IDX·October 24, 2026·1 min read
On many websites, the application code is a few hundred megabytes, while uploaded media grows to tens or hundreds of gigabytes. Keeping all of that on the web server makes the server bigger, backups slower and migrations harder.
What object storage is
Object storage keeps files as objects in buckets, reached over HTTP with an S3-compatible API. It scales without you managing disks, and you pay for the space you use. Our article on object, block and file storage compares the options.
Benefits for websites
- Smaller servers: the web server holds code, not years of uploads.
- Faster backups and migrations: moving a site no longer means copying every image.
- Several servers, one media library: when you scale to multiple web servers, they all read from the same bucket.
- CDN-friendly: a CDN can serve files straight from the bucket.
How to do it
- WordPress: plugins can offload the media library to an S3-compatible bucket and rewrite URLs automatically.
- Custom applications: most frameworks have S3 storage drivers; switch the uploads disk and migrate existing files.
- Static downloads: brochures, price lists and software can be served from a public bucket with a custom subdomain.
Things to plan
- Decide which files are public and which must stay private; use signed URLs for private files.
- Keep bucket credentials limited to the one bucket the site needs.
- Turn on versioning or keep separate backups for important files.
At IDX
IDX object storage is S3-compatible, priced per gigabyte with unlimited requests, and works with the plugins and libraries that support S3. Ask our team for help moving an existing media library.
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