Private Media

Private Media is designed for files that should be available inside your SolidX application, but should not be exposed through a permanent public URL.

Typical examples include contracts, KYC documents, employee records, internal reports, invoices, private PDFs, and sensitive images.

Available Provider Options

In the current setup, users typically see these three provider choices:

What Makes Media Private?

For local private files, the user must select the private-filesystem provider on the media field.

That is the provider intended for private filesystem storage. If the field uses default-filesystem or default-aws-s3, the file follows that provider's behavior instead.

When a private provider is used:

• users still upload files in the normal way
• the file is still attached to the record like any other media field
• SolidX returns a short-lived signed access URL instead of a stable public file path
• access stays controlled by SolidX or the underlying storage provider

Public Vs Private

How To Set It Up

1. Choose The Correct Provider

Go to Media Library -> Storage Providers and review the available providers.

In your current setup, the important choices are:

• private-filesystem for private local files
• default-filesystem for regular local files
• default-aws-s3 for S3 files

If you want private filesystem behavior, select private-filesystem.

This is the provider where private local-file handling is expected, and this is the one that should be treated as non-public.

2. Assign The Provider To A Media Field

Go to App Builder -> Model, open your model, then add or edit a Single Media or Multiple Media field.

In the field configuration, select the correct Media Storage Provider:

• choose private-filesystem for private local files
• choose default-filesystem for standard local files
• choose default-aws-s3 for S3-backed files

3. Use The Form Normally

End users do not need a special upload flow. They upload files through the same form field UI they already use for public files.

SolidX stores the file with the selected provider and keeps it linked to the record.

What End Users Will Notice

How SolidX Handles It

• When the field uses private-filesystem, SolidX serves files through its protected media download route instead of exposing the raw file path.
• The default private local directory is media-private-files-storage.
• default-filesystem is the normal filesystem option.
• default-aws-s3 is the S3 option.
• If a provider is configured for private access, SolidX returns an expiring signed URL instead of a permanent public URL.
• If no custom expiry is set, the signed URL expiry defaults to 60 minutes.

Important Note

Do not confuse private media with the general field-level Private option.

• Private media controls how the uploaded file is stored and served.
• Field Private controls whether the field is hidden from API read responses.

They can be used together, but they solve different problems.

When To Use Private Media

Use private media when the file:

• contains personal, confidential, or regulated information
• should only be available to authenticated users
• should not be reachable from a permanent public URL
• needs time-limited access links

Avoid private media for assets that must be embedded publicly, such as logos, marketing banners, or open downloads.

Related Docs

• Storage Providers
• Media View
• Fields