Storage

ThinkEx supports two storage backends for file uploads. You choose between them by setting the STORAGE_TYPE environment variable.

Local storage is the right choice for most self-hosted setups. It requires no external accounts, keeps your data on your own server, and works out of the box.

Local storage
Supabase storage

Local storage saves uploaded files to the ./uploads/ directory on the server running ThinkEx. It has no external dependencies and is the simplest option to operate.When to use it: You’re running a single ThinkEx instance on one machine and want full control over your files without third-party services.Set up local storage:In your .env file, set:

STORAGE_TYPE=local

That’s all. ThinkEx creates the ./uploads/ directory automatically on first upload. Make sure the directory is writable by the process running ThinkEx, and include it in your backup strategy.

If you later migrate to Supabase storage, existing files in ./uploads/ are not automatically moved. You’ll need to upload them to your Supabase bucket manually.

Supabase storage saves uploaded files to a bucket in your Supabase project. Files are served directly from Supabase’s CDN, and uploads bypass the Next.js server using signed URLs — supporting files up to 200 MB.When to use it: You’re running multiple ThinkEx instances, deploying to a serverless platform, or want cloud-managed file storage.Set up Supabase storage:

Create a Supabase project

Go to supabase.com and create a new project. Note your project URL and API keys from Settings → API.

Create a storage bucket

In your Supabase project dashboard, navigate to Storage and create a new bucket named exactly file-upload. Set the bucket visibility to Public.

Add credentials to your .env

Add the following to your .env file:

STORAGE_TYPE=supabase

NEXT_PUBLIC_SUPABASE_URL=https://your-project.supabase.co
NEXT_PUBLIC_SUPABASE_ANON_KEY=eyJ...
SUPABASE_SERVICE_ROLE_KEY=eyJ...

NEXT_PUBLIC_SUPABASE_URL — your project URL from Settings → API
NEXT_PUBLIC_SUPABASE_ANON_KEY — the anon (public) key from Settings → API
SUPABASE_SERVICE_ROLE_KEY — the service role key from Settings → API

Restart ThinkEx

Restart your ThinkEx server to apply the new environment variables. Uploads will now go directly to your Supabase bucket.

The SUPABASE_SERVICE_ROLE_KEY bypasses Supabase row-level security. Keep it out of version control and never expose it to the browser.

Comparison

	Local storage	Supabase storage
External dependency	None	Supabase project
Max file size	Limited by disk	Up to 200 MB
Multi-instance support	No	Yes
Setup complexity	Minimal	Moderate
Data location	Your server	Supabase cloud

For most self-hosted deployments on a single machine, local storage is simpler and gives you complete ownership of your data. Use Supabase storage if you need to scale horizontally or deploy to a platform without persistent local disk.

Get Started

Core Concepts

Guides

Configuration

Comparison

Get Started

Core Concepts

Guides

Configuration

​Comparison

Comparison