File Storage

fal provides persistent file storage at /data that is shared across all your runners and applications. Use it to store model weights, datasets, and any files your apps need.

Using `/data` in Your App

The /data directory is automatically mounted on every runner. Files you write there persist between requests and across deployments.

import fal

class MyModel(fal.App):
    machine_type = "GPU-A100"

    def setup(self):
        import torch
        model_path = "/data/models/my-model.pt"

        if os.path.exists(model_path):
            self.model = torch.load(model_path)
        else:
            self.model = download_and_save(model_path)

/data is an eventually-consistent distributed filesystem. When writing files, use atomic operations (write to a temp file, then move) to avoid race conditions if multiple runners write simultaneously.

Uploading Files

Dashboard

Navigate to Dashboard > Files to manage your files visually:

Drag and drop files to upload
Upload from URL to pull files from external sources
Organize files in folders
Download, copy paths, or delete files

SDK

Upload files programmatically from your code:

from fal.toolkit import File

# Upload from local file
file = File.from_path("path/to/file.bin")
print(file.url)

# Upload from bytes
file = File.from_bytes(data, "output.png", content_type="image/png")
print(file.url)

CLI

Upload and manage files using the fal CLI:

# List files
fal files list

# List files in a directory
fal files list models/

# Upload a file
fal files upload local-file.bin remote-path/file.bin

REST API

For direct integration, use the Platform APIs:

POST /serverless/files/file/local/{target_path} — Upload a file directly
POST /serverless/files/file/url/{file} — Upload from a URL
GET /serverless/files/list — List files
GET /serverless/files/file/{file} — Download a file

Platform API Reference

See the full file management API specification

Storage Details

Property	Value
Mount path	`/data` on all runners
Shared across	All apps and runners in your account
Consistency	Eventually consistent
Max file size	Up to 50 GB (resumable upload), ~1 TB (multipart)
Persistence	Files persist until you delete them

CDN File Uploads

When your app generates output files (images, videos, audio), they’re uploaded to fal’s CDN and returned as URLs. These are separate from /data storage — see Media Expiration to control how long CDN files are retained.

Setting Up

Model APIs

Serverless

Compute

Organizations

File Storage

Using `/data` in Your App

Uploading Files

Dashboard

SDK

CLI

REST API

Platform API Reference

Storage Details

CDN File Uploads

​Using /data in Your App

​Uploading Files

​Dashboard

​SDK

​CLI

​REST API

Platform API Reference

​Storage Details

​CDN File Uploads

Using `/data` in Your App

Uploading Files

Dashboard

SDK

CLI

REST API

Storage Details

CDN File Uploads