Storage Configuration

Outline supports multiple file storage backends for storing documents, images, and other files. This guide covers all available storage options and their configuration.

Storage Modes

Outline supports two storage modes:

• Local: Files stored on local filesystem with optional persistence
• S3: Files stored in S3-compatible object storage

Local File Storage

Local storage stores files on the container's filesystem with optional Kubernetes persistence.

Basic Local Storage

fileStorage:
  mode: local
  local:
    rootDir: /var/lib/outline/data
    persistence:
      enabled: false

Local Storage with Persistence

Enable persistent storage for local file storage:

fileStorage:
  mode: local
  local:
    rootDir: /var/lib/outline/data
    persistence:
      enabled: true
      size: 8Gi
      accessModes:
        - ReadWriteOnce
      storageClass: "standard"

Advanced Local Storage Configuration

fileStorage:
  mode: local
  local:
    rootDir: /var/lib/outline/data
    persistence:
      enabled: true
      size: 20Gi
      accessModes:
        - ReadWriteOnce
      storageClass: "fast-ssd"
      existingClaim: ""  # Use existing PVC
      annotations:
        backup.kubernetes.io/enabled: "true"

S3-Compatible Storage

S3 storage allows you to use any S3-compatible object storage service.

Basic S3 Configuration

fileStorage:
  mode: s3
  s3:
    bucket: outline
    region: us-east-1
    accessKeyId: "your-access-key"
    secretAccessKey: "your-secret-key"
    forcePathStyle: true
    acl: private

S3 with Custom Endpoint

For S3-compatible services like MinIO, Backblaze B2, or DigitalOcean Spaces:

fileStorage:
  mode: s3
  s3:
    bucket: outline
    region: us-east-1
    baseUrl: "https://your-s3-compatible-endpoint"
    accessKeyId: "your-access-key"
    secretAccessKey: "your-secret-key"
    forcePathStyle: true
    acl: private

S3 with Existing Secret

Use an existing Kubernetes secret for S3 credentials:

fileStorage:
  mode: s3
  s3:
    bucket: outline
    region: us-east-1
    existingSecret: "my-s3-secret"  # Must contain access-key-id and secret-access-key keys
    forcePathStyle: true
    acl: private

MinIO Integration

The chart includes built-in MinIO support for S3-compatible storage.

Enable MinIO

minio:
  enabled: true
  rootUser: admin
  rootPassword: strongpassword

  persistence:
    enabled: true
    size: 40Gi
    storageClass: "standard"

  ingress:
    enabled: true
    hosts:
      - minio.yourdomain.com

MinIO with Custom Configuration

minio:
  enabled: true
  mode: standalone
  rootUser: admin
  rootPassword: strongpassword

  replicas: 1
  drivesPerNode: 1
  pools: 1

  persistence:
    enabled: true
    size: 100Gi
    storageClass: "fast-ssd"

  resources:
    requests:
      memory: 1Gi

  ingress:
    enabled: true
    hosts:
      - minio.yourdomain.com

  consoleIngress:
    enabled: true
    hosts:
      - minio-console.yourdomain.com

MinIO Buckets and Policies

Configure MinIO buckets and access policies:

minio:
  enabled: true
  rootUser: admin
  rootPassword: strongpassword

  buckets:
    - name: outline
      policy: none
      purge: false
      versioning: false

  policies:
    - name: outline-policy
      statements:
        - actions:
            - "s3:AbortMultipartUpload"
            - "s3:GetObject"
            - "s3:DeleteObject"
            - "s3:PutObject"
            - "s3:ListMultipartUploadParts"
          resources:
            - "arn:aws:s3:::outline/*"
        - actions:
            - "s3:GetBucketLocation"
            - "s3:ListBucket"
            - "s3:ListBucketMultipartUploads"
          resources:
            - "arn:aws:s3:::outline"

  users:
    - accessKey: outline
      secretKey: Change_Me
      policy: outline-policy

File Upload Limits

Configure file upload size limits:

fileStorage:
  mode: local  # or s3
  uploadMaxSize: "262144000"  # 250MB in bytes
  importMaxSize: "524288000"  # 500MB for imports
  workspaceImportMaxSize: "1048576000"  # 1GB for workspace imports

Storage Recommendations

Development Environment

fileStorage:
  mode: local
  local:
    rootDir: /var/lib/outline/data
    persistence:
      enabled: true
      size: 5Gi
      storageClass: "standard"

Production Environment

fileStorage:
  mode: s3
  s3:
    bucket: outline-prod
    region: us-east-1
    existingSecret: "outline-s3-secret"
    forcePathStyle: true
    acl: private

High Availability Setup

fileStorage:
  mode: s3
  s3:
    bucket: outline-ha
    region: us-east-1
    existingSecret: "outline-s3-secret"
    forcePathStyle: true
    acl: private

minio:
  enabled: true
  mode: distributed
  replicas: 4
  drivesPerNode: 2
  pools: 2
  rootUser: admin
  rootPassword: strongpassword

Environment Variables

The chart automatically sets these environment variables based on your storage configuration:

Variable	Description	Source
FILE_STORAGE	Storage mode	fileStorage.mode
FILE_STORAGE_UPLOAD_MAX_SIZE	Upload size limit	fileStorage.uploadMaxSize
FILE_STORAGE_IMPORT_MAX_SIZE	Import size limit	fileStorage.importMaxSize
FILE_STORAGE_WORKSPACE_IMPORT_MAX_SIZE	Workspace import limit	fileStorage.workspaceImportMaxSize
FILE_STORAGE_LOCAL_ROOT_DIR	Local storage directory	fileStorage.local.rootDir
AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID	S3 access key	fileStorage.s3.accessKeyId or MinIO
AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY	S3 secret key	fileStorage.s3.secretAccessKey or MinIO
AWS_S3_UPLOAD_BUCKET_NAME	S3 bucket name	fileStorage.s3.bucket or MinIO
AWS_REGION	S3 region	fileStorage.s3.region
AWS_S3_UPLOAD_BUCKET_URL	S3 endpoint URL	MinIO ingress or fileStorage.s3.bucketUrl
AWS_S3_FORCE_PATH_STYLE	Force path style	fileStorage.s3.forcePathStyle
AWS_S3_ACL	S3 ACL	fileStorage.s3.acl

Storage Migration

From Local to S3

1. Backup existing data:

   kubectl exec -it <pod-name> -- tar czf /tmp/outline-backup.tar.gz /var/lib/outline/data
   kubectl cp <pod-name>:/tmp/outline-backup.tar.gz ./outline-backup.tar.gz

2. Update configuration:

   fileStorage:
     mode: s3
     s3:
       bucket: outline
       region: us-east-1
       existingSecret: "outline-s3-secret"

3. Restore data to S3:

   # Extract and upload to S3 bucket
   tar xzf outline-backup.tar.gz
   aws s3 sync var/lib/outline/data/ s3://outline/

From S3 to Local

1. Download data from S3:

   aws s3 sync s3://outline/ ./outline-data/

2. Update configuration:

   fileStorage:
     mode: local
     local:
       rootDir: /var/lib/outline/data
       persistence:
         enabled: true
         size: 20Gi

3. Upload data to pod:

   kubectl cp ./outline-data/ <pod-name>:/var/lib/outline/data/

Troubleshooting Storage Issues

Common Problems

1. Permission Denied: Check file permissions and security context
2. Storage Full: Increase PVC size or S3 bucket capacity
3. S3 Connection Issues: Verify credentials and endpoint configuration
4. MinIO Not Accessible: Check MinIO ingress and service configuration

Debug Commands

# Check storage configuration
kubectl exec -it <pod-name> -- env | grep -E "(FILE_STORAGE|AWS_)"

# Check local storage
kubectl exec -it <pod-name> -- ls -la /var/lib/outline/data

# Check S3 connectivity
kubectl exec -it <pod-name> -- aws s3 ls s3://outline

# Check MinIO status
kubectl get pods -l app.kubernetes.io/name=minio

Storage Monitoring

Add monitoring annotations for storage tracking:

fileStorage:
  local:
    persistence:
      annotations:
        monitoring.kubernetes.io/enabled: "true"
        backup.kubernetes.io/schedule: "daily"

Security Considerations

warning

• Use existing secrets for S3 credentials instead of plain text
• Configure proper bucket policies and ACLs
• Enable encryption at rest for sensitive data
• Use IAM roles when possible instead of access keys

Next Steps

• Set up database configuration
• Configure authentication methods
• Explore advanced configuration options
• Learn about troubleshooting common issues