On fluxer.com, attachments of 5 MB or smaller last about three years, larger files expire sooner and files in saved media never expire. Storing every unused file forever would make our storage costs grow without limit, and Fluxer funds all its costs itself, without outside investors. Expiry also stops Fluxer from being used as free cloud storage.
Why do large files expire sooner?
Each attachment shows its expiry date in the message, and the date depends on the file's size. Most smaller files last about three years, and large files expire sooner. Viewing a message with a file close to expiring extends it to 30 days from that view.
Large files cost the most to store, and Fluxer has no venture capital, so we keep our recurring costs stable and fund all of them ourselves. Storing every unused file forever would make those costs grow year after year without limit.
Can I pay for more storage?
Not yet, but we're working on paid extra storage for your account or your community. Fluxer will run it with a storage partner, and our media proxy will encrypt your files before sending them to the partner, so the partner can't read them. Like other files on Fluxer, they won't be end-to-end encrypted. You won't be able to connect your own storage account.
With extra storage, the free and Plutonium storage limits won't apply to you. You'll be able to send files up to 1 GiB, set upload limits for your account or your community, set your own rules for how long files are kept and manage your storage.
How long files last
How long a file lasts depends on its size, whether or not you have Plutonium. Files you keep in saved media never expire, so save or download any file you need for good.
Can a self-hosted instance turn off expiry?
Yes. The admins of a self-hosted instance can change how long attachments last or turn expiry off completely, and they also set their own upload limits.