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:

1. Database Storage -- for content, users, components, relations,
   settings, and dynamic zones.
2. 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.