Production media storage (S3 or persistent volume)

[mattstratton]

Context

PRD §10 — Uploaded images need reliable storage. Currently media files go to a Docker volume that could be lost if the container is recreated.

Requirements

• Media files (uploaded images) stored durably
• Options: S3 via django-storages, or a persistent volume with backup
• Serve media efficiently (Nginx direct or S3/CloudFront)
• ~19,000 existing image files to store after migration (Migrate media files (images) from Hugo repo #21)

Current State

• MEDIA_ROOT = BASE_DIR / "media" (container filesystem)
• docker-compose.prod.yml has a media_files volume
• No S3 configuration
• django-storages not installed

Acceptance Criteria

• Uploaded media files persist across deployments
• Media served efficiently (not through Django)
• Backup strategy for media files
• Clear path for future S3 migration if using local storage initially

References

• PRD §10 — Media storage
• PRD §8 — S3 or local disk + Nginx