R2-Explorer: A Google Drive‑Like UI for Cloudflare R2 Storage
R2‑Explorer: A Google Drive‑Like UI for Cloudflare R2 Storage
Why R2‑Explorer Matters
Cloudflare R2 is a low‑latency, pay‑as‑you‑go object store that is rapidly becoming a favorite for developers who need scalable storage without egress fees. However, the native R2 API and basic CLI can be cumbersome for day‑to‑day file operations. R2‑Explorer fills that gap by providing a visual, web‑based interface that feels like Google Drive but is built around R2’s powerful APIs.
Key Features at a Glance
| Feature | What It Does |
|---|---|
| ✅ Drag‑and‑Drop | Quickly upload files from your local machine |
| 📁 Folder Management | Create, rename, and delete virtual folders |
| 📂 Multi‑part Upload | Handles files up to several GBs with retries |
| 🔒 Secure Sharing | Password‑protected, expiring URLs with download limits |
| 🖼️ In‑Browser Preview | Images, PDFs, Markdown, CSV, logs, and more |
| ✍️ In‑Browser Editing | Edit plain text, Markdown, or CSV on the fly |
| 🤖 AI Integration (roadmap) | Object detection via Cloudflare Workers AI |
| 📧 Email Routing | Access attachments directly inside the UI |
| 🔗 Custom Metadata | Read/write HTTP or custom headers |
| 👥 Authentication | Basic auth, Cloudflare Access, or self‑hosted |
Quick How‑to Installation
R2‑Explorer supports several deployment methods. Pick the one that best fits your workflow:
- GitHub Action (Recommended) – Automatically spin up an instance on your Cloudflare account.
- Cloudflare CLI –
wrangler,cloudflaredand a few commands, no extra hosting necessary. - Template Repository – Clone the repo template and tailor it to your environment.
Refer to the official documentation for step‑by‑step guides, including local development, CI/CD, and updating to newer releases.
The Roadmap in Detail
R2‑Explorer is evolving fast. Here are the next milestones customers can look forward to:
- File Search – Quick filtering by name, path, or tags.
- Folder Renaming – Keep your directory structure tidy without a full re‑upload.
- Image Thumbnails – Faster UI load times for photo galleries.
- Bucket‑Name Support – Spaces in bucket names are now handled.
- AI – Integrate object detection; label images and trigger automated workflows.
- Email Response – Reply directly to email attachments from the dashboard.
Use Cases Beyond Storage
| Use Case | How R2‑Explorer Helps |
|---|---|
| Content Hub | Teams can collaboratively upload, edit, and share media assets, mirroring how a traditional file server would work. |
| CI/CD Artifacts | Store build outputs—binaries, logs, test reports—in a version‑friendly UI, making it easier to review past deployments. |
| Personal Backup | Encrypts and indexes backups on R2 with secure share links for quick restoration. |
| Learning & Demo | Demonstrate Cloudflare R2 capabilities in workshops without diving into the CLI. |
Contributing to R2‑Explorer
The project welcomes contributions—bug fixes, feature requests, or documentation updates. Follow the standard GitHub workflow: fork, branch, test locally, submit a pull request. The maintainers keep the codebase clean with automated tests, linting, and CI checks.
Bottom Line
R2‑Explorer transforms a raw storage bucket into an intuitive workhorse. If you’re already using Cloudflare R2 but want a more approachable way to handle files, R2‑Explorer is now ready for production. Install it today, and enjoy the ease of Google Drive, but with the power and cost‑efficiency of Cloudflare’s modern object storage.
Get started: https://demo.r2explorer.com | Docs: https://r2explorer.com | Source: https://github.com/G4brym/R2-Explorer