Serve Files

Serve Files

Serve uploaded files from Bknd storage to users via API proxy or direct storage URLs.

Prerequisites

• Media module enabled in Bknd config
• Storage adapter configured (S3, R2, Cloudinary, or local)
• Files uploaded via bknd-file-upload skill
• For CDN: storage provider with CDN support (S3/​R2/​Cloudinary)

When to Use UI Mode

• Admin panel > Media section > view/​preview files
• Copy file URLs from admin interface
• Quick verification that files are accessible

When to Use Code Mode

• Build file URLs programmatically
• Configure CDN or custom domains
• Implement image optimization
• Access control for file downloads

File Serving Methods

Bknd supports two approaches to serve files:

Step-by-Step: API Proxy (via Bknd)

Files served through Bknd API at /​api/​media/​file/​{filename}.

Step 1: Get File URL

import { Api } from "bknd";

const api = new Api({ host: "http://localhost:7654" });

// Build file URL
const fileUrl = `${api.host}/​api/​media/​file/​image.png`;
// "http://localhost:7654/​api/​media/​file/​image.png"

Step 2: Display in Frontend

function Image({ filename }) {
  const { api } = useApp();
  const src = `${api.host}/​api/​media/​file/​${filename}`;

  return <img src={src} alt="" />;
}

Step 3: Download File (SDK)

// Get as File object
const file = await api.media.download("image.png");

// Get as stream (for large files)
const stream = await api.media.getFileStream("image.png");

Step 4: Verify Access

# Test file access
curl -I http://localhost:7654/​api/​media/​file/​image.png

# Response includes:
# Content-Type: image/​png
# Content-Length: 12345
# ETag: "abc123..."

Step-by-Step: Direct Storage URLs

Serve files directly from S3/​R2/​Cloudinary for better performance.

S3/​R2 Direct URLs

// S3 URL pattern
const s3Url = `https://${bucket}.s3.${region}.amazonaws.com/​${filename}`;
// "https://mybucket.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/​image.png"

// R2 URL pattern (public bucket)
const r2Url = `https://${customDomain}/​${filename}`;
// "https://media.myapp.com/​image.png"

Cloudinary Direct URLs

Cloudinary provides automatic CDN and transformations:

// Basic URL
const cloudinaryUrl = `https://res.cloudinary.com/​${cloudName}/​image/​upload/​${filename}`;

// With transformations
const optimizedUrl = `https://res.cloudinary.com/​${cloudName}/​image/​upload/​w_800,q_auto,f_auto/​${filename}`;

Building URLs in Code

// Helper to get direct URL based on adapter type
function getFileUrl(filename: string, config: MediaConfig): string {
  const { adapter } = config;

  switch (adapter.type) {
    case "s3":
      // S3/​R2 URL from configured endpoint
      return `${adapter.config.url}/​${filename}`;

    case "cloudinary":
      return `https://res.cloudinary.com/​${adapter.config.cloud_name}/​image/​upload/​${filename}`;

    case "local":
      // Always use API proxy for local
      return `/​api/​media/​file/​${filename}`;

    default:
      return `/​api/​media/​file/​${filename}`;
  }
}

CDN Configuration

Cloudflare R2 with Custom Domain

1. Create R2 bucket in Cloudflare dashboard

2. Enable public access on bucket

3. Configure custom domain (Cloudflare DNS):

   • Add CNAME: media.yourapp.com -> <bucket>.<account>.r2.dev

4. Use in Bknd config:

export default defineConfig({
  media: {
    enabled: true,
    adapter: {
      type: "s3",
      config: {
        access_key: process.env.R2_ACCESS_KEY,
        secret_access_key: process.env.R2_SECRET_KEY,
        url: `https://${process.env.R2_ACCOUNT_ID}.r2.cloudflarestorage.com/​${process.env.R2_BUCKET}`,
      },
    },
  },
});

1. Serve files via custom domain:

const publicUrl = `https://media.yourapp.com/​${filename}`;

AWS S3 with CloudFront

1. Create S3 bucket with public read (or CloudFront OAI)

2. Create CloudFront distribution:

   • Origin: S3 bucket
   • Cache policy: CachingOptimized
   • Custom domain (optional)

3. Use CloudFront URL:

const cdnUrl = `https://d123abc.cloudfront.net/​${filename}`;
// Or with custom domain
const cdnUrl = `https://cdn.yourapp.com/​${filename}`;

Cloudinary (Built-in CDN)

Cloudinary includes global CDN automatically:

export default defineConfig({
  media: {
    enabled: true,
    adapter: {
      type: "cloudinary",
      config: {
        cloud_name: "your-cloud-name",
        api_key: process.env.CLOUDINARY_API_KEY,
        api_secret: process.env.CLOUDINARY_API_SECRET,
      },
    },
  },
});

Files served from res.cloudinary.com with global CDN.

Image Optimization

Cloudinary Transformations

// Build optimized image URL
function getOptimizedImage(filename: string, options: {
  width?: number;
  height?: number;
  quality?: "auto" | number;
  format?: "auto" | "webp" | "avif" | "jpg" | "png";
  crop?: "fill" | "fit" | "scale" | "thumb";
} = {}) {
  const cloudName = process.env.CLOUDINARY_CLOUD_NAME;
  const transforms: string[] = [];

  if (options.width) transforms.push(`w_${options.width}`);
  if (options.height) transforms.push(`h_${options.height}`);
  if (options.quality) transforms.push(`q_${options.quality}`);
  if (options.format) transforms.push(`f_${options.format}`);
  if (options.crop) transforms.push(`c_${options.crop}`);

  const transformStr = transforms.length > 0 ? transforms.join(",") + "/" : "";

  return `https://res.cloudinary.com/​${cloudName}/​image/​upload/​${transformStr}${filename}`;
}

// Usage
const thumb = getOptimizedImage("avatar.png", {
  width: 100,
  height: 100,
  crop: "fill",
  quality: "auto",
  format: "auto",
});
// "https://res.cloudinary.com/​mycloud/​image/​upload/​w_100,h_100,c_fill,q_auto,f_auto/​avatar.png"

Common Transformation Patterns

// Responsive images
const srcSet = [400, 800, 1200].map(w =>
  `${getOptimizedImage(filename, { width: w, format: "auto" })} ${w}w`
).join(", ");

// Thumbnail generation
const thumb = getOptimizedImage(filename, {
  width: 150,
  height: 150,
  crop: "thumb",
});

// Automatic format (WebP/​AVIF when supported)
const optimized = getOptimizedImage(filename, {
  quality: "auto",
  format: "auto",
});

React Integration

Image Component with Fallback

function StoredImage({ filename, alt, ...props }) {
  const { api } = useApp();
  const [error, setError] = useState(false);

  // API proxy URL as fallback
  const apiUrl = `${api.host}/​api/​media/​file/​${filename}`;

  // Direct CDN URL (configure based on your adapter)
  const cdnUrl = `https://media.yourapp.com/​${filename}`;

  return (
    <img
      src={error ? apiUrl : cdnUrl}
      alt={alt}
      onError={() => setError(true)}
      {...props}
    />
  );
}

Responsive Image Component

function ResponsiveImage({ filename, alt, sizes = "100vw" }) {
  const cloudName = process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_CLOUDINARY_CLOUD_NAME;
  const base = `https://res.cloudinary.com/​${cloudName}/​image/​upload`;

  const srcSet = [400, 800, 1200, 1600].map(w =>
    `${base}/​w_${w},q_auto,f_auto/​${filename} ${w}w`
  ).join(", ");

  return (
    <img
      src={`${base}/​w_800,q_auto,f_auto/​${filename}`}
      srcSet={srcSet}
      sizes={sizes}
      alt={alt}
      loading="lazy"
    />
  );
}

File Download Button

function DownloadButton({ filename, label }) {
  const { api } = useApp();
  const [downloading, setDownloading] = useState(false);

  const handleDownload = async () => {
    setDownloading(true);
    try {
      const file = await api.media.download(filename);

      // Create download link
      const url = URL.createObjectURL(file);
      const link = document.createElement("a");
      link.href = url;
      link.download = filename;
      link.click();
      URL.revokeObjectURL(url);
    } catch (err) {
      console.error("Download failed:", err);
    } finally {
      setDownloading(false);
    }
  };

  return (
    <button onClick={handleDownload} disabled={downloading}>
      {downloading ? "Downloading..." : label || "Download"}
    </​button>
  );
}

Caching Configuration

S3/​R2 Cache Headers

Set cache headers when uploading:

// Custom adapter with cache headers (advanced)
// S3 adapter doesn't expose this directly; configure via bucket policy
// or CloudFront cache behaviors

Cloudflare R2 Cache Rules

In Cloudflare dashboard:

1. Go to Caching > Cache Rules
2. Create rule for your R2 subdomain
3. Set Edge TTL (e.g., 1 year for immutable assets)

API Proxy Caching

Bknd's API proxy supports standard HTTP caching:

# Client can use conditional requests
curl -H "If-None-Match: \"abc123\"" \
  http://localhost:7654/​api/​media/​file/​image.png

# Returns 304 Not Modified if unchanged

Access Control

Public Files (No Auth)

Configure default role with media.read permission:

export default defineConfig({
  auth: {
    guard: {
      roles: {
        anonymous: {
          is_default: true,
          permissions: {
            "media.read": true,  // Public read access
          },
        },
      },
    },
  },
});

Private Files (Auth Required)

Remove media.read from anonymous:

export default defineConfig({
  auth: {
    guard: {
      roles: {
        user: {
          permissions: {
            "media.read": true,
            "media.create": true,
          },
        },
        // No anonymous role, or no media.read permission
      },
    },
  },
});

Access requires auth:

# Fails without auth
curl http://localhost:7654/​api/​media/​file/​private.pdf
# 401 Unauthorized

# Works with auth
curl -H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
  http://localhost:7654/​api/​media/​file/​private.pdf

Signed URLs (Time-Limited Access)

For S3/​R2, generate presigned URLs:

// Custom endpoint for signed URLs (advanced)
// Requires S3 SDK directly, not through Bknd adapter
import { S3Client, GetObjectCommand } from "@aws-sdk/​client-s3";
import { getSignedUrl } from "@aws-sdk/​s3-request-presigner";

async function getSignedDownloadUrl(filename: string): Promise<string> {
  const client = new S3Client({ /​* config */ });
  const command = new GetObjectCommand({
    Bucket: process.env.S3_BUCKET,
    Key: filename,
  });
  return getSignedUrl(client, command, { expiresIn: 3600 }); // 1 hour
}

REST API Reference

Request Headers

Response Headers

Common Pitfalls

404 File Not Found

Problem: File URL returns 404.

Causes:

1. Filename doesn't exist
2. Wrong path/​case sensitivity
3. File was deleted

Fix: Verify file exists:

const { data: files } = await api.media.listFiles();
const exists = files.some(f => f.key === filename);

CORS Errors on Direct S3 URL

Problem: Browser blocks direct S3 access.

Fix: Configure CORS on S3 bucket:

{
  "CORSRules": [{
    "AllowedOrigins": ["https://yourapp.com"],
    "AllowedMethods": ["GET"],
    "AllowedHeaders": ["*"],
    "MaxAgeSeconds": 3600
  }]
}

Slow File Serving

Problem: Files load slowly via API proxy.

Fix: Use direct storage URLs with CDN:

// Instead of API proxy
const slow = "/​api/​media/​file/​image.png";

// Use direct CDN URL
const fast = "https://cdn.yourapp.com/​image.png";

Mixed Content (HTTP/​HTTPS)

Problem: HTTPS page loading HTTP file URLs.

Fix: Ensure storage URL uses HTTPS:

// WRONG
url: "http://bucket.s3.amazonaws.com",

// CORRECT
url: "https://bucket.s3.amazonaws.com",

Large File Download Fails

Problem: Download times out or memory error.

Fix: Use streaming for large files:

// Stream instead of loading into memory
const stream = await api.media.getFileStream("large-file.zip");

// Or direct download link
const downloadUrl = `${api.host}/​api/​media/​file/​large-file.zip`;
window.location.href = downloadUrl;

Cloudinary File Not Found

Problem: Cloudinary returns 404 for uploaded file.

Cause: Cloudinary uses eventual consistency; file not yet indexed.

Fix: Wait briefly or use upload response URL directly:

const { data } = await api.media.upload(file);
// Use data.name immediately rather than re-fetching

Verification

Test file serving setup:

async function testFileServing() {
  const filename = "test-image.png";

  // 1. Verify file exists
  const { data: files } = await api.media.listFiles();
  const file = files.find(f => f.key === filename);
  console.log("File exists:", !!file);

  // 2. Test API proxy
  const apiUrl = `${api.host}/​api/​media/​file/​${filename}`;
  const apiRes = await fetch(apiUrl);
  console.log("API proxy status:", apiRes.status);
  console.log("Content-Type:", apiRes.headers.get("content-type"));

  // 3. Test conditional request
  const etag = apiRes.headers.get("etag");
  if (etag) {
    const conditionalRes = await fetch(apiUrl, {
      headers: { "If-None-Match": etag },
    });
    console.log("Conditional request:", conditionalRes.status === 304 ? "304 (cached)" : conditionalRes.status);
  }

  // 4. Test SDK download
  const downloadedFile = await api.media.download(filename);
  console.log("SDK download:", downloadedFile.name, downloadedFile.size);
}

DOs and DON'Ts

DO:

• Use CDN (Cloudinary/​R2/​CloudFront) for public high-traffic files
• Set proper cache headers for static assets
• Use API proxy for private/​auth-required files
• Implement lazy loading for images
• Use responsive images with srcSet
• Handle file not found gracefully

DON'T:

• Expose private files via public S3 URLs
• Serve large files without streaming
• Hardcode storage URLs (use config/​env)
• Forget CORS configuration for direct access
• Use local adapter in production
• Skip error handling for missing files

Related Skills

• bknd-file-upload - Upload files to storage
• bknd-storage-config - Configure storage backends
• bknd-assign-permissions - Set media.read permission
• bknd-public-vs-auth - Configure public vs authenticated access