Spacedrive treats cloud storage as native volumes, enabling seamless file management across local and cloud storage. The system leverages OpenDAL to support over 40 cloud services while maintaining consistent performance and behavior.Documentation Index
Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://v2.spacedrive.com/llms.txt
Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
How Cloud Volumes Work
Cloud volumes appear and function identically to local volumes in Spacedrive. When you connect a cloud service, it becomes a volume with the same capabilities as your local drives. Files are indexed, searchable, and manageable without downloading entire contents. The key innovation is content identification consistency. Whether a file lives on your SSD or in S3, Spacedrive generates the same content hash, enabling accurate deduplication and tracking across all storage locations.Connecting Cloud Storage
Add cloud storage through the action system:Once indexed, you can search, browse thumbnails, and view metadata for cloud
files even when offline. Only file content operations require an active
internet connection.
Path Representation
Cloud paths use service-native URIs that match industry standards:SdPath enum with identity-based addressing:
Supported Services
Spacedrive supports all major cloud providers through OpenDAL: Object Storage: S3, Azure Blob, Google Cloud Storage, MinIO, Backblaze B2, Cloudflare R2 Consumer Cloud: Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, iCloud Drive, pCloud, MEGA Enterprise Storage: SharePoint, Box, Nextcloud, Seafile, WebDAV Regional Services: Alibaba Cloud OSS, Tencent COS, Huawei OBS, Baidu BOS Each service maintains its native features while presenting a unified interface through Spacedrive.Content Identification
Spacedrive uses its sampling algorithm for all files, regardless of storage location. For files over 100KB, only 58KB of data transfers to generate the content hash:- 8KB header sample
- 40KB from four evenly-spaced positions
- 8KB footer sample
Performance Impact
| File Size | Data Transfer | Identification Time (100 Mbps) |
|---|---|---|
| 10 MB | 10 MB | 0.8 seconds |
| 100 MB | 58 KB | 0.005 seconds |
| 1 GB | 58 KB | 0.005 seconds |
| 10 GB | 58 KB | 0.005 seconds |
Credential Management
Cloud credentials are encrypted with XChaCha20-Poly1305 using your library key. Credentials store in your OS keyring: Keychain on macOS, Credential Manager on Windows, Secret Service on Linux. Each library maintains separate credentials for isolation.Spacedrive never stores credentials in plain text or transmits them outside
the secure credential flow.
Indexing Cloud Content
The indexer handles cloud volumes intelligently: Discovery Phase: Lists directories using native cloud APIs for efficiency Processing Phase: Creates database entries identical to local files. Cloud entries are treated as new during initial indexing since metadata-based change detection is not yet implemented. Content Phase: Uses ranged reads to generate content hashes without full downloads Aggregation Phase: Calculates directory sizes and statistics The indexer protects the location root entry from deletion during change detection. This entry represents the mount point itself rather than a filesystem object, ensuring the location remains valid throughout indexing. Cloud indexing supports the same modes as local indexing:File Operations
Standard file operations work transparently across cloud volumes:Caching Strategy
Cloud volumes implement intelligent caching: Metadata Cache: Directory listings and file information cache for 5 minutes Content Cache: Recently accessed file chunks remain in memory Thumbnail Cache: Generated thumbnails store locally like any other sidecar Cache invalidation happens automatically on file modifications. Manual refresh forces fresh metadata retrieval from cloud services.Best Practices
Organization
Structure cloud volumes based on access patterns:- Archive volumes for infrequent access
- Working volumes for active projects
- Backup volumes for redundancy
Performance
Optimize cloud operations:- Index during off-peak hours for large volumes
- Enable shallow indexing for frequently changing directories
- Use persistent indexing for stable archives
Security
Protect cloud data:- Enable two-factor authentication on cloud accounts
- Rotate API keys periodically
- Review cloud volume access in library settings
Limitations
Cloud volumes have some constraints: Network Dependency: Operations require internet connectivity API Rate Limits: Some services throttle requests during heavy usage Cost Considerations: Cloud providers may charge for API calls and bandwidth Feature Parity: Not all cloud services support all operations (some are read-only)Common Patterns
Cloud Backup
Set up automatic cloud backup:Multi-Cloud Search
Search across all storage locations:Hybrid Workflows
Combine local and cloud storage:Troubleshooting
Authentication Issues
If cloud authentication fails:- Verify credentials in cloud provider dashboard
- Check for expired tokens (OAuth services)
- Confirm API permissions include required scopes
- Review firewall settings for cloud endpoints
Slow Performance
For sluggish cloud operations:- Check internet connection speed
- Verify you’re not hitting API rate limits
- Enable metadata caching if disabled
- Consider indexing during off-peak hours
Sync Conflicts
When files change outside Spacedrive:- Manually refresh the cloud volume
- Re-index affected directories
- Check cloud provider’s version history
- Resolve conflicts through the UI
