A practical guide to the two file management models in the Haufe Files API: User Files and Space Files. Understand when to use each model and how to follow the end-to-end upload and consumption flow.

Working with Files

Haufe Files supports two distinct file models depending on who owns the content and how it is shared:

	User Files	Space Files
Route prefix	`/v1/files`	`/v1/spaces/{spaceId}/files`
Ownership	Tied to a single user	Tied to a tenant Space
Sharing	Private to the user	Private (owner only) or Public (all tenant users)
Required headers	API key + `x-user-id`	API key + `x-user-id` + `x-tenant-id`
RAG scope	Per-file	Per-space (across all space files)

How File Processing Works

Regardless of the model, every uploaded file goes through the same processing pipeline before it can be consumed:

Upload — you request a pre-signed S3 URL from the API and PUT the file directly to S3.
Antivirus scan — AWS GuardDuty scans the file. Infected files are quarantined and the file status is set to FAILED.
Text extraction — the appropriate processor runs based on the file type (PDF, Word, Excel, plain text / CSV / Markdown).
Chunking & embedding — the extracted text is split into chunks, each one embedded via Amazon Bedrock and stored in the knowledge base.
Ready — the processing status transitions to PROCESSED and the file is available for RAG or direct content retrieval.

Processing statuses

Status	Meaning
`PROCESSING`	Pipeline is running
`PROCESSED`	File is ready to use
`FAILED`	Processing or antivirus check failed

Supported file types: PDF (.pdf), Word (.docx), Excel (.xlsx), PowerPoint (.pptx), plain text (.txt), CSV (.csv), Markdown (.md)

File persistence: when requesting an upload URL you pass a persist query parameter.

persist=true — the file is kept indefinitely.
persist=false — the file expires after a set period and is automatically deleted.

User Files

User files are personal — each file belongs to a single user and is only accessible by that user. Use this model when the content is user-specific and does not need to be shared.

Required headers

Header	Description
`x-api-key`	Your product API key
`x-user-id`	The ID of the user performing the action

Endpoints

Method	Path	Description
`GET`	`/v1/signed-url`	Get a pre-signed upload URL
`GET`	`/v1/files`	List all files for the user (paginated)
`GET`	`/v1/files/{fileId}`	Retrieve the processed text content of a file
`GET`	`/v1/files/{fileId}/status`	Processing status of a file
`GET`	`/v1/files/{fileId}/rag`	Semantic search within a single file
`DELETE`	`/v1/files/{fileId}`	Delete a file

Basic use-case flow

Below is the minimal sequence of API calls to upload a file and use it for RAG.

Step 1 — Request an upload URL
────────────────────────────────
GET /v1/signed-url?filename=report.pdf&persist=true
Headers:
  x-api-key: <your-api-key>
  x-user-id: <user-id>

Response:
{
  "url": "https://s3.amazonaws.com/...",   ← pre-signed PUT URL
  "file_id": "3f2e1d...",                  ← keep this ID
  "expires_in": 600,
  "file_limits": {
    "max_size": 10485760,
    "allowed_types": ["application/pdf", "text/plain", ...]
  }
}

Step 2 — Upload the file directly to S3
────────────────────────────────────────
PUT <url from step 1>
Content-Type: application/pdf   ← must match the file type
Body: <binary file content>

Response: 200 OK (from S3, no body)

Step 3 — Check processing status
───────────────────────────────────────────
GET /v1/files/{fileId}/status
Headers:
  x-api-key: <your-api-key>
  x-user-id: <user-id>

Response:
{
  "processingStatus": "PROCESSED",   ← poll until this is "PROCESSED" or "FAILED"
  "steps": [
    { "stepName": "FirstStep",         "status": "SUCCEEDED" },
    { "stepName": "ProcessorSelector", "status": "SUCCEEDED" },
    { "stepName": "PdfProcessor",      "status": "SUCCEEDED" },
    { "stepName": "ChunkFile",         "status": "SUCCEEDED" }
  ],
  "warnings": { "length": false, "empty": false }
}

Step 4 — Query the file with RAG
──────────────────────────────────
GET /v1/files/{fileId}/rag?query=What+are+the+main+findings&limit=5
Headers:
  x-api-key: <your-api-key>
  x-user-id: <user-id>

Response:
[
  {
    "content": "The analysis shows ...",
    "metadata": { "chunk_id": "...", "file_id": "..." },
    "score": 0.94
  },
  ...
]

Step 5 (optional) — Retrieve the full processed content
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
GET /v1/files/{fileId}
Headers:
  x-api-key: <your-api-key>
  x-user-id: <user-id>

Response: text/plain — the extracted and processed text of the file

Step 6 (optional) — Delete the file
─────────────────────────────────────
DELETE /v1/files/{fileId}
Headers:
  x-api-key: <your-api-key>
  x-user-id: <user-id>

Response: { "message": "File <fileId> deleted successfully." }

Tip: if you uploaded with persist=false, the file will be automatically cleaned up after it expires — you do not need to call DELETE explicitly.

Space Files

Space files belong to a Space — a tenant-scoped container that groups files under a shared context. Spaces have a visibility setting that controls who can access them:

PRIVATE (default) — only the space owner can read, upload, or delete files in the space.
PUBLIC — any user within the same tenant can access the space and its files.

Use this model when you want to perform RAG queries over a collection of documents, or when content needs to be shared across users within a tenant.

A Space must exist before files can be uploaded to it. Refer to the Spaces endpoints (POST /v1/spaces) to create one.

Required headers

Header	Description
`x-api-key`	Your product API key
`x-user-id`	The ID of the user performing the action
`x-tenant-id`	The ID of the tenant the space belongs to

Endpoints

Method	Path	Description
`GET`	`/v1/spaces/{spaceId}/files/upload-url`	Get a pre-signed upload URL for the space
`GET`	`/v1/spaces/{spaceId}/files`	List all files in the space (paginated)
`GET`	`/v1/spaces/{spaceId}/files/{fileId}`	Retrieve the processed text content of a file
`GET`	`/v1/spaces/{spaceId}/files/{fileId}/status`	Poll the processing status of a file
`GET`	`/v1/spaces/{spaceId}/rag`	Semantic search across all files in the space
`DELETE`	`/v1/spaces/{spaceId}/files/{fileId}`	Delete a file from the space

Basic use-case flow

Step 0 — Make sure you have a Space
──────────────────────────────────────
POST /v1/spaces
Headers:
  x-api-key:   <your-api-key>
  x-user-id:   <user-id>
  x-tenant-id: <tenant-id>
Body:
{
  "name": "My Knowledge Base",
  "visibility": "PRIVATE"   // default; use "PUBLIC" to share with all users in the tenant
}

Response:
{
  "id": "space-uuid",
  "name": "My Knowledge Base",
  ...
}

Step 1 — Request an upload URL for the space
─────────────────────────────────────────────
GET /v1/spaces/{spaceId}/files/upload-url?filename=guidelines.pdf&persist=true
Headers:
  x-api-key:   <your-api-key>
  x-user-id:   <user-id>
  x-tenant-id: <tenant-id>

Response:
{
  "url":      "https://s3.amazonaws.com/...",
  "file_id":  "8a1c3f...",
  "expires_in": 600,
  "file_limits": {
    "max_size": 10485760,
    "allowed_types": ["application/pdf", "text/plain", ...]
  }
}

Step 2 — Upload the file directly to S3
────────────────────────────────────────
PUT <url from step 1>
Content-Type: application/pdf
Body: <binary file content>

Response: 200 OK (from S3, no body)

Step 3 — Check processing status
───────────────────────────────────────────
GET /v1/spaces/{spaceId}/files/{fileId}/status
Headers:
  x-api-key:   <your-api-key>
  x-user-id:   <user-id>
  x-tenant-id: <tenant-id>

Response:
{
  "processingStatus": "PROCESSED",
  "steps": [
    { "stepName": "FirstStep",         "status": "SUCCEEDED" },
    { "stepName": "ProcessorSelector", "status": "SUCCEEDED" },
    { "stepName": "PdfProcessor",      "status": "SUCCEEDED" },
    { "stepName": "ChunkFile",         "status": "SUCCEEDED" }
  ],
  "warnings": { "length": false, "empty": false }
}

Step 4 — Query the entire space with RAG
──────────────────────────────────────────
GET /v1/spaces/{spaceId}/rag?query=What+are+the+holiday+policies&limit=5
Headers:
  x-api-key:   <your-api-key>
  x-user-id:   <user-id>
  x-tenant-id: <tenant-id>

Response:
[
  {
    "content": "Employees are entitled to ...",
    "metadata": {
      "chunk_id": "...",
      "file_id":  "...",
      "space_id": "..."
    },
    "score": 0.97
  },
  ...
]

The Space RAG endpoint searches across all processed files in the space in a single call. You do not need to query each file individually.

Step 5 (optional) — List files in the space
─────────────────────────────────────────────
GET /v1/spaces/{spaceId}/files?page=1&limit=20&sortBy=createdAt&sortOrder=desc
Headers:
  x-api-key:   <your-api-key>
  x-user-id:   <user-id>
  x-tenant-id: <tenant-id>

Response:
{
  "data": [
    {
      "id": "8a1c3f...",
      "originalName": "guidelines.pdf",
      "processingStatus": "PROCESSED",
      "size": 204800,
      "createdAt": "2026-03-19T10:00:00Z",
      ...
    }
  ],
  "total": 1,
  "page": 1,
  "limit": 20
}

Step 6 (optional) — Delete a file from the space
──────────────────────────────────────────────────
DELETE /v1/spaces/{spaceId}/files/{fileId}
Headers:
  x-api-key:   <your-api-key>
  x-user-id:   <user-id>
  x-tenant-id: <tenant-id>

Response: { "message": "File deleted successfully." }

Choosing the Right Model

Scenario	Recommended model
A user uploads their own private documents	User Files
Multiple documents are shared across a team / tenant	Space Files
You need RAG over a single document	User Files — use `/v1/files/{fileId}/rag`
You need RAG over a collection of documents	Space Files — use `/v1/spaces/{spaceId}/rag`
Content is temporary (used once, then discarded)	Either model with `persist=false`
Content is permanent (knowledge base, product data)	Either model with `persist=true`

Working with Files

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