UploadThing

UploadThing is a developer-first file upload platform that provides a complete, type-safe solution for handling file uploads in web applications, from the upload button to server-side processing. Created by Theo Browne, known as pingdotgg, the creator of the T3 Stack and a prominent developer educator with over 300,000 YouTube subscribers, the platform is developed by Ping Labs as a simpler and safer alternative to direct Amazon S3 integration. The architecture separates authentication, which runs on the developers own server, from the actual file transfer, which streams directly to managed infrastructure, eliminating bandwidth costs on the application server. The file router pattern defines upload constraints declaratively, specifying allowed file types and maximum file sizes, while middleware executes before upload to enforce authorization and attach metadata. TypeScript types are inferred automatically, ensuring compile-time safety across client and server. Framework integrations cover Next.js App Router and Pages Router, React, Astro, SvelteKit, and SolidStart. Pre-built UI components include UploadButton, UploaderPanel, and a dropzone. The dashboard provides file management, audit logging, and webhook configuration for post-upload processing. Pricing includes a free tier with 2 gigabytes of storage and unlimited uploads and downloads, scaling to 100 gigabytes at 10 dollars per month and 250 gigabytes at 25 dollars per month. Enterprise plans offer custom storage and retention policies.