Database / Supabase Intermediate to Advanced Interview Questions
What is the difference between resumable (TUS) uploads and standard uploads in Supabase Storage?
A standard upload sends the entire file in one HTTP request; if the connection drops partway through, the whole upload has to restart from byte zero. A resumable upload, using the open TUS protocol, breaks the file into chunks and tracks how much has already been received, so an interrupted upload can continue from where it left off instead of restarting.
| Standard Upload | Resumable (TUS) Upload |
| Single request, restarts fully on failure | Chunked, resumes from last successful byte |
| Simpler for small files | Better for large files on unreliable networks |
TUS is the better choice for large files (videos, large datasets) or mobile clients on unreliable networks, where restarting a multi-gigabyte upload from scratch after a dropped connection would be costly.
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