Where Does Strapi Store Data
Strapi has become one of the most widely used headless CMS platforms thanks to its flexibility, modern architecture, and developer‑friendly ecosystem. Whether used for websites, mobile apps, ecommerce systems, or enterprise-level digital products, Strapi allows developers to build powerful APIs while giving content editors a clean and intuitive admin dashboard. But one of the most important questions developers and businesses ask when adopting Strapi is: Where does Strapi store data?
Understanding Strapi's storage architecture is essential if you want to deploy it in production, scale effectively, optimize performance, or ensure strong data security. Because Strapi is designed to be fully customizable, the way it stores data depends on your configuration, database choice, plugin settings, and hosting environment.
- Where Strapi stores database content\
- How Strapi handles media files and uploads\
- Where configurations, models, and API logic live\
- How Strapi stores user roles and permissions\
- Storage best practices for production deployments\
- Database options for Strapi\
- Cloud storage recommendations\
- Backup strategies and scalability tips
This article is written for developers, businesses, and technical teams looking for a deep and clear understanding of Strapi's internal storage system. If you need professional help with Strapi or MERN Stack projects, you can also AAMAX --- a full-service agency providing Web Development, Digital Marketing, and SEO Services.
How Strapi Stores Data: The High-Level Overview
Strapi stores data in two main ways:
- Database Storage -- for content, users, components, relations, settings, and dynamic zones.\
- File Storage -- for media uploads, configuration files, plugins, and project-level settings.
In other words:
- All your structured and relational data goes into a database.\
- All your media assets and system configuration files live in your file system or cloud storage bucket.
Let's break each down in detail.
Strapi Databases: Where Content and User Data Is Stored
Strapi is CMS platforms, meaning you can choose from multiple database engines depending on your needs. This gives developers complete freedom over how data is stored, queried, and scaled.
Supported databases include:
- PostgreSQL (Recommended for production)
- MySQL
- MariaDB
- SQLite (Used for development)
- MongoDB (supported in Strapi v3, deprecated in v4)
Why PostgreSQL Is the Best Choice
PostgreSQL is Strapi's recommended default for production because:
- It supports complex relational structures\
- It is highly secure\
- It scales well with large datasets\
- It integrates cleanly with cloud providers\
- It handles JSON fields efficiently
PostgreSQL is ideal for content-heavy Strapi applications such as blogs, ecommerce sites, dashboards, portals, and enterprise workloads.
What Data Strapi Stores in the Database
Strapi stores all dynamic data in the database, including:
- Collection Types\
- Single Types\
- Dynamic Zones\
- Components\
- Relations between entries\
- User roles and permissions\
- Admin panel users\
- API tokens and auth details\
- Localization and i18n content\
- Plugin-related data\
- Custom fields\
- Metadata and timestamps
For example, if your Strapi project includes:
- A Blog collection\
- An Authors collection\
- A Categories collection
Each of these will automatically create database tables (or collections) that store:
- Title\
- Body content\
- Relations\
- Slugs\
- Timestamps\
- SEO fields\
- Dynamic zone content
This makes Strapi highly structured and reliable for any type of content.
How Strapi Models Map to Database Structures
Strapi uses a model‑driven architecture. Each content type corresponds to:
- A schema.json file that defines fields\
- A database table that stores the actual entries
Example structure:
/src/api/blog/content-types/blog/schema.json
This schema defines the model structure; the content itself lives in the database you configured.
Where Strapi Stores Media Files
Strapi stores media uploads differently based on the type of upload provider you configure.
Default Storage: Local File System
In a local Strapi installation, media files are stored in:
/public/uploads/
This directory contains:
- Images\
- Videos\
- PDFs\
- Documents\
- Any other media uploaded via the admin panel
However, using local storage in production is not recommended because:
- Files do not persist across deployments\
- You cannot scale across multiple servers\
- You risk losing media during updates
Recommended Production Storage: Cloud Providers
Strapi allows you to integrate cloud storage services through upload providers.
Common cloud storage providers include:
- AWS S3 (most popular and scalable)\
- Cloudinary (best for image processing)\
- Google Cloud Storage\
- Azure Blob Storage\
- DigitalOcean Spaces\
- Wasabi
Each provider comes with a plugin that connects Strapi to the storage bucket. Once configured, all uploads are stored in the cloud, not on your Strapi server.
Why Cloud Storage Is Better
Cloud-based media storage is ideal because:
- It supports CDN delivery\
- Automatic caching improves performance\
- Media persists independently of deployments\
- It supports parallel hosting and scaling\
- It is secure and reliable
For large-scale production, AWS S3 combined with a CDN such as CloudFront is one of the best strategies.
Where Strapi Stores System Files and Internal Logic
In addition to your database and media storage, Strapi stores its system files in structured directories.
File System Folder Structure
Strapi project files include:
/src/
Main folder for APIs, components, controllers, models, and routes.
/config/
Contains environment settings, database configs, security policies, and server settings.
/extensions/
Stores custom plugin configurations.
/public/
Holds public static files including uploaded assets (if using local storage).
/node_modules/
Stores dependencies needed for running the Strapi application.
/package.json/
Stores project information and dependencies.
These file structures make Strapi easy to customize and extend.
How Strapi Stores Users and Authentication Data
Strapi uses JWT-based authentication for external users and admin users.
Admin Panel Users
Stored in the database under:
admin_users\admin_roles\admin_permissions
Admin data includes:
- Email\
- Password (hashed)\
- Roles\
- Permissions\
- Tokens
Frontend/Application Users
Stored in:
users-permissions_user\users-permissions_role\users-permissions_permission
These tables are created by the Users & Permissions plugin.
Where Strapi Stores API Logic
Strapi separates internal logic into clear modules:
Controllers
Handle incoming API requests.
Example:
/src/api/blog/controllers/blog.js
Services
Contain business logic that powers your API.
Example:
/src/api/blog/services/blog.js
Routes
Define API endpoints.
Example:
/src/api/blog/routes/blog.js
This modular architecture helps teams collaborate and scale efficiently.
Where Strapi Stores Plugins and Custom Extensions
Plugins store their configuration files in:
/src/plugins/
For example, if you're using:
- Email provider\
- Upload provider\
- GraphQL plugin\
- i18n plugin
Each plugin's configuration is stored in its own folder and is fully customizable.
Strapi also supports custom plugin creation, where plugin data may be stored in additional database tables.
Strapi Environments: Where Environment Variables Live
Strapi uses environment configurations to control:
- Database credentials\
- API keys\
- JWT secrets\
- Upload provider settings\
- Application URL\
- Admin panel access
Variables live inside:
/config/env/production/server.js
/config/env/production/database.js
Or you can use .env files for simplified environment variable
management.
Where Strapi Stores Logs
Strapi stores logs depending on the hosting provider:
Local Logs
Stored in your server console or logs folder.
Cloud Logs
Stored in:
- AWS CloudWatch\
- GCP Logging\
- DigitalOcean Logs\
- PM2 logs (if used)
Using a log management tool ensures stability and easier debugging.
Production Storage Recommendations
To get the best performance from Strapi, follow these best practices:
1. Use PostgreSQL for your database
It is the most stable and production-ready option.
2. Use cloud storage (AWS S3 or Cloudinary)
Local uploads should only be used for development.
3. Use a load balancer or CDN
This improves speed and global accessibility.
4. Store environment variables securely
Avoid hardcoding credentials.
5. Use scheduled backups
Back up both your database and media storage regularly.
6. Use container-based deployments
Docker + Kubernetes offers great scalability.
Backup Strategies for Strapi Data
To protect your data, use this backup plan:
Database Backups
- Daily snapshots\
- Incremental backups\
- Cloud-managed backups (AWS RDS, DigitalOcean Managed DB)
Media Storage Backups
- Versioned buckets\
- Automated snapshots\
- Multi-region replication
File System Backups
Use Git for version control.
Conclusion
Strapi is powerful because of its flexible storage architecture. It splits data into two major categories---database content and media uploads---while giving developers full control over configuration, logic, and scaling. Strapi stores:
- Dynamic content in a database\
- Media files in local or cloud storage\
- Configurations in file-system directories\
- Users and permissions in database tables\
- Plugins in dedicated folders\
- Environment settings in environment files
This makes Strapi one of the most adaptable and customizable headless CMS platforms available today.
If you want professional help building or deploying Strapi applications---or need a MERN Stack Development---you can hire AAMAX, a trusted agency delivering Web Development, Digital Marketing, and SEO Services.
Understanding where Strapi stores data is the first step toward building secure, scalable, and high-performance digital products powered by modern technology.
