Redmine stands as one of the most reliable and versatile open-source project management solutions used by organizations worldwide. Since its inception, teams have relied on this Ruby on Rails-based platform to manage projects, track issues, and collaborate effectively.

However, as projects grow, so does the volume of attachments. The technical specifications, screenshots, design files, and other crucial documents, eventually lead to storage constraints that can hamper productivity and scalability.

Fortunately, there’s a solution: the Redmine Cloud Attachment Pro plugin, developed by Sivamanikandan from RailsFactory (a division of Sedin Technologies). This plugin allows users to seamlessly store attachments in the cloud, with support for Amazon S3, Google Cloud Storage, and Microsoft Azure Blob Storage. A Web UI for configuring storage is planned for the future.

Let’s dive into what Cloud Attachment Pro plugin is and how it solves the storage problem that Redmine users face.

The Challenges of Redmine’s Default Storage

By default, Redmine stores attachments on the local filesystem of the server it’s installed on. While this works fine for small teams or projects, it becomes a bottleneck as usage scales. Here are the key pain points Redmine users face:

Limited Storage Capacity

Local servers have finite disk space. As attachments pile up, let’s say - design files, documentation, or screenshots, teams often run out of room, forcing them to either add hardware or delete old files.

Performance Degradation

A cluttered filesystem can slow down Redmine, affecting everything from file uploads to overall system responsiveness.

Backup Complexity

Managing backups for a growing volume of locally stored attachments is time-consuming and error-prone, increasing the risk of data loss if something goes wrong.

Scalability Challenges

For organizations with large or distributed teams, local storage lacks the flexibility and accessibility needed to keep up with modern workflows.

These issues can frustrate users, disrupt productivity, and create unnecessary administrative overhead. Clearly, a better solution is needed and that’s where Redmine Cloud Attachment Pro comes in.

Introducing Redmine Cloud Attachment Pro

Redmine Cloud Attachment Pro is a flexible plugin that revolutionizes how Redmine handles attachments. Instead of relying solely on local storage, it enables users to store files in multiple backends, including the local filesystem, Amazon S3, Google Cloud Storage, and Microsoft Azure Blob Storage.

The plugin also plans to introduce a Web UI for configuring storage in the future. This plugin integrates seamlessly with Redmine, offering a scalable and reliable way to manage attachments without changing how users work.

Key Features of Redmine Cloud Attachment Pro

Seamless Integration

The plugin works with Redmine’s existing attachment system, requiring no changes to user workflows.

Multiple Storage Backends

Choose between local storage (Redmine’s default) or Amazon S3, with more options coming soon.

Automatic Uploads

New attachments are uploaded to the selected backend effortlessly.

Efficient Downloads

Files stored in the cloud are retrieved quickly and securely when needed.

Clean Deletion

When an attachment is removed from Redmine, it’s also deleted from the cloud, keeping everything in sync.

Environment-Specific Configuration

Set different storage options for development, testing, and production environments.

Backward Compatibility

Works with existing Redmine setups, making adoption straightforward.

How to Set It Up

Getting started with Redmine Cloud Attachment Pro is simple:

1. Configure Storage

Edit Redmine’s <config/configuration.yml> file to specify your storage backend.

For S3, include your access key, secret key, region, bucket name, and an optional path (e.g., redmine/files).

2. Install the Plugin

Clone the plugin from its GitHub repository into Redmine’s directory and run . No database migrations are required.

3. Optional Migration

For existing attachments, run the rake task

to update filenames for S3 compatibility.

4. Restart Redmine

Once configured, the plugin handles uploads, downloads, and deletions automatically.

How it Solves the Redmine Storage Challenges

Storing files in Amazon S3 (or other object storage) effectively gives you virtually unlimited disk space and built-in scalability. You no longer need to worry about your Redmine server’s disk filling up or running out of inodes.

Cloud storage services replicate data across data centers, so durability is higher and manual backups are simplified.

Using a cloud backend also makes it trivial to load-balance Redmine on multiple servers – all instances can point to the same bucket, eliminating the need for complex shared filesystems.

In short, Redmine Cloud Attachment Pro lets you scale storage independently of your server, shrink maintenance overhead, and integrate smoothly with modern cloud infrastructure.

RailsFactory’s Ruby on Rails Expertise

With this plugin, RailsFactory continues its long-standing tradition of contributing to the Ruby on Rails and Redmine communities. Since 2006, the team has been delivering scalable, high-performance Rails applications across industries and backing that experience with meaningful open-source contributions.

Sivamanikandan, a seasoned developer from RailsFactory (a division of Sedin Technologies), is no stranger to solving real-world Redmine problems. Redmine Cloud Attachment Pro is actually his second plugin after MailTicketSyncPro, aimed at enhancing Redmine's usability. His earlier release, MailTicketSyncPro, helped teams streamline email-to-ticket workflows in Redmine. Now, with Cloud Attachment Pro, he addresses the critical issue of storage scalability in a similarly elegant and community-focused way.

Both plugins are released under the MIT license and are publicly available on GitHub, reinforcing RailsFactory’s commitment to giving back to the open-source ecosystem. The team also provides professional Redmine support, plugin customization, and enterprise-grade Rails development for organizations looking to scale or modernize their applications.

Try Redmine Cloud Attachment Pro on your test or staging Redmine instance and see how easy it is to offload attachments to the cloud.

For more information or custom development help, reach out to RailsFactory. We’re always glad to help teams overcome their challenges and make the most of Ruby on Rails framework.

Say Goodbye to Storage Limits in Redmine - Take Your Attachments to the Cloud with this Plugin