How Asset Ingestion Works Under the Hood
A transparent look at what happens between clicking "Upload" and seeing your asset marked as ready.
From upload to ready in four steps
When you upload an asset, four distinct things happen in sequence: the file is transferred to secure storage, a document record is created in the database, a processing worker picks up the job, and the processed derivatives are linked back to your asset record.
What "processing" actually means
The processing step generates optimised WebP derivatives of your original at two sizes — a small thumbnail and a medium proxy. These are what you see in the library grid and on the detail view. Your original is always preserved at full quality in secure cloud storage.
Accession and lineage
On creation, every asset receives an accession ID — a UUID that serves as its permanent identifier. Unlike filenames, accession IDs are immutable. They are the stable reference for API integrations, portfolio embeds, and any downstream system that references your assets.