Storage Configuration

Configure file storage for WireChat attachments and media uploads

Overview

WireChat uses Laravel’s filesystem abstraction for storing chat attachments. Storage can be configured globally in the config file or customized per-panel through attachment settings.

Global Storage Configuration

The global storage configuration is defined in config/wirechat.php:

return [
    'storage' => [
        'disk' => 'public',
        'visibility' => 'public',
        'directories' => [
            'attachments' => 'attachments',
        ],
    ],
];

Configuration Options

storage.disk · string · default: "'public'"

Laravel filesystem disk to use for storing attachments.

'disk' => 'public',
'disk' => 's3',
'disk' => 'local',

storage.visibility · string · default: "'public'"

File visibility for stored attachments. Can be 'public' or 'private'.

'visibility' => 'public',  // Files are publicly accessible
'visibility' => 'private', // Files require authentication

storage.directories.attachments · string · default: "'attachments'"

Directory path within the disk where attachments will be stored.

'directories' => [
    'attachments' => 'attachments',
],

Storage Service

WireChat provides a StorageService class to access storage configuration:

use Wirechat\Wirechat\Services\StorageService;

// Get the configured disk
$disk = StorageService::disk(); // Returns: 'public'

// Get the visibility setting
$visibility = StorageService::visibility(); // Returns: 'public' or 'private'

// Get the attachments directory
$directory = StorageService::attachmentsDirectory(); // Returns: 'attachments'

StorageService Methods

disk() · string

Returns the configured storage disk name.

$disk = StorageService::disk();

visibility() · string

Returns the configured file visibility ('public' or 'private').

$visibility = StorageService::visibility();

attachmentsDirectory() · string

Returns the attachments directory path.

$directory = StorageService::attachmentsDirectory();

Configuring Storage Disks

Before using different storage disks, configure them in config/filesystems.php:

Local Storage

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

Don’t forget to create the symbolic link:

php artisan storage:link

Amazon S3

'disks' => [
    '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'),
        'endpoint' => env('AWS_ENDPOINT'),
        'use_path_style_endpoint' => env('AWS_USE_PATH_STYLE_ENDPOINT', false),
        'throw' => false,
    ],
],

Update your .env file:

AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID=your-access-key
AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY=your-secret-key
AWS_DEFAULT_REGION=us-east-1
AWS_BUCKET=your-bucket-name

Then update config/wirechat.php:

'storage' => [
    'disk' => 's3',
    'visibility' => 'public',
    'directories' => [
        'attachments' => 'chat-attachments',
    ],
],

Remember to install the AWS SDK: composer require league/flysystem-aws-s3-v3 "^3.0" --with-all-dependencies

Panel-Level Attachment Configuration

While global storage settings define where files are stored, panel-level configuration controls what types of files can be uploaded:

use Wirechat\Wirechat\Panel;
use Wirechat\Wirechat\PanelProvider;

class AdminPanelProvider extends PanelProvider
{
    public function panel(Panel $panel): Panel
    {
        return $panel
            ->id('admin')
            ->path('admin')
            ->attachments() // Enable all attachments
            ->maxUploads(10)
            ->mediaMimes(['png', 'jpg', 'jpeg', 'gif', 'webp'])
            ->mediaMaxUploadSize(20480) // 20MB
            ->fileMimes(['pdf', 'doc', 'docx', 'zip'])
            ->fileMaxUploadSize(10240); // 10MB
    }
}

See Panel Configuration for complete attachment options.

Private Files

For private attachments that require authentication:

1. Configure Private Visibility

// config/wirechat.php
return [
    'storage' => [
        'disk' => 'local',
        'visibility' => 'private',
        'directories' => [
            'attachments' => 'private/attachments',
        ],
    ],
];

2. Use a Private Disk

// config/filesystems.php
'disks' => [
    'private' => [
        'driver' => 'local',
        'root' => storage_path('app/private'),
        'visibility' => 'private',
        'throw' => false,
    ],
],

3. Update WireChat Configuration

// config/wirechat.php
return [
    'storage' => [
        'disk' => 'private',
        'visibility' => 'private',
        'directories' => [
            'attachments' => 'attachments',
        ],
    ],
];

When using private visibility, you’ll need to create authenticated routes to serve the files. WireChat does not automatically create these routes.

Environment-Specific Storage

Use environment variables for flexible storage configuration:

// config/wirechat.php
return [
    'storage' => [
        'disk' => env('WIRECHAT_STORAGE_DISK', 'public'),
        'visibility' => env('WIRECHAT_STORAGE_VISIBILITY', 'public'),
        'directories' => [
            'attachments' => env('WIRECHAT_ATTACHMENTS_DIR', 'attachments'),
        ],
    ],
];

Then in your .env files:

# .env.local
WIRECHAT_STORAGE_DISK=public
WIRECHAT_STORAGE_VISIBILITY=public
WIRECHAT_ATTACHMENTS_DIR=attachments

# .env.production
WIRECHAT_STORAGE_DISK=s3
WIRECHAT_STORAGE_VISIBILITY=public
WIRECHAT_ATTACHMENTS_DIR=production/chat-attachments

Working with Attachments

Store files using Laravel’s Storage facade with WireChat configuration:

use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Storage;
use Wirechat\Wirechat\Services\StorageService;

$disk = StorageService::disk();
$directory = StorageService::attachmentsDirectory();
$visibility = StorageService::visibility();

// Store a file
$path = Storage::disk($disk)->putFile(
    $directory,
    $file,
    $visibility
);

// Get file URL
$url = Storage::disk($disk)->url($path);

// Delete a file
Storage::disk($disk)->delete($path);

Storage Best Practices

Production

• Use cloud storage (S3, DigitalOcean Spaces, etc.) for scalability
• Enable CDN for faster file delivery
• Set appropriate CORS policies for cross-domain access
• Implement file versioning for backup and recovery
• Monitor storage usage and costs

Security

• Use private visibility for sensitive documents
• Implement access control on file URLs
• Validate file types and sizes on upload
• Scan uploaded files for malware
• Use signed URLs for temporary file access

Performance

• Enable lazy loading for media previews
• Compress images before storage
• Use appropriate image formats (WebP, AVIF)
• Implement file size limits per upload
• Consider using queues for large file processing

Complete Example

// config/wirechat.php
return [
    'storage' => [
        'disk' => env('WIRECHAT_STORAGE_DISK', 'public'),
        'visibility' => env('WIRECHAT_STORAGE_VISIBILITY', 'public'),
        'directories' => [
            'attachments' => env('WIRECHAT_ATTACHMENTS_DIR', 'chat/attachments'),
        ],
    ],
];

// .env
WIRECHAT_STORAGE_DISK=s3
WIRECHAT_STORAGE_VISIBILITY=public
WIRECHAT_ATTACHMENTS_DIR=production/chat

// Panel Provider
class AdminPanelProvider extends PanelProvider
{
    public function panel(Panel $panel): Panel
    {
        return $panel
            ->id('admin')
            ->path('admin')
            ->attachments()
            ->maxUploads(15)
            ->mediaMimes(['png', 'jpg', 'jpeg', 'gif', 'webp', 'svg'])
            ->mediaMaxUploadSize(20480) // 20MB
            ->fileMimes(['pdf', 'doc', 'docx', 'xls', 'xlsx', 'zip', 'txt'])
            ->fileMaxUploadSize(51200); // 50MB
    }
}