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📁 Local File

Reads, writes, or appends to files on the server's local filesystem. Use it to persist data between runs, process uploaded files, generate reports, or exchange data with other applications running on the same server.

Category: File Operations · Type identifier: local_file

Overview

The Local File node provides direct access to the filesystem of the server running Flusso. It supports three operations: reading the full contents of a file into the workflow context, writing (creating or overwriting) a file with new content, and appending content to an existing file without discarding what is already there.

Paths can be absolute (e.g. /var/data/output.txt) and support {{ variable }} references, making it straightforward to build dynamic filenames from trigger payloads or earlier step outputs. When the Create Directories toggle is on, any missing parent directories in the path are created automatically before writing.

Server access only. Files written here exist on the Flusso server, not on your local machine. Use Google Drive, Dropbox, or Amazon S3 if files must be accessible from other machines or shared with external users.

Configuration

Field	Status	Description
Operation	Required	`read` — read the full file contents into memory. `write` — create or completely overwrite the file. `append` — add content to the end of an existing file; creates the file if it does not exist.
Path	Required	Absolute file path, e.g. `/var/data/output.txt`. Supports `{{ variable }}` references for dynamic filenames.
Content	Required for write/append	The text or data to write. Supports `{{ variable }}` references.
Encoding	Optional	File encoding. Default: `utf-8`. Options: `utf-8`, `base64`.
Create Directories	Optional	Toggle. When on, creates missing parent directories automatically. Default: on.

Output Data

These fields are available in subsequent steps using the node's step key.

Field	Type	Description
`content`	string	File contents (read mode only).
`path`	string	Absolute path of the file operated on.
`size`	number	File size in bytes after the operation.
`success`	boolean	True if the operation completed without error.

Example Usage

A Loop node iterates over records from an earlier step.
Inside the loop, a Local File node with Operation: append writes each processed result as a new line to /var/reports/daily.txt.
After the loop exits, a second Local File node with Operation: read loads the completed file back into the workflow context.
An Email Notification node attaches the file contents to the final report email.

Tips & Notes

Use the append operation inside a Loop to build a log file or CSV row by row without overwriting previous data.
Dynamic paths using {{ variable }} let you organise files by date, user, or run ID automatically — for example /var/exports/{{ trigger.output.date }}-report.csv.
The base64 encoding option is useful when reading binary files (images, PDFs) that need to be embedded in a downstream step as a Base64 string.
Very large files may cause memory pressure when read in a single step. For files exceeding a few hundred megabytes, consider processing in chunks or using a dedicated streaming approach.
The Create Directories toggle is on by default, so you do not need to pre-create the folder structure in advance.

Related Nodes

Google Drive — store files in Google Drive for cross-machine access and sharing.
Dropbox — store files in Dropbox.
Amazon S3 — scalable object storage compatible with AWS and third-party providers.
Loop — iterate over arrays and use Local File inside the loop body.