Files in ActiveManage live in one of two kinds of path — public (directly accessible by URL) or private (only accessible through an authenticated endpoint). Choosing right is the difference between a fast CDN-served asset and a leak of confidential records.
Public Paths
- Served directly from a CDN or static-file host.
- No authentication required — anyone with the URL can fetch.
- Fast (geographic edge caching).
- URL is essentially permanent.
Use for: product images, marketing assets, public profile photos, downloadable brochures, anything you'd happily share with the world.
Private Paths
- Served through
fetchfile.php(or a signed-URL handler) which checks the requesting user's permissions before delivering bytes. - Bytes never leak — every fetch goes through authentication.
- Slightly slower (no CDN edge caching) but acceptable for record attachments.
- URLs include a short-lived token; old URLs stop working.
Use for: customer document uploads, invoices, contracts, internal reports, medical records, anything sensitive.
Choosing the Right One
- Default new file fields to private. Promote to public only when you've thought about it.
- Per-field setting in the datastore configuration controls which path applies to uploads in that field.
- Audit existing public paths annually — sensitive material can drift into the wrong place over time.
Worked Examples
- Product catalogue: Public — product photos served from CDN.
- Order invoices: Private — only the order's buyer and admins can fetch.
- Marketing PDFs: Public — lead-magnets visible to anyone.
- HR documents: Private — only HR and the employee themselves can fetch.
- User avatars: Public — efficient and visible to all logged-in users.
Warning: Moving a file from public to private invalidates existing public URLs. Coordinate any such move with whoever might have linked to the file.