Files uploaders¶

In InvenioRDM, records can have file uploads attached to it. The file uploader interface is available from the upload form.

Default file uploader¶

By default, the system provides a simple and robust file upload interface that:

Allows uploading one or more files using the file picker or drag-and-drop.
Displays a list of uploaded files with filename, size, and delete option.
Progress indicators show the status of ongoing uploads.
Ensures that all files are successfully uploaded before publishing the record.

This interface is stable and well-integrated with all InvenioRDM workflows. Its look and feel can to a certain point be customized using the React-Overridable mechanism.

Enhanced File Uploader (Uppy)¶

Introduced in InvenioRDM v13

Experimental feature

The Uppy-based uploader is currently an experimental feature. While it offers many improvements over the default uploader, it may still lack support for some advanced customization scenarios or edge cases. Use in production systems with caution and report issues or feedback.

Use it at your own risk!

You can enable a more advanced uploader UI based on the Uppy JavaScript library. This uploader UI offers a more modern user experience and powerful features—especially when working with large files or unreliable network conditions, and media files.

See below how to enable it. Once enabled, the Uppy uploader UI completely replaces the default File Uploader implementation for users of your site.

Key features¶

Modern drag-and-drop interface: Easily drag files into the upload area, with real-time visual feedback and responsive layout.
Per-file progress tracking and error handling: See progress, success, or failure for each file individually, with the ability to retry uploads selectively.
Folder uploads: Entire directories can be selected and uploaded at once. This is especially useful for datasets with nested files or structured media. It uses the browsers' webkitdirectory API.
Multipart upload support for large files: When using a multipart-transfer compatible storage backend (e.g. S3):
- Files can be split into chunks, which are uploaded in parallel, making very large file uploads much faster.
- If a chunk fails to upload due to a random network issue, only that part is automatically retried—not the entire file—ideal for uploading multi-gigabyte research datasets, especially over unreliable networks.
- Per-part checksum validation Uppy computes MD5 checksum for every chunk it uploads. Storage backend, where supported, can verify this checksum to detect any errors during transmission.
🌐 Resilience on unstable networks: Uppy handles random disconnects or slow connections gracefully by retrying failed chunks or uploads and allowing recovery without starting over.
🖼️ Enhanced media file support: Especially useful for researchers working with image data:
- Automatic image previews directly in the UI before uploading
- Basic image editing (e.g., crop, rotate, resize)
- Support for extensible plugins for additional media handling or metadata entry
Extensible plugin system: Add features like file validation, custom metadata fields, external file sources (e.g Google Drive, Dropbox).
Mobile and accessibility-friendly: The interface adapts to small screens and includes keyboard navigation and screen-reader support where applicable.

Switching between uploaders¶

You can choose which uploader to use by toggling the APP_RDM_DEPOSIT_NG_FILES_UI_ENABLED flag in your invenio.cfg:

Uploader	Configuration
Default (legacy)	`APP_RDM_DEPOSIT_NG_FILES_UI_ENABLED = False` (or unset)
Uppy (experimental)	`APP_RDM_DEPOSIT_NG_FILES_UI_ENABLED = True`

Warning

When enabling Uppy, make sure that the Content Security Policy (CSP) rules are updated accordingly in your invenio.cfg:

APP_DEFAULT_SECURE_HEADERS = {
  ...
+ 'script-src': [
+     "'self'", "blob:", "'wasm-unsafe-eval'"
+ ],
  ...
}

Restart your site after changing the configuration to ensure the new UI is properly loaded.