Confluence allows you to store attachments in one of three places:
- Filesystem - locally in the Confluence home directory
- Database - in Confluence's configured database
- WebDAV - remotely on a WebDAV server (*deprecated*)
A System Administrator can configure Confluence's attachment storage via the 'Attachment Storage' option on the 'Administration Console'.
You need to have System Administrator permissions in order to perform this function.
The information on this page does not apply to Confluence OnDemand.
Attachment Storage Options
Local File System
By default, Confluence stores attachments in the attachments
directory within the configured Confluence home folder. If you are looking to run Confluence Clustered, attachments must be stored in the database.
Database
Confluence gives administrators the option to store attachments in the database that Confluence is configured to use.
Here are some reasons why, as an administrator, you may want to choose this storage system:
- Ease of backup.
Avoiding issues with certain characters in attachment file names.
WebDAV
Confluence also allows administrators to set an external WebDAV repository as the location for attachment storage.
Migration between Attachment Storage Systems
You can 'migrate' your attachments from one storage system to another. All existing attachments will be moved over to the new attachment storage system.
To perform a migration, follow the steps below:
- Choose the cog icon
at top right of the screen, then choose Confluence Admin.
- Click 'Attachment Storage' in the left-hand panel. The current configuration will be displayed.
Screenshot: Attachment storage configuration - Click the 'Edit' button to modify the configuration.
- Select the storage system you desire.
Screenshot: Edit attachment storage - Click the 'Save' button to save the changes.
- A screen will appear, asking you to confirm your changes. Clicking 'Migrate' will take you to a screen that displays the progress of the migration.
Screenshot: migration warning
Troubleshooting
To enable debug logging for WebDAV attachment storage, add the following to the bottom of WEB-INF/classes/log4j.properties
and restart Confluence:
log4j.logger.com.atlassian.confluence.pages.persistence.dao=DEBUG,confluencelog log4j.additivity.com.atlassian.confluence.pages.persistence.dao=false log4j.logger.org.apache.webdav=DEBUG,confluencelog log4j.additivity.org.apache.webdav=false
For more about log file configuration, see Working with Confluence Logs.
Attachments:







