**Source URL:** https://general.veevavault.dev/vault-api/guides/file-staging.md



Each Vault in your domain has its own file staging which you can access using [Vault API](/vault-api/api-reference/26.1/file-staging). You can use this as a temporary storage area for files you're loading. Vault also uses it to store extracted files.

Before loading any input that references a file, you must upload the file to file staging via API. These files can include source files and renditions for documents. For example, before loading documents with the [Create Multiple Documents API](/vault-api/api-reference/26.1/documents/create-documents/create-multiple-documents), you must first load the document source files to file staging using either the [Create Folder or File API](/vault-api/api-reference/26.1/file-staging/create-folder-or-file) (files up to 50 MB) or a [Resumable Upload Session](/vault-api/api-reference/26.1/file-staging/resumable-upload-sessions) (files over 50 MB).

<Aside type="note">Vault automatically deletes uploaded files on the staging server after one year. Deleted files are not recoverable. To display files using the File Staging API, see [List Items at a Path in the Vault API Reference](/vault-api/api-reference/26.1/file-staging/list-items-at-a-path).

</Aside>

## File Staging Permissions {#FTP_Staging_Server_Perrmissions}

Uploading to or downloading from file staging requires a security profile with the *File Staging: Access* and *API: Access API* permissions. Only the standard Vault Owner and System Admin profiles include this by default, but Admins can add this permission to other profiles.

<Aside type="note">Vault does not support the ability for cross-domain users to access file staging on a cross-domain Vault. This applies even to members of cross-domain Vaults that can log in via the UI.

</Aside>

## How to Connect to File Staging {#API_Connect}

As of v20.3+, all new integrations should use Vault API to upload and manage files and folders on your Vault's file staging. See [file staging in the Vault API Reference](/vault-api/api-reference/26.1/file-staging) for details.

To connect legacy implementations, see [How to Connect Legacy Implementations via FTP](/vault-api/guides/file-staging/legacyftp/).



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