or our client libraries. Here we create a bucket called "avatars":

<!--- 
TODO: Get tabs to render - @supabase/ui Tabs component fails to render)
--->

[Reference](https://pub.dev/documentation/storage_client/latest/storage_client/SupabaseStorageClient/createBucket.html)

### Upload a file

You can upload a file from the Dashboard, or within a browser using our JS libraries.

<video width="99%" playsinline controls>
  <source src="/videos/storage/upload.mp4" type="video/mp4" playsInline />
</video>

### Download a file

You can download a file from the Dashboard, or within a browser using our JS libraries.

<video width="99%" playsinline controls>
  <source src="/videos/storage/download.mp4" type="video/mp4" playsInline />
</video>

### Add security rules

To restrict access to your files you can use either the Dashboard or SQL.

<video width="99%" playsinline controls>
  <source src="/videos/storage/policies.mp4" type="video/mp4" playsInline />
</video>

### Helpers

Supabase Storage is configured with database SQL helper functions which you can use in your database queries and policies.

<hr />

`storage.filename()`

Returns the name of a file.

```sql
select storage.filename(name)
from storage.objects;
```

For example, if your file is stored in `public/subfolder/avatar.png` it would return:

`'avatar.png'`

<hr />

`storage.foldername()`

Returns an array path, with all of the subfolders that a file belongs to.

```sql
select storage.foldername(name)
from storage.objects;
```

For example, if your file is stored in `public/subfolder/avatar.png` it would return:

`[ 'public', 'subfolder' ]`

<hr />

`storage.extension()`

Returns the extension of a file.

```sql
select storage.extension(name)
from storage.objects;
```

For example, if your file is stored in `public/subfolder/avatar.png` it would return:

`'png'`

<hr />

### Security

Supabase Storage is integrated with your Postgres Database. This means that you can use the same Policy engine for managing access to your files.

### Policy Examples

Here are some examples to show you the power of PostgreSQL's Row Level Security. Each policy is attached to a table, and the policy is executed every time a table is accessed.

#### Allow public access to a bucket

```sql
-- 1. Allow public access to any files in the "public" bucket
create policy "Public Access"
on storage.objects for select
using ( bucket_id = 'public' );
```

#### Allow logged-in access to a bucket

```sql
-- 1. Allow logged-in access to any files in the "restricted" bucket
create policy "Restricted Access"
on storage.objects for select
using (
  bucket_id = 'restricted'
  and auth.role() = 'authenticated'
);
```

#### Allow individual access to a file

```sql
-- 1. Allow a user to access their own files
create policy "Individual user Access"
on storage.objects for select
using ( auth.uid() = owner );
```

### Tips

#### Go Easy

Supabase Storage is in Beta. If you're experiencing any issues, let us know on our [GitHub](https://github.com/supabase/supabase/discussions) and we will fix it as fast as we can.

## Next steps

- Got a question? Ask here.
- Read more about storage in our blog post.
- Sign in: app.supabase.com