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Frequently asked questions
The short version of how StreamFS works — your storage, streamed as a local drive, built for media teams. Still curious? Join the waitlist and try it.
What is StreamFS?
StreamFS presents your cloud object storage as an ordinary local drive. Files show up instantly and their contents stream on demand, so your team can open and edit large media straight from the cloud without waiting for a full download or sync.
What does "bring your own storage" (BYOS) mean?
Instead of locking your data inside our service, StreamFS connects directly to a storage bucket you own. Your media stays in your own cloud account, you pay the storage provider at cost, and you can leave at any time with your data already in your hands.
Which storage providers can I use?
Any S3-compatible object storage works, including AWS S3, Backblaze B2, and Wasabi. If your provider speaks the S3 API, StreamFS can mount it.
How is StreamFS different from Dropbox-style syncing?
Sync tools copy whole files down to every machine and reconcile changes afterward, which is slow and space-hungry for large media. StreamFS does not sync — files appear immediately and only the bytes you actually read are fetched, then cached locally for fast reuse.
Do I have to download whole files before opening them?
No. Content streams on demand as you read it, and recently used data is cached on your local disk so repeat access is fast. You can also choose to fully cache a workspace for offline work.
Is my data secure? What is zero-knowledge credential escrow?
Your storage credentials are encrypted with keys that only you and the people you share a workspace with hold. The StreamFS server never sees your bucket passwords in plaintext, so even a breach on our side cannot reach your storage. We call this zero-knowledge credential escrow.
Which platforms does StreamFS support?
StreamFS has native clients for Linux, macOS, and Windows. There are no drivers or kernel extensions to install — mount a workspace and it behaves like a normal folder.
How does collaboration work? Can two people edit at once?
Project files get advisory locks so teammates can see when something is being edited, writes are conflict-safe so no one silently overwrites anyone else, and a live change feed shows updates as they happen. Source media is treated as read-only after ingest, so it can never be clobbered.
What does StreamFS cost?
StreamFS uses flat per-seat pricing and there is a free tier to get started. When you bring your own storage, you pay your storage provider directly at cost — StreamFS adds no markup on storage.
Can I use managed storage instead of my own bucket?
Yes. If you would rather not run your own bucket, StreamFS can provide managed storage billed at $0.02 per GB per month, with the first 50 GB free and no egress fees. You can start managed and move to your own bucket later.
What kind of work is StreamFS built for?
StreamFS is designed for media and creative workflows — video, audio, VFX, and other large-file projects where teams need fast shared access to footage and project files without shipping drives around or waiting on syncs.