Secure media upload and ingestion pipeline

TL;DR

• Media looked simple in the interface but carried validation, storage, and remote-fetching risk.
• I needed uploads and fetched assets to pass through a safer lifecycle.
• I added presigned uploads, opaque keys, SSRF checks, audits, and reconciliation jobs.
• The result was a media layer the interface could trust without ignoring operational drift.

Media looks simple from the interface, but the lifecycle behind it has sharp edges: validation, storage, remote fetching, missing coverage, and cleanup.

Where it started

Users needed media to feel stable, while the system needed to protect itself from invalid files, unsafe remote requests, and records that no longer matched stored assets.

What needed to change

The asset system gives uploads and fetched media a safer path. It validates files, stores them behind opaque keys, checks remote requests, and audits whether expected assets exist.

What I built

Client uploads use presigned paths. Server-side fetching includes SSRF checks before retrieving remote media. Reconciliation jobs compare expected records with stored files and report gaps.

What changed

The interface can treat media as stable while the platform handles safety and consistency behind the scenes.

What I would watch

Asset systems need operational visibility. Validation and storage rules help, but teams still need audits when records and files drift apart.