Browse container files
The container file browser lets you inspect and manage files in a running application, standalone database, or service from the dashboard. Open the resource and select Files in its configuration sidebar. The interface is marked Beta.
You need permission to access the resource and to use the terminal. Team Members cannot use the file browser. The container must be running and its server reachable.
Open a container and folder
For a multi-container resource, select the container you want to inspect. Open folders from the listing, use the breadcrumbs to return to a parent or the container root. Select Refresh to reload the current folder after an external change.
The browser shows container paths. A host directory appears only where it is mounted inside that container. See Storage mounts to find the mount's container destination.
Manage files
| Action | Behavior |
|---|---|
| New > New file or New > New folder | Adds an entry in the current folder. |
| Edit | Opens a text file in the editor. Save to write changes into the running container. Binary files and files larger than 5 MiB cannot be edited here. |
| Upload | Uploads a file to the current folder. Use the upload control or drag a file into the listing. The default temporary-upload limit is 250 MiB. PHP and proxy settings can impose lower limits; configuring S3 downloads does not raise the upload limit. |
| Rename | Changes the selected entry's name. |
| Permissions | Select the permissions to enter an octal mode, such as 644 for a file or 755 for a folder. |
| Delete | Permanently removes the selected file or folder after confirmation. |
| Download | Downloads a file, or packages a folder as a .tar.gz archive. |
Edits and deletions change the container filesystem immediately. Changes under a writable mount affect the underlying volume or host files; files outside persistent mounts can disappear when the container is replaced. Read-only mounts cannot be edited. Changes here do not update your Git repository, Docker image, or saved Coolify file-mount definition. Keep durable configuration in its source and back up persistent data before changing it.
For database files, use the database's backup and restore workflow rather than editing live data files.
Download methods and limits
By default, Coolify streams downloads through the instance. The file browser supports files and folders up to 1 GiB with this method.
When the instance uses S3 for file downloads, the managed server uploads the file to S3 and the browser downloads it from there. This raises the file-browser download limit to 5 GiB. Folder limits are checked against the folder's size before archiving. The method is configured for the instance rather than selected for each resource.
With S3 downloads:
- Wait while Coolify prepares the file. The download starts when it is ready.
- Links expire after 15 minutes. Start a new download if the link expires.
- Temporary files are scheduled for deletion after six hours. A bucket lifecycle rule removes objects under
coolify-file-downloads/after one day as a fallback. - Each user can prepare up to three downloads concurrently and start up to ten preparations per hour.
For larger files, use a terminal transfer or a volume backup.
Configure S3 downloads
On self-hosted Coolify, an instance administrator can configure the download method in Instance settings > File downloads. Resource users use the method already configured for their instance.
Temporary download storage is separate from the destinations selected on backup schedules.
Troubleshooting
| Problem | Next step |
|---|---|
| The container is stopped | Start it from the resource page, then reopen Files. |
| Files cannot be loaded | Check the server connection and select Retry. |
| A file cannot be edited | Download it if it is binary or larger than the editor limit. |
| Download is too large | Use a terminal transfer or a volume backup. |
| An upload is rejected | Check the 250 MiB default temporary-upload limit and any lower PHP or proxy limits. S3 download settings do not affect uploads. |
| A file cannot be changed | Check whether its mount is read-only and review filesystem permissions. |
| S3 download preparation fails | Ask the instance administrator to check the storage connection and permissions. |
| Too many downloads are in progress | Wait for pending preparations to finish and respect the hourly limit. |