Changing your File Storage Configuration

This page details how to change your File Storage configuration in Cinchy v5 to S3, Azure Blob, or Local.

1. Overview

In Cinchy v5.2, we implemented the ability to free up database space by using S3 compatible or Azure Blob Storage for file storage. This configuration is set in the deployment.json of a Kubernetes installation, or the appsettings.json of an IIS installation.

2. Kubernetes File Storage

1. If you are using a Kubernetes deployment, you will change your file storage config in the deployment.json.

2. Navigate to the object storage section, where you will see either S3 or Azure Blob storage, depending on your deployment structure.

Azure Example

        "object_storage": {
          // Cinchy requires a new Azure Blob Storage container for it's file storage. Select a unique name, the template convention follows <organization>cinchy<cluster name>
          // Storage Account Names can only consist of lowercase letters and numbers, and must be between 3 and 24 characters long
          "storage_account_name": "<organization>cinchynonprod",
          // Two storage containers are created, one for the Connections component and one for the Platform. The default naming convention is <cluster name>-<component>
          "connections_storage_container_name": "nonprod-connections",
          "platform_storage_container_name": "nonprod-platform",
          "connections_storage_type": "AzureBlobStorage",
          // The connection string to the Azure Blob Storage account, it can be retrieved by executing the following command after the terraform apply has completed
          // In the below command the <storage_account_name> and <deployment_resource_group> must be replaced with the values for those properties within this file
          // az storage account show-connection-string --name <storage_account_name> --resource-group <deployment_resource_group>
          "azure_blob_storage_conn_str": ""
        },

AWS Example

        "object_storage": {
          // Cinchy requires a new S3 bucket for it's file storage. Select a unique name, the template convention follows <organization>-<cluster name>
          "cinchy_s3_bucket": "<organization>-cinchy-nonprod",
          // During the S3 bucket creation, a tag named "Environment" is added to the resource and populated with the following value
          "cinchy_s3_environment_tag": "cinchy-nonprod",
          "connections_storage_type": "S3",
          // IAM user credentials (access key and secret) for access to this bucket. Ensure that the usre has the necessary privileges defined in IAM
          "connections_s3_access_key": "",
          "connections_s3_secret_access_key": "",
          // Optional - only set this value if you are using a third party S3 compatible service
          "connections_s3_service_url": ""
        },

3. To utilize Blob Storage or S3, update each line with your own parameters.

4. To utilize Local storage, leave each line blank with the exception of the Connections_Storage_Type, which should be set to Local:

          "connections_storage_type": "Local",

5. Run the deployment script by using the following command in the root directory of your devops.automations repo:

dotnet Cinchy.DevOps.Automations.dll "deployment.json"

6. Commit and push your changes.

3. IIS File Storage

1. If you are using an IIS deployment, you will change your file storage config in the Cinchy Web appsettings file.

2. Locate the StorageType section of the file and set it to either "Local", "AzureBlobStorage" or "S3".

  "AppSettings": {
   ...
    "StorageType": ""      // Set this to "Local" to store files within Cinchy's database. Set this to "AzureBlobStorage" to store files within Azure Blob Storage. Set this to "S3" to store files within S3.
  },

3. If you selected "AzureBlobStorage", fill out the following lines in the same file:

  "AzureBlobStorageSettings": {
    "ConnectionString": "",    // ConnectionString used to connected to the Azure Blob Storage
    "Container": "",       // The container for Cinchy's file storage
    "BasePath": ""         // The base directory path of where to store files within the container (eg. cinchy/files)
  },

4. If your selected "S3", fill out the following lines in the same file:

  "S3Settings": {
    "AccessKey": "",       // Access Key for the IAM user. Ensure that the user has the necessary privileges defined in IAM
    "SecretAccessKey": "", // Secret for the IAM user. Ensure that the user has the necessary privileges defined in IAM
    "Region": "",          // Region of where the S3 bucket is located in
    "Bucket": "",          // S3 bucket for Cinchy's file storage
    "BasePath": "",            // The base directory path of where to store files within the bucket (eg. cinchy/files)
    "ServiceURL": ""       // (Optional) - only set this value if you are using a third party S3 compatible service
  }