Return file download from storage in Laravel

Question

I'd like to be able to retrieve a file from storage in my controller.

public function getFile($fileID) {
    $file = CommUploads::where('id', $fileID)->first();

    if (Auth::user()->id == $file->user_id || Auth::user()->id == $file->artist_id) {
        $fileGet = Storage::get($file->file_path);
        return $fileGet;
    }
}

Now, I'm able to get the path correctly, however, all that comes out is gibberish, as if you're looking at an image without the extension.

Ideally I'd like this to work as a "save as" sort of thing.

How can I do this?

Answer 1

You should use a file download response .

public function getFile($fileID) {
    $file = CommUploads::where('id', $fileID)->first();

    if (Auth::user()->id == $file->user_id || Auth::user()->id == $file->artist_id) {
        return response()->download(storage_path('app/' . $file->file_path));
    }
}

It's bad practice to return just a string. When using Laravel responses , Laravel makes sure the headers and other requirements are set correctly to return the response to the browser.

Answer 2

You can use method download instead of get on Storage facade.

public function getFile($fileID) {
    $file = CommUploads::where('id', $fileID)->first();

    if (Auth::user()->id == $file->user_id || Auth::user()->id == $file->artist_id) {
        return Storage::download($file->file_path);
    }
}