Stay organized with collectionsSave and categorize content based on your preferences.
Your files are stored in aCloud Storagebucket. The
files in this bucket are presented in a hierarchical structure, just like the
file system on your local hard disk, or the data in theFirebase Realtime Database.
By creating a reference to a file, your app gains access to it. These references
can then be used to upload or download data, get or update metadata or delete
the file. A reference can either point to a specific file or to a higher level
node in the hierarchy.
If you've used theFirebase Realtime Database, these paths should
seem very familiar to you. However, your file data is stored inCloud Storage,notin theRealtime Database.
Create a Reference
In order to upload or download files, delete files, or get or update metadata,
you must create a reference to the file you want to operate on. A reference
can be thought of as a pointer to a file in the cloud. References are
lightweight, so you can create as many as you need, and they are also reusable for
multiple operations.
To create a reference, get an instance of the Storage service usinggetStorage()then callref()with the service as an argument.
This reference points to the root of yourCloud Storagebucket.
Web
import{getStorage,ref}from"firebase/storage";// Get a reference to the storage service, which is used to create references in your storage bucketconststorage=getStorage();// Create a storage reference from our storage serviceconststorageRef=ref(storage);
// Get a reference to the storage service, which is used to create references in your storage bucketvarstorage=firebase.storage();// Create a storage reference from our storage servicevarstorageRef=storage.ref();
You can create a reference to a location lower in the tree,
say'images/space.jpg'by passing in this path as a second argument when
callingref().
Web
import{getStorage,ref}from"firebase/storage";conststorage=getStorage();// Create a child referenceconstimagesRef=ref(storage,'images');// imagesRef now points to 'images'// Child references can also take paths delimited by '/'constspaceRef=ref(storage,'images/space.jpg');// spaceRef now points to "images/space.jpg"// imagesRef still points to "images"
// Create a child referencevarimagesRef=storageRef.child('images');// imagesRef now points to 'images'// Child references can also take paths delimited by '/'varspaceRef=storageRef.child('images/space.jpg');// spaceRef now points to "images/space.jpg"// imagesRef still points to "images"
You can also use theparentandrootproperties to navigate up the
file hierarchy.parentnavigates up one level,
whilerootnavigates all the way to the top.
Web
import{getStorage,ref}from"firebase/storage";conststorage=getStorage();constspaceRef=ref(storage,'images/space.jpg');// Parent allows us to move to the parent of a referenceconstimagesRef=spaceRef.parent;// imagesRef now points to 'images'// Root allows us to move all the way back to the top of our bucketconstrootRef=spaceRef.root;// rootRef now points to the root
// Parent allows us to move to the parent of a referencevarimagesRef=spaceRef.parent;// imagesRef now points to 'images'// Root allows us to move all the way back to the top of our bucketvarrootRef=spaceRef.root;// rootRef now points to the root
child(),parent, androotcan be chained together multiple times, as
each returns a reference. The exception is theparentofroot, which
isnull.
Web
import{getStorage,ref}from"firebase/storage";conststorage=getStorage();constspaceRef=ref(storage,'images/space.jpg');// References can be chained together multiple timesconstearthRef=ref(spaceRef.parent,'earth.jpg');// earthRef points to 'images/earth.jpg'// nullRef is null, since the parent of root is nullconstnullRef=spaceRef.root.parent;
// References can be chained together multiple timesvarearthRef=spaceRef.parent.child('earth.jpg');// earthRef points to 'images/earth.jpg'// nullRef is null, since the parent of root is nullvarnullRef=spaceRef.root.parent;
You can inspect references to better understand the files they point to
using thefullPath,name, andbucketproperties. These properties
get the full path of the file, the name of the file,
and the bucket the file is stored in.
Web
import{getStorage,ref}from"firebase/storage";conststorage=getStorage();constspaceRef=ref(storage,'images/space.jpg');// Reference's path is: 'images/space.jpg'// This is analogous to a file path on diskspaceRef.fullPath;// Reference's name is the last segment of the full path: 'space.jpg'// This is analogous to the file namespaceRef.name;// Reference's bucket is the name of the storage bucket where files are storedspaceRef.bucket;
// Reference's path is: 'images/space.jpg'// This is analogous to a file path on diskspaceRef.fullPath;// Reference's name is the last segment of the full path: 'space.jpg'// This is analogous to the file namespaceRef.name;// Reference's bucket is the name of the storage bucket where files are storedspaceRef.bucket;
import{getStorage,ref}from"firebase/storage";conststorage=getStorage();// Points to the root referenceconststorageRef=ref(storage);// Points to 'images'constimagesRef=ref(storageRef,'images');// Points to 'images/space.jpg'// Note that you can use variables to create child valuesconstfileName='space.jpg';constspaceRef=ref(imagesRef,fileName);// File path is 'images/space.jpg'constpath=spaceRef.fullPath;// File name is 'space.jpg'constname=spaceRef.name;// Points to 'images'constimagesRefAgain=spaceRef.parent;
// Points to the root referencevarstorageRef=firebase.storage().ref();// Points to 'images'varimagesRef=storageRef.child('images');// Points to 'images/space.jpg'// Note that you can use variables to create child valuesvarfileName='space.jpg';varspaceRef=imagesRef.child(fileName);// File path is 'images/space.jpg'varpath=spaceRef.fullPath;// File name is 'space.jpg'varname=spaceRef.name;// Points to 'images'varimagesRef=spaceRef.parent;
[[["Easy to understand","easyToUnderstand","thumb-up"],["Solved my problem","solvedMyProblem","thumb-up"],["Other","otherUp","thumb-up"]],[["Missing the information I need","missingTheInformationINeed","thumb-down"],["Too complicated / too many steps","tooComplicatedTooManySteps","thumb-down"],["Out of date","outOfDate","thumb-down"],["Samples / code issue","samplesCodeIssue","thumb-down"],["Other","otherDown","thumb-down"]],["Last updated 2025-09-04 UTC."],[],[],null,["\u003cbr /\u003e\n\nYour files are stored in a\n[Cloud Storage](//cloud.google.com/storage) bucket. The\nfiles in this bucket are presented in a hierarchical structure, just like the\nfile system on your local hard disk, or the data in the Firebase Realtime Database.\nBy creating a reference to a file, your app gains access to it. These references\ncan then be used to upload or download data, get or update metadata or delete\nthe file. A reference can either point to a specific file or to a higher level\nnode in the hierarchy.\n\nIf you've used the [Firebase Realtime Database](/docs/database), these paths should\nseem very familiar to you. However, your file data is stored in\nCloud Storage, **not** in the Realtime Database.\n\nCreate a Reference\n\nIn order to upload or download files, delete files, or get or update metadata,\nyou must create a reference to the file you want to operate on. A reference\ncan be thought of as a pointer to a file in the cloud. References are\nlightweight, so you can create as many as you need, and they are also reusable for\nmultiple operations.\n\nTo create a reference, get an instance of the Storage service using\n`getStorage()` then call `ref()` with the service as an argument.\nThis reference points to the root of your Cloud Storage bucket. \n\nWeb \n\n```javascript\nimport { getStorage, ref } from \"firebase/storage\";\n\n// Get a reference to the storage service, which is used to create references in your storage bucket\nconst storage = getStorage();\n\n// Create a storage reference from our storage service\nconst storageRef = ref(storage);https://github.com/firebase/snippets-web/blob/467eaa165dcbd9b3ab15711e76fa52237ba37f8b/snippets/storage-next/create-reference/storage_create_ref.js#L8-L14\n```\n\nWeb \n\n```javascript\n// Get a reference to the storage service, which is used to create references in your storage bucket\nvar storage = firebase.storage();\n\n// Create a storage reference from our storage service\nvar storageRef = storage.ref();https://github.com/firebase/snippets-web/blob/467eaa165dcbd9b3ab15711e76fa52237ba37f8b/storage/create-reference.js#L6-L10\n```\n\nYou can create a reference to a location lower in the tree,\nsay `'images/space.jpg'` by passing in this path as a second argument when\ncalling `ref()`. \n\nWeb \n\n```javascript\nimport { getStorage, ref } from \"firebase/storage\";\n\nconst storage = getStorage();\n\n// Create a child reference\nconst imagesRef = ref(storage, 'images');\n// imagesRef now points to 'images'\n\n// Child references can also take paths delimited by '/'\nconst spaceRef = ref(storage, 'images/space.jpg');\n// spaceRef now points to \"images/space.jpg\"\n// imagesRef still points to \"images\" \nhttps://github.com/firebase/snippets-web/blob/467eaa165dcbd9b3ab15711e76fa52237ba37f8b/snippets/storage-next/create-reference/storage_create_ref_child.js#L8-L19\n```\n\nWeb \n\n```javascript\n// Create a child reference\nvar imagesRef = storageRef.child('images');\n// imagesRef now points to 'images'\n\n// Child references can also take paths delimited by '/'\nvar spaceRef = storageRef.child('images/space.jpg');\n// spaceRef now points to \"images/space.jpg\"\n// imagesRef still points to \"images\" \nhttps://github.com/firebase/snippets-web/blob/467eaa165dcbd9b3ab15711e76fa52237ba37f8b/storage/create-reference.js#L18-L25\n```\n\nNavigate with References\n\nYou can also use the `parent` and `root` properties to navigate up the\nfile hierarchy. `parent` navigates up one level,\nwhile `root` navigates all the way to the top. \n\nWeb \n\n```javascript\nimport { getStorage, ref } from \"firebase/storage\";\n\nconst storage = getStorage();\nconst spaceRef = ref(storage, 'images/space.jpg');\n\n// Parent allows us to move to the parent of a reference\nconst imagesRef = spaceRef.parent;\n// imagesRef now points to 'images'\n\n// Root allows us to move all the way back to the top of our bucket\nconst rootRef = spaceRef.root;\n// rootRef now points to the root \nhttps://github.com/firebase/snippets-web/blob/467eaa165dcbd9b3ab15711e76fa52237ba37f8b/snippets/storage-next/create-reference/storage_navigate_ref.js#L8-L19\n```\n\nWeb \n\n```javascript\n// Parent allows us to move to the parent of a reference\nvar imagesRef = spaceRef.parent;\n// imagesRef now points to 'images'\n\n// Root allows us to move all the way back to the top of our bucket\nvar rootRef = spaceRef.root;\n// rootRef now points to the root \nhttps://github.com/firebase/snippets-web/blob/467eaa165dcbd9b3ab15711e76fa52237ba37f8b/storage/create-reference.js#L33-L39\n```\n\n`child()`, `parent`, and `root` can be chained together multiple times, as\neach returns a reference. The exception is the `parent` of `root`, which\nis `null`. \n\nWeb \n\n```javascript\nimport { getStorage, ref } from \"firebase/storage\";\n\nconst storage = getStorage();\nconst spaceRef = ref(storage, 'images/space.jpg');\n\n// References can be chained together multiple times\nconst earthRef = ref(spaceRef.parent, 'earth.jpg');\n// earthRef points to 'images/earth.jpg'\n\n// nullRef is null, since the parent of root is null\nconst nullRef = spaceRef.root.parent;https://github.com/firebase/snippets-web/blob/467eaa165dcbd9b3ab15711e76fa52237ba37f8b/snippets/storage-next/create-reference/storage_navigate_ref_chain.js#L8-L18\n```\n\nWeb \n\n```javascript\n// References can be chained together multiple times\nvar earthRef = spaceRef.parent.child('earth.jpg');\n// earthRef points to 'images/earth.jpg'\n\n// nullRef is null, since the parent of root is null\nvar nullRef = spaceRef.root.parent;https://github.com/firebase/snippets-web/blob/467eaa165dcbd9b3ab15711e76fa52237ba37f8b/storage/create-reference.js#L47-L52\n```\n\nReference Properties\n\nYou can inspect references to better understand the files they point to\nusing the `fullPath`, `name`, and `bucket` properties. These properties\nget the full path of the file, the name of the file,\nand the bucket the file is stored in. \n\nWeb \n\n```javascript\nimport { getStorage, ref } from \"firebase/storage\";\n\nconst storage = getStorage();\nconst spaceRef = ref(storage, 'images/space.jpg');\n\n// Reference's path is: 'images/space.jpg'\n// This is analogous to a file path on disk\nspaceRef.fullPath;\n\n// Reference's name is the last segment of the full path: 'space.jpg'\n// This is analogous to the file name\nspaceRef.name;\n\n// Reference's bucket is the name of the storage bucket where files are stored\nspaceRef.bucket;https://github.com/firebase/snippets-web/blob/467eaa165dcbd9b3ab15711e76fa52237ba37f8b/snippets/storage-next/create-reference/storage_ref_properties.js#L8-L22\n```\n\nWeb \n\n```javascript\n// Reference's path is: 'images/space.jpg'\n// This is analogous to a file path on disk\nspaceRef.fullPath;\n\n// Reference's name is the last segment of the full path: 'space.jpg'\n// This is analogous to the file name\nspaceRef.name;\n\n// Reference's bucket is the name of the storage bucket where files are stored\nspaceRef.bucket;https://github.com/firebase/snippets-web/blob/467eaa165dcbd9b3ab15711e76fa52237ba37f8b/storage/create-reference.js#L60-L69\n```\n\nLimitations on References\n\nReference paths and names can contain any sequence of valid Unicode characters,\nbut certain restrictions are imposed including:\n\n1. Total length of `reference.fullPath` must be between 1 and 1024 bytes when UTF-8 encoded.\n2. No Carriage Return or Line Feed characters.\n3. Avoid using `#`, `[`, `]`, `*`, or `?`, as these do not work well with other tools such as the [Firebase Realtime Database](/docs/database) or [gsutil](https://cloud.google.com/storage/docs/gsutil).\n\nFull Example \n\nWeb \n\n```javascript\nimport { getStorage, ref } from \"firebase/storage\";\n\nconst storage = getStorage();\n\n// Points to the root reference\nconst storageRef = ref(storage);\n\n// Points to 'images'\nconst imagesRef = ref(storageRef, 'images');\n\n// Points to 'images/space.jpg'\n// Note that you can use variables to create child values\nconst fileName = 'space.jpg';\nconst spaceRef = ref(imagesRef, fileName);\n\n// File path is 'images/space.jpg'\nconst path = spaceRef.fullPath;\n\n// File name is 'space.jpg'\nconst name = spaceRef.name;\n\n// Points to 'images'\nconst imagesRefAgain = spaceRef.parent;https://github.com/firebase/snippets-web/blob/467eaa165dcbd9b3ab15711e76fa52237ba37f8b/snippets/storage-next/create-reference/storage_ref_full_example.js#L8-L30\n```\n\nWeb \n\n```javascript\n// Points to the root reference\nvar storageRef = firebase.storage().ref();\n\n// Points to 'images'\nvar imagesRef = storageRef.child('images');\n\n// Points to 'images/space.jpg'\n// Note that you can use variables to create child values\nvar fileName = 'space.jpg';\nvar spaceRef = imagesRef.child(fileName);\n\n// File path is 'images/space.jpg'\nvar path = spaceRef.fullPath;\n\n// File name is 'space.jpg'\nvar name = spaceRef.name;\n\n// Points to 'images'\nvar imagesRef = spaceRef.parent;https://github.com/firebase/snippets-web/blob/467eaa165dcbd9b3ab15711e76fa52237ba37f8b/storage/create-reference.js#L75-L93\n```\n\nNext, let's learn how to\n[upload files](/docs/storage/web/upload-files) to\nCloud Storage."]]
