Buffered Uploads

Buffered Uploads is an upload optimization that provides improved reliability and performance to Remote Servers that ingest data more slowly than users can upload it. It protects users from slow or inconsistent Remote Servers, and provides predictable performance across a wide range of network environments.

Buffered Uploads applies only to uploads routed to that Remote Server. It does not affect uploads to Files.com storage.

When enabled, Files.com marks an upload as complete as soon as Files.com receives the full file. Files.com then forwards the file to the Remote Server in the background. Background delivery can take longer than the user upload. The file may appear on the Remote Server minutes later depending on destination speed and rate limits.

This data transmission method is also referred to as store-and-forward.

Buffered Uploads applies on a per–Remote Server basis, giving you the flexibility to optimize behavior for each integration.

Configuring Buffered Uploads

You can enable Buffered Uploads when configuring or editing a Remote Server. The setting takes effect immediately for new uploads routed to that Remote Server.

The setting supports the following options:

• Automatic - Let Files.com decide whether to enable or disable upload buffering for this remote server.
• Always - Uploads are always stored on Files.com prior to being forwarded.
• Never - Uploads are never stored on Files.com while being forwarded.

Automatic Option Details

With Automatic, Files.com enables Buffered Uploads for Box, Dropbox, Azure Files, OneDrive, and WebDAV destinations. Files.com does not enable it automatically for other destination types.

When Buffered Uploads Makes Sense

Buffered Uploads solves a specific performance and reliability problem: Remote Servers often ingest data more slowly than users can upload it. This is common with APIs that throttle inbound traffic, services that experience regional congestion, or destinations that sit in distant or high-latency locations.

When files are uploaded to a Remote Server that behaves this way, users experience slow uploads, timeouts, or inconsistent transfer speeds. Buffered Uploads avoids these symptoms entirely. Users upload to Files.com at high speed, and Files.com handles the onward transfer in the background using its own optimized, fault-tolerant delivery process.

Buffered Uploads is especially valuable when:

• A Remote Server frequently rate-limits or pauses inbound traffic.
• The Remote Server’s region is geographically distant from your users.
• The Remote Server accepts data slowly and cannot keep up with user upload speeds.
• Upload reliability matters more than strict real-time placement on the Remote Server.

Buffered Uploads is the best option for bridging performance gaps between fast users and slow Remote Servers.

We recommend using Buffered Uploads for Box, Dropbox, Azure Files, OneDrive, and WebDAV destinations.

How Buffered Uploads Works

Buffered Uploads changes the way Files.com handles uploaded files. Files.com receives the upload directly from the user, confirms completion, and then transfers the file to the Remote Server in the background. The user does not wait for the Remote Server to ingest the file.

Files.com first stores the uploaded data, much more quickly than the Remote Server can, then transfers the data at the rate supported by the destination.

Buffered Uploads also allows Files.com to automatically retry transfers, handle reconnect logic, and manage rate limits without exposing those delays or errors to your users.

Uploaded files will not appear on the remote destination until the buffered files are forwarded. Larger files will take longer to appear. You can check the External Logs and the Outbound Connections log for the transfer status and progress of uploaded files.

Compliance and Data Handling Considerations

Buffered Uploads stores files on Files.com prior to delivering them to the Remote Server destination.

If your organization prohibits temporary storage on Files.com, do not enable Buffered Uploads.

1GB Limitation with Box and OneDrive

The Never option, which specifies that uploads are never stored on Files.com while being forwarded, cannot circumvent the limitations of a Remote Server. Uploads to Box and Microsoft OneDrive will fail for files that are larger than 1GB when the upload protocol does not provide the exact file size prior to uploading. For example, the FTP and SFTP protocols do not require the upload client to provide a file size prior to uploading.

Switch to the Automatic or Always option.