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Sending files
How uploads work in Boita — from the browser, the desktop app, the phone and the command line — with resume, checksums, priority lanes, versions and trash.
Updated 2026-09-21
Where your files go#
Every workspace has its own storage on the transfer node. Files in the app is the view of that storage: folders, sizes, modified dates, previews and, for video, the codec, resolution, frame rate and audio layout the probe found on arrival. Nothing is copied anywhere else unless you set up auto-delivery or a download watch folder.
Paths are ordinary folders. A few names are refused on purpose: .., absolute paths, backslashes, ?, names longer than 255 characters, trailing dots or spaces, Windows reserved names such as con or lpt1, and anything starting with .boita- (that prefix is reserved for internal markers such as trash and watermark copies).
Four ways to upload#
| From | How | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| The browser | Files → Upload (or drag files in). Needs the free desktop app installed once — the web app finds it — or the HTTPS path when your deployment has a gateway. | Quick sends from any computer |
| The desktop app | Whole folders, watch folders, the queue and resume all live here. The engine is built in; there is nothing else to install. | Everything large |
| The phone | Add → Upload files or Upload photos and videos (originals, up to 50 per pick), or Send from my computer to pick files on a Mac or PC where the desktop app is signed in as you. | On location |
| The command line | boita upload <local…> --to <workspace folder> on the Linux agent, plus download, ls, share, wait-receipt and speed. --json for scripts. | Render farms, NAS, pipelines |
The web app shows which path it has: Engine ready in the header when the desktop app is running, Standard speed (HTTPS) when it is falling back to the gateway, and an install prompt when neither is available. See Desktop app & watch folders and Troubleshooting.
Resume, integrity and speed#
- Resume. An interrupted transfer continues from where it stopped when you start it again; identical files that already landed are skipped rather than re-sent.
- Checksums. The transfer node records a checksum for every file on arrival — SHA-256 by default, SHA-512 if an admin chooses it under Security → Checksum policy. Checksums appear on delivery receipts and the verification report (Share links).
- Parallel sessions. Big jobs run as several sessions at once, up to the number your plan allows (Billing & plans).
- Speed receipts. Every finished transfer of at least 8 MiB and 2 seconds gets a speed line: how big, how long, and — when it is at least 1.5× faster — how much faster than a typical upload over a normal connection across India. Hover the badge to see the assumption behind the comparison.
Send options#
On the Files page, Send options sets two things before an upload starts:
- Priority lane. Normal shares the plan rate fairly with other transfers. Deadline takes the full rate and slows the workspace's other running transfers to a third until it finishes. Background runs at a third of the session rate so it never gets in the way.
- Also deliver to. Fan the upload out to one or more auto-delivery destinations (your own S3-compatible bucket or transfer server) the moment it lands. Destinations are set up under Auto-delivery on the Enterprise plan.
A workspace admin can also cap transfers during office hours with bandwidth windows (days, from/to, cap in Mbps, in the workspace time zone). A transfer minted inside a window stays capped for its whole life.
Quota#
Boita checks storage before it starts a transfer, not halfway through. If an upload would take the workspace over its quota the request is refused with a clear message and nothing moves. Trash still counts towards storage; empty it or shorten its retention under Trash to free space.
Versions#
When a file is overwritten Boita keeps the previous copy (on by default; an admin can turn it off under Trash → Previous versions). Up to 20 versions are kept per file, for the trash retention period or a shorter number of days you choose. Restoring a version makes the current file a version itself, so nothing is lost by restoring.
Trash#
Deleting moves items to Trash. They stay there for the plan's retention period — 7 days on Free, 30 days on Pro, Studio and Enterprise — and an admin can shorten (never lengthen) that window. Restore puts the item back under its original name, or name (restored) if the name is taken. Permanent deletion needs an admin and is blocked while a legal hold is on.
Numbered file sets#
Image sequences — three or more files with the same prefix, a zero-padded counter of at least three digits and the same extension — are shown as one row such as shot_010.[0001-0240].exr with the frame count, and a gaps badge when frames are missing. This is display only; the files are stored exactly as uploaded, and recipients see the same collapsed row on the delivery page.
Importing from elsewhere#
Files → Import brings files in from an S3-compatible bucket (AWS S3, Wasabi, Backblaze B2, Cloudflare R2, MinIO and Google Cloud Storage with interoperability keys) using access keys, or from the Google, Microsoft and other consumer cloud drives listed in the Import panel after you connect the account. Google-native documents (Docs, Sheets) cannot be imported as files.