Replit
storage
File Uploads Disappearing on Replit
Users upload files through your app — profile pictures, documents, images — and everything appears to work. But after some time, a restart, or a redeployment, all uploaded files are gone. Users see broken image icons and download links that return 404 errors.
The root cause is that your app saves uploaded files to the container's local filesystem, which is ephemeral on Replit. The AI-generated file upload code typically uses multer, formidable, or similar libraries configured to write files to a local /uploads directory.
Even if your app is on Replit's development mode and files seem to persist for a while, they will eventually be lost when the container cycles or you deploy changes.
Error Messages You Might See
ENOENT: no such file or directory, open '/home/runner/uploads/photo.jpg'
404 Not Found: /uploads/document.pdf
Error: Cannot find uploaded file
Broken image icon in browser
Common Causes
- Local disk storage — uploads saved to /uploads or /public/uploads on the ephemeral filesystem
- Multer default config — file upload middleware configured with diskStorage pointing to local directory
- No CDN or cloud storage — the app was not set up with an external file hosting service
- Broken file URLs — files are referenced by local paths that become invalid after restart
- Large files filling disk — uploads consume limited container disk space and trigger cleanup
How to Fix It
- Integrate cloud storage — use AWS S3, Cloudinary, or Supabase Storage to store uploads permanently
- Switch upload middleware — replace multer diskStorage with multer-s3 or a Cloudinary upload stream
- Store URLs in database — save the cloud storage URL in your database instead of a local file path
- Add file size limits — configure maximum upload sizes to prevent disk exhaustion
- Serve files from CDN — use the cloud storage URL directly in your HTML instead of serving from your app
- Migrate existing files — write a one-time script to upload existing local files to cloud storage and update database references
Real developers can help you.
Bastien Labelle
Full stack dev w/ 20+ years of experience
Rudra Bhikadiya
I build and fix web apps across Next.js, Node.js, and DBs.
Comfortable jumping into messy code, broken APIs, and mysterious bugs.
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zipking
I am a technologist and product builder dedicated to creating high-impact solutions at the intersection of AI and specialized markets. Currently, I am focused on PropScan (EstateGuard), an AI-driven SaaS platform tailored for the Japanese real estate industry, and exploring the potential of Archify.
As an INFJ-T, I approach development with a "systems-thinking" mindset—balancing technical precision with a deep understanding of user needs. I particularly enjoy the challenge of architecting Vertical AI SaaS and optimizing Small Language Models (SLMs) to solve specific, real-world business problems. Whether I'm in a CTO-level leadership role or hands-on with the code, I thrive on building tools that turn complex data into actionable value.
AUXLE
I am a Full Stack Developer experienced in building Websites, Web apps and Cross Platform Mobile Apps for Startups and Companies.
Sage Fulcher
Hey I'm Sage! Im a Boston area software engineer who grew up in South Florida. Ive worked at a ton of cool places like a telehealth kidney care startup that took part in a billion dollar merger (Cricket health/Interwell health), a boutique design agency where I got to work on a ton of exciting startups including a photography education app, a collegiate Esports league and more (Philosophie), a data analytics as a service startup in Cambridge (MA) as well as at Phillips and MIT Lincoln Lab where I designed and developed novel network security visualizations and analytics. I've been writing code and furiously devoted to using computers to make people’s lives easier for about 17 years. My degree is in making computers make pretty lights and sounds. Outside of work I love hip hop, the Celtics, professional wrestling, magic the gathering, photography, drumming, and guitars (both making and playing them)
Tejas Chokhawala
Full-stack engineer with 5 years experience building production web apps using React, Next.js and TypeScript.
Focused on performance, clean architecture and shipping fast.
Experienced with Supabase/Postgres backends, Stripe billing, and building AI-assisted developer tools.
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I'll fill this later
Meïr Ankri
Full-stack developer specializing in React / Next.js / Node.js with 6+ years of experience. I've worked across various sectors including automotive (Reezocar/Société Générale), healthcare (Medical Link SaaS), and e-commerce (Glasman). I build web apps end-to-end, from architecture to production, with a focus on scalability, performance, and code quality. I also mentor junior developers and contribute to technical decisions and code reviews.
Matt Butler
Software Engineer @ AWS
Jacek Rozanski
Senior PHP/Symfony developer and DevOps engineer with 20+ years of professional experience, running opcode.pl (web development agency, est. 2004).
Day job: I'm the sole backend developer at merketing company where I own and maintain 11 PHP/Symfony microservices on AWS (ECS Fargate, RDS, S3, CloudFront), handle the full CI/CD pipeline (Bitbucket Pipelines, Docker), and manage monitoring with Sentry and CloudWatch. These services handle high request volumes in production every month.
What I bring to AI-built apps:
- I audit and fix security issues (OWASP methodology), performance bottlenecks, and architectural problems in codebases generated by Cursor, Claude Code, Lovable, Bolt, and v0
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Tech stack: PHP 8.x, Symfony, React, Next.js, PostgreSQL, MySQL, Docker, AWS (ECS, RDS, S3, SQS/SNS, CloudFront), Terraform, Supabase. I also use AI tools daily (Claude Code, Cursor) in my own workflow, so I understand both the strengths and the gaps in AI-generated code.
Based in Poland (CET timezone). Available for async work and calls during EU/US business hours.
You don't need to be technical. Just describe what's wrong and a verified developer will handle the rest.
Get HelpFrequently Asked Questions
Why do uploaded files disappear on Replit?
Replit containers are ephemeral — the filesystem is rebuilt on each deployment. Files saved to disk at runtime are not part of your source code and get deleted.
What is the easiest cloud storage to set up?
Cloudinary is the easiest for images — it has a free tier and a simple upload API. For general files, Supabase Storage is straightforward and also has a free tier.
Can I store small images in the database instead?
Yes, for small files like avatars (under 1MB), you can store them as base64-encoded strings in your database. This is not recommended for larger files.