Laravel provides multiple storage drivers like local, public, s3, ftp, and rackspace, each serving different use cases.1. Choose local or public for small apps where files are stored on the server or publicly accessible.2. Use s3 for scalable cloud storage by configuring AWS credentials and bucket details in filesystems.php and .env.3. Configure ftp by providing host, username, password, and root path.4. Interact with files via the Storage facade using methods like put(), get(), and store().5. Set visibility to public when sharing files externally.6. Run php artisan storage:link to make public disk files web-accessible via symlink. Proper configuration and visibility settings are essential to avoid issues across environments.

When working with file storage in Laravel, the framework gives you a flexible way to manage files across different storage drivers like local, S3, FTP, and more. Choosing and configuring the right driver matters when handling uploads, backups, or serving media from cloud providers.

Understanding Available Storage Drivers

Laravel supports several built-in storage drivers out of the box:

• local: Files are stored on your server’s local filesystem.
• public: Similar to local, but files are publicly accessible (usually stored in storage/app/public and linked to public/storage).
• s3: Uses Amazon S3 for storing files.
• ftp / sftp: For uploading files via FTP(S) or SFTP.
• rackspace: Less common now, but still supported for legacy setups.

Each driver serves a specific purpose. If you're building a small app or just prototyping, local or public might be enough. But if you're deploying an app that needs scalable and globally accessible media, using s3 makes more sense.

Configuring a Driver in filesystems.php

All configuration happens in the config/filesystems.php file. Here's how you set up each driver:

For local or public:

'disks' => [
    'local' => [
        'driver' => 'local',
        'root' => storage_path('app'),
    ],

    'public' => [
        'driver' => 'local',
        'root' => storage_path('app/public'),
        'url' => env('APP_URL').'/storage',
        'visibility' => 'public',
    ],
]

For Amazon S3, you'll need AWS credentials and a bucket name:

's3' => [
    'driver' => 's3',
    'key' => env('AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID'),
    'secret' => env('AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY'),
    'region' => env('AWS_DEFAULT_REGION'),
    'bucket' => env('AWS_BUCKET'),
    'url' => env('AWS_URL'),
],

Make sure to fill these values in your .env file:

AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID=your-key
AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY=your-secret
AWS_DEFAULT_REGION=us-east-1
AWS_BUCKET=your-bucket-name
AWS_URL=https://your-bucket.s3.amazonaws.com

You can also configure ftp by providing host, username, password, and root path.

Using the Storage Facade in Your Code

Once configured, interacting with files is straightforward using the Storage facade.

To save a file:

use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Storage;

Storage::disk('s3')->put('avatars/'.$user->id, $fileContents);

To get a file:

$contents = Storage::disk('s3')->get('avatars/1');

If you're handling file uploads from forms, especially images or documents:

$request->file('avatar')->store('avatars', 's3');

This stores the uploaded file under the avatars directory using the s3 disk.

One thing to note: visibility settings affect how files are accessed. Use 'visibility' => 'public' when files need to be shared externally, otherwise stick with default private access unless needed.

Also, when using the public disk, don’t forget to run:

php artisan storage:link

This creates a symlink from public/storage to storage/app/public, allowing public access to those files via the web.

That’s basically it — configure the right driver, use the right disk in your code, and make sure permissions and visibility are set properly. It’s not complicated, but easy to misconfigure, especially when moving between environments or switching drivers.

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