FileManager API

A focused REST API for file management built with ASP.NET Core (.NET 10) and Cloudinary for cloud storage.

Supports secure file uploads, content-based validation, streaming, listing, and deletion through a clean service-based architecture.

Originally started with local disk storage and later migrated fully to Cloudinary as a production-minded architectural improvement.

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Deployment

The API is deployed on MonsterASP.NET.

Live Swagger Documentation:

http://filemanageer.runasp.net/swagger

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Tech Stack

Framework	ASP.NET Core .NET 10
Database	SQL Server
ORM	Entity Framework Core
Cloud Storage	Cloudinary
Validation	FluentValidation
API Docs	Swagger / OpenAPI
Hosting	MonsterASP.NET

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Project Structure

FileManager.Api/
├── Contracts/
│   ├── Common/
│   └── ...
├── Controllers/
│   └── FilesController.cs
├── Entities/
│   └── UploadedFile.cs
├── Persistence/
│   ├── EntityConfigurations/
│   └── ApplicationDbContext.cs
├── Services/
│   ├── IFileService.cs
│   └── FileService.cs
└── Settings/
    └── CloudinarySettings.cs

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Features

• Upload single files
• Upload multiple files
• Upload image files
• Stream files directly from Cloudinary
• Delete files from Cloudinary and database
• Content-based validation
• Secure cloud storage architecture
• Clean service-based structure

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Endpoints

Method	Endpoint	Description
GET	/api/files	Get all uploaded files
GET	/api/files/stream/{id}	Stream a file from Cloudinary
POST	/api/files/upload	Upload a single file
POST	/api/files/upload-many	Upload multiple files
POST	/api/files/upload-image	Upload image files
DELETE	/api/files/{id}	Delete a file

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Validation

All uploaded files go through layered validation before reaching the service layer.

Validation Rules

Rule	Description
Required	Rejects null or missing files
Size	Maximum 1 MB
File Name	Allows only safe characters
File Signature	Blocks dangerous file signatures
Image Validation	Accepts only valid JPG, JPEG, PNG images

Validation is content-based, not extension-based.

Renaming a malicious file extension will not bypass validation.

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Cloudinary Integration

All files are stored in Cloudinary instead of local disk storage.

Stored Metadata

Field	Purpose
PublicId	Used for Cloudinary deletion
CloudinaryUrl	Secure access URL
ResourceType	Determines image/raw handling

Upload Strategy

• Images use ImageUploadParams
• Non-image files use RawUploadParams
• Streaming uses IHttpClientFactory
• Files are streamed directly from Cloudinary URLs

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Production Considerations

• Uses IHttpClientFactory to avoid socket exhaustion
• Uses AsNoTracking() for read-only queries
• Uses async streaming for scalable file handling
• Separates image and raw file upload pipelines
• Removes dependency on local file storage
• Uses secure Cloudinary-hosted access URLs

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Setup

Clone Repository

git clone https://github.com/a7medhazem/FileManager.git
cd FileManager

Configure appsettings.json

{
  "ConnectionStrings": {
    "DefaultConnection": "Server=(localdb)\\MSSQLLocalDB;Database=FileManager;Trusted_Connection=True;Encrypt=False"
  },

  "CloudinarySettings": {
    "CloudName": "your-cloud-name",
    "ApiKey": "your-api-key",
    "ApiSecret": "your-api-secret"
  }
}

Apply Migrations

dotnet ef database update

Run

dotnet run

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License

This project is licensed under the MIT License.