Storage Configuration

Flowise supports multiple storage backends for handling file uploads, document loaders, and other assets. Configure local filesystem, Amazon S3, or Google Cloud Storage based on your deployment needs.

Storage Types

Flowise supports three storage backends:

Local - File system storage (default)
S3 - Amazon S3 or S3-compatible storage
GCS - Google Cloud Storage

Local Storage (Default)

Local file system storage is used by default with zero configuration.

# Optional: customize storage location
STORAGE_TYPE=local
BLOB_STORAGE_PATH=/path/to/storage/directory

STORAGE_TYPE

string

default:"local"

Storage backend type. Options: local, s3, gcs

BLOB_STORAGE_PATH

string

default:"~/.flowise/storage"

Local directory path for file storage when using local storage

Default Storage Location

Linux/macOS: ~/.flowise/storage/
Windows: C:\Users\{username}\.flowise\storage\

Local Storage Structure

~/.flowise/storage/
├── uploads/          # User file uploads
├── {chatflowId}/     # Per-chatflow document storage
└── docustore/        # Document store files

Local storage is suitable for single-server deployments. For distributed or cloud deployments, use S3 or GCS.

Amazon S3 Storage

Amazon S3 provides scalable cloud storage for production deployments.

Basic S3 Configuration

# S3 Storage Configuration
STORAGE_TYPE=s3
S3_STORAGE_BUCKET_NAME=my-flowise-bucket
S3_STORAGE_ACCESS_KEY_ID=AKIAIOSFODNN7EXAMPLE
S3_STORAGE_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY=wJalrXUtnFEMI/K7MDENG/bPxRfiCYEXAMPLEKEY
S3_STORAGE_REGION=us-east-1

STORAGE_TYPE

string

Set to s3 for Amazon S3 storage

S3_STORAGE_BUCKET_NAME

string

Name of the S3 bucket for storing files

S3_STORAGE_ACCESS_KEY_ID

string

AWS access key ID with S3 permissions

S3_STORAGE_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY

string

AWS secret access key

S3_STORAGE_REGION

string

default:"us-west-2"

AWS region where the S3 bucket is located (e.g., us-east-1, eu-west-1)

Advanced S3 Options

S3_ENDPOINT_URL

string

Custom S3 endpoint URL for S3-compatible services (MinIO, DigitalOcean Spaces, etc.)

# MinIO example
S3_ENDPOINT_URL=http://localhost:9000

# DigitalOcean Spaces example
S3_ENDPOINT_URL=https://nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com

S3_FORCE_PATH_STYLE

boolean

default:"false"

Force path-style URLs for S3 requests. Required for MinIO and some S3-compatible services.

# For MinIO or custom S3
S3_FORCE_PATH_STYLE=true

S3 Setup Steps

Create S3 Bucket

aws s3 mb s3://my-flowise-bucket --region us-east-1

Configure Bucket CORS (if accessing from browser)

[
  {
    "AllowedHeaders": ["*"],
    "AllowedMethods": ["GET", "PUT", "POST", "DELETE"],
    "AllowedOrigins": ["https://your-flowise-domain.com"],
    "ExposeHeaders": ["ETag"]
  }
]

Create IAM User and Policy

{
  "Version": "2012-10-17",
  "Statement": [
    {
      "Effect": "Allow",
      "Action": [
        "s3:PutObject",
        "s3:GetObject",
        "s3:DeleteObject",
        "s3:ListBucket"
      ],
      "Resource": [
        "arn:aws:s3:::my-flowise-bucket",
        "arn:aws:s3:::my-flowise-bucket/*"
      ]
    }
  ]
}

Configure Flowise

Add credentials to .env:

STORAGE_TYPE=s3
S3_STORAGE_BUCKET_NAME=my-flowise-bucket
S3_STORAGE_ACCESS_KEY_ID=your_access_key
S3_STORAGE_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY=your_secret_key
S3_STORAGE_REGION=us-east-1

Using IAM Roles (Recommended for EC2/ECS)

Instead of access keys, use IAM roles:

# .env - Only bucket and region needed
STORAGE_TYPE=s3
S3_STORAGE_BUCKET_NAME=my-flowise-bucket
S3_STORAGE_REGION=us-east-1
# No access keys needed - uses instance/task IAM role

Ensure your EC2 instance or ECS task has an IAM role with the S3 policy above.

Google Cloud Storage

Google Cloud Storage provides scalable storage for GCP deployments.

Basic GCS Configuration

# GCS Storage Configuration
STORAGE_TYPE=gcs
GOOGLE_CLOUD_STORAGE_BUCKET_NAME=my-flowise-bucket
GOOGLE_CLOUD_STORAGE_CREDENTIAL=/path/to/service-account-key.json
GOOGLE_CLOUD_STORAGE_PROJ_ID=my-gcp-project
GOOGLE_CLOUD_UNIFORM_BUCKET_ACCESS=true

STORAGE_TYPE

string

Set to gcs for Google Cloud Storage

GOOGLE_CLOUD_STORAGE_BUCKET_NAME

string

Name of the GCS bucket for storing files

GOOGLE_CLOUD_STORAGE_CREDENTIAL

string

Path to the service account JSON key file

GOOGLE_CLOUD_STORAGE_PROJ_ID

string

Google Cloud project ID

GOOGLE_CLOUD_UNIFORM_BUCKET_ACCESS

boolean

default:"true"

Enable uniform bucket-level access (recommended)

GCS Setup Steps

Create GCS Bucket

gsutil mb -p my-gcp-project -l us-east1 gs://my-flowise-bucket

Create Service Account

# Create service account
gcloud iam service-accounts create flowise-storage \
  --display-name="Flowise Storage Service Account"

# Grant storage permissions
gcloud projects add-iam-policy-binding my-gcp-project \
  --member="serviceAccount:[email protected]" \
  --role="roles/storage.objectAdmin"

# Create and download key
gcloud iam service-accounts keys create ~/flowise-gcs-key.json \
  --iam-account=flowise-storage@my-gcp-project.iam.gserviceaccount.com

Configure CORS (if needed)

Create cors.json:

[
  {
    "origin": ["https://your-flowise-domain.com"],
    "method": ["GET", "PUT", "POST", "DELETE"],
    "responseHeader": ["Content-Type"],
    "maxAgeSeconds": 3600
  }
]

Apply CORS:

gsutil cors set cors.json gs://my-flowise-bucket

Configure Flowise

STORAGE_TYPE=gcs
GOOGLE_CLOUD_STORAGE_BUCKET_NAME=my-flowise-bucket
GOOGLE_CLOUD_STORAGE_CREDENTIAL=/path/to/flowise-gcs-key.json
GOOGLE_CLOUD_STORAGE_PROJ_ID=my-gcp-project
GOOGLE_CLOUD_UNIFORM_BUCKET_ACCESS=true

Using Workload Identity (GKE)

For GKE deployments, use Workload Identity instead of service account keys:

# .env - No credential file needed
STORAGE_TYPE=gcs
GOOGLE_CLOUD_STORAGE_BUCKET_NAME=my-flowise-bucket
GOOGLE_CLOUD_STORAGE_PROJ_ID=my-gcp-project
# Workload Identity provides credentials automatically

S3-Compatible Storage

Flowise works with S3-compatible storage services.

MinIO

STORAGE_TYPE=s3
S3_STORAGE_BUCKET_NAME=flowise
S3_STORAGE_ACCESS_KEY_ID=minioadmin
S3_STORAGE_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY=minioadmin
S3_ENDPOINT_URL=http://localhost:9000
S3_FORCE_PATH_STYLE=true
S3_STORAGE_REGION=us-east-1  # Required but can be any value

DigitalOcean Spaces

STORAGE_TYPE=s3
S3_STORAGE_BUCKET_NAME=my-flowise-space
S3_STORAGE_ACCESS_KEY_ID=your_spaces_key
S3_STORAGE_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY=your_spaces_secret
S3_ENDPOINT_URL=https://nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com
S3_STORAGE_REGION=nyc3

Cloudflare R2

STORAGE_TYPE=s3
S3_STORAGE_BUCKET_NAME=my-flowise-bucket
S3_STORAGE_ACCESS_KEY_ID=your_r2_key_id
S3_STORAGE_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY=your_r2_secret
S3_ENDPOINT_URL=https://account_id.r2.cloudflarestorage.com
S3_FORCE_PATH_STYLE=false
S3_STORAGE_REGION=auto

Backblaze B2

STORAGE_TYPE=s3
S3_STORAGE_BUCKET_NAME=my-flowise-bucket
S3_STORAGE_ACCESS_KEY_ID=your_b2_key_id
S3_STORAGE_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY=your_b2_application_key
S3_ENDPOINT_URL=https://s3.us-west-002.backblazeb2.com
S3_STORAGE_REGION=us-west-002

File Upload Configuration

FLOWISE_FILE_SIZE_LIMIT

string

default:"50mb"

Maximum file upload size for all file uploads

# Increase for larger files
FLOWISE_FILE_SIZE_LIMIT=100mb

Supported File Types

Flowise supports various file types based on document loaders:

Documents: PDF, DOCX, TXT, CSV, JSON
Images: JPEG, PNG, GIF, WebP (for vision models)
Audio: MP3, WAV, M4A (for speech-to-text)
Code: JS, TS, PY, JAVA, etc.

Storage Usage (Enterprise)

Storage quota management is available in Flowise Enterprise Edition.

Enterprise deployments can track and limit storage usage per organization/workspace.

Migration Between Storage Types

To migrate from one storage backend to another:

Local to S3/GCS

Export files from local storage

# Create archive of storage directory
tar -czf flowise-storage-backup.tar.gz ~/.flowise/storage/

Upload to cloud storage

# S3
aws s3 sync ~/.flowise/storage/ s3://my-flowise-bucket/ --region us-east-1

# GCS
gsutil -m rsync -r ~/.flowise/storage/ gs://my-flowise-bucket/

Update configuration

# Update .env to use S3/GCS
STORAGE_TYPE=s3
S3_STORAGE_BUCKET_NAME=my-flowise-bucket
# ... other S3 config

Restart Flowise

npm start

Troubleshooting

S3 Access Denied

Problem: Cannot upload files to S3 Solutions:

Verify IAM permissions include s3:PutObject
Check bucket name is correct
Ensure credentials are valid
Test with AWS CLI:

aws s3 cp test.txt s3://my-flowise-bucket/ --region us-east-1

GCS Authentication Failed

Problem: Cannot access GCS bucket Solutions:

Verify service account key file path is correct
Check service account has Storage Object Admin role
Ensure project ID is correct
Test with gsutil:

GOOGLE_APPLICATION_CREDENTIALS=/path/to/key.json gsutil ls gs://my-flowise-bucket

CORS Errors

Problem: File uploads fail from browser with CORS error Solutions:

Configure CORS on S3/GCS bucket (see setup steps above)
Verify allowed origins match your Flowise domain
Check browser console for specific CORS error

File Size Limit Exceeded

Problem: Large file uploads fail Solutions:

Increase FLOWISE_FILE_SIZE_LIMIT
For S3, check bucket quota limits
For GCS, verify project quotas

Security Best Practices

1. Use Private Buckets

Never make storage buckets publicly accessible:

# S3 - Block all public access
aws s3api put-public-access-block \
  --bucket my-flowise-bucket \
  --public-access-block-configuration \
  "BlockPublicAcls=true,IgnorePublicAcls=true,BlockPublicPolicy=true,RestrictPublicBuckets=true"

2. Use IAM Roles (AWS) or Workload Identity (GCP)

Avoid hardcoding credentials:

# Preferred: Use IAM role (no credentials in .env)
STORAGE_TYPE=s3
S3_STORAGE_BUCKET_NAME=my-flowise-bucket
S3_STORAGE_REGION=us-east-1

3. Enable Encryption at Rest

# S3 - Enable default encryption
aws s3api put-bucket-encryption \
  --bucket my-flowise-bucket \
  --server-side-encryption-configuration '{
    "Rules": [{
      "ApplyServerSideEncryptionByDefault": {
        "SSEAlgorithm": "AES256"
      }
    }]
  }'

4. Implement Lifecycle Policies

Automatically delete old files:

{
  "Rules": [
    {
      "Id": "DeleteOldUploads",
      "Filter": {"Prefix": "uploads/"},
      "Status": "Enabled",
      "Expiration": {"Days": 90}
    }
  ]
}

5. Monitor Storage Costs

Enable S3/GCS cost tracking
Set up billing alerts
Implement file cleanup policies
Use lifecycle rules to transition to cheaper storage tiers

Example Production Configuration

AWS S3 (Recommended)

# Production S3 Configuration with IAM Role
STORAGE_TYPE=s3
S3_STORAGE_BUCKET_NAME=flowise-prod-us-east-1
S3_STORAGE_REGION=us-east-1
# IAM role provides credentials automatically

# File size limit
FLOWISE_FILE_SIZE_LIMIT=100mb

Google Cloud Storage

# Production GCS Configuration with Workload Identity
STORAGE_TYPE=gcs
GOOGLE_CLOUD_STORAGE_BUCKET_NAME=flowise-prod-bucket
GOOGLE_CLOUD_STORAGE_PROJ_ID=my-production-project
GOOGLE_CLOUD_UNIFORM_BUCKET_ACCESS=true
# Workload Identity provides credentials

# File size limit  
FLOWISE_FILE_SIZE_LIMIT=100mb

Get Started

Core Concepts

Building Flows

Deployment

Configuration

​Storage Types

​Local Storage (Default)

​Default Storage Location

​Local Storage Structure

​Amazon S3 Storage

​Basic S3 Configuration

​Advanced S3 Options

​S3 Setup Steps

​Using IAM Roles (Recommended for EC2/ECS)

​Google Cloud Storage

​Basic GCS Configuration

​GCS Setup Steps

​Using Workload Identity (GKE)

​S3-Compatible Storage

​MinIO

​DigitalOcean Spaces

​Cloudflare R2

​Backblaze B2

​File Upload Configuration

​Supported File Types

​Storage Usage (Enterprise)

​Migration Between Storage Types

​Local to S3/GCS

​Troubleshooting

​S3 Access Denied

​GCS Authentication Failed

​CORS Errors

​File Size Limit Exceeded

​Security Best Practices

​1. Use Private Buckets

​2. Use IAM Roles (AWS) or Workload Identity (GCP)

​3. Enable Encryption at Rest

​4. Implement Lifecycle Policies

​5. Monitor Storage Costs

​Example Production Configuration

​AWS S3 (Recommended)

​Google Cloud Storage

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Storage Types

Local Storage (Default)

Default Storage Location

Local Storage Structure

Amazon S3 Storage

Basic S3 Configuration

Advanced S3 Options

S3 Setup Steps

Using IAM Roles (Recommended for EC2/ECS)

Google Cloud Storage

Basic GCS Configuration

GCS Setup Steps

Using Workload Identity (GKE)

S3-Compatible Storage

MinIO

DigitalOcean Spaces

Cloudflare R2

Backblaze B2

File Upload Configuration

Supported File Types

Storage Usage (Enterprise)

Migration Between Storage Types

Local to S3/GCS

Troubleshooting

S3 Access Denied

GCS Authentication Failed

CORS Errors

File Size Limit Exceeded

Security Best Practices

1. Use Private Buckets

2. Use IAM Roles (AWS) or Workload Identity (GCP)

3. Enable Encryption at Rest

4. Implement Lifecycle Policies

5. Monitor Storage Costs

Example Production Configuration

AWS S3 (Recommended)

Google Cloud Storage