MongoDB GridFS

MongoDB's built-in specification for storing files that exceed the 16 MB BSON document limit. Splits files into chunks across two collections.

How It Works ​

• fs.files: One document per file. Stores metadata (filename, length, chunkSize, uploadDate, contentType).

• fs.chunks: One document per chunk. Stores the binary data + sequence number.

• Upload splits the file into 255 KB chunks. Download reassembles them in order.

When to Use ​

• Files larger than 16 MB (BSON limit).

• You need streaming or seeking over large files.

• You want file data to replicate with the rest of the DB.

When NOT to Use ​

• Files under 16 MB: Store as BinData in a normal document.

• High-performance file serving: A dedicated object store (S3) will outperform GridFS.