# File Management Edgehog provides a comprehensive file management mechanism that allows remotely managing files on devices. The file management system is flexible and not tied to a specific platform, supporting any [Edgehog runtime](devices_and_runtime.html) which implements the appropriate file transfer interfaces. ## File Management Workflow Edgehog organizes files into [Repositories](repositories.html), central locations that can store Files and serve as sources for file distribution. A typical workflow consists of the following steps: 1. Create a [Repository](repositories.html). 2. Upload one or more [Files](files.html) to the repository. 3. Distribute Files to devices using [File Download Requests](#file-download-requests) or by creating a [File Download Campaign](file_download_campaigns.html). This approach enables centralized file distribution and version management across fleets of devices. ### Direct File Operations In addition to repository-based downloads, Edgehog supports creating ad-hoc download requests from an individual Device page. This is useful to transfer files directly to a specific device without creating a Repository first. ### Uploading Files From Devices Devices can upload files back to Edgehog's object storage using [File Upload Requests](#file-upload-requests). Uploaded files are stored in S3-compatible storage and are accessible from the Device page. ### Deleting Files Files stored on devices can be removed using [File Delete Requests](#file-delete-requests). --- ## Core Concepts This section describes the core concepts used by Edgehog's file management system. Edgehog uses file-management names from the Device's perspective: a File Download Request asks a Device to download a file, while File Upload Requests and File Delete Requests ask the Device to upload or delete files that are already on the Device. ### Repository A Repository is a centralized storage location for files that can be uploaded to [Devices](user_core_concepts.html#device). Repositories provide a structured way to organize and manage files that are intended for distribution to devices. Files stored in a Repository can be used as sources for File Download Requests, enabling consistent file distribution across devices. ### File A File represents a document or binary blob stored within a Repository. Each File has: - **Name**: a user-friendly name for the File. - **Size**: the uncompressed size in bytes that will be stored on the Device. Files are the basic entities for `upload`, `download` and `delete` operations. They can be delivered to devices using File Download Requests, and devices can upload files back to Edgehog using File Upload Requests (visible from the Device page). --- ## File Download Requests A File Download Request instructs a Device to fetch a File and deliver it to one of three destination types: - **Storage**: persist the file on the Device's storage. - **Streaming**: process the file without storing it on the Device. - **Filesystem**: write the file to a path on the Device filesystem. Requests can target a single Device (manual request) or be created in bulk as part of a campaign. File Download Requests include a **Request Name** field, a user-provided name to identify the request. When requests are created as part of a File Download Campaign, the Campaign Name is used as the Request Name. ### Encoding Support File Download Requests support different encoding options to optimize transfer bandwidth and device processing: - **None**: no encoding; the file is transferred as-is. - **gzip**: the file is compressed with gzip for transfer. - **lz4**: the file is compressed with lz4 for transfer. Which encodings are available depends on the device's declared capabilities and the runtime support on the device. --- ## File Upload Requests A File Upload Request instructs a Device to send a file back to Edgehog's object storage (S3-compatible). The value depends on the selected source type: - for `STORAGE` you can select from one of the Files available in the List, - for `FILESYSTEM` it is a path of a file on the device. ## File Delete Requests A File Delete Request instructs a Device to remove a file from local storage. Devices may refuse to delete files that are in use, when `force` is `false`. Forcing deletion can cause application errors or instability, use only when necessary.