Merge branch 'main' into desktopInstallButton

## Summary
Regression from #6404 (Restructure/frontend editor). Two CI workflows
copy the built installers to the wrong directory, so installer artifacts
(MSI / DMG / DEB / RPM / AppImage) silently vanish:

- **`tauri-build.yml`** (PR/desktop smoke builds) - uploads zero
installer artifacts.
- **`multiOSReleases.yml`** (production releases) - the empty artifacts
are downloaded by `create-release` and fed to `action-gh-release`, so a
release would publish **only the JARs, no desktop installers**.

## Root cause
#6404 moved the Tauri project from `frontend/` to `frontend/editor/` and
updated every **absolute** path (`projectPath`, `cd`, `Get-ChildItem`)
to add the `editor/` segment - but left the **relative** copy targets
`../../../dist`. Those resolve against the (now one level deeper)
working dir after `cd ./frontend/editor/src-tauri/target`:

| | resolves to |
|---|---|
| before #6404 (`frontend/src-tauri/target`) | repo-root `dist/` ✅ |
| after #6404 (`frontend/editor/src-tauri/target`) | `frontend/dist/` ❌
(missing) |

The `cp` fails, repo-root `dist/` (from `mkdir -p ./dist`) stays empty,
and the upload finds nothing. `find -exec cp` failing is non-fatal, so
jobs still report success - that's why it went unnoticed. No release has
shipped broken yet: the last release (v2.11.0, 2026-05-19) predates
#6404 (2026-05-22).

## Fix
Copy to an absolute `$GITHUB_WORKSPACE/dist` in both workflows so the
`cd` can't drift the destination again. This matches where the upload /
signature-verify steps already read from.

## Evidence (run 26574078559, all 3 OS legs)
```
cp: cannot create regular file '../../../dist/Stirling-PDF-windows-x86_64.msi': No such file or directory
##[warning]No files were found with the provided path: ./dist/*. No artifacts will be uploaded.
```
The Tauri builds themselves succeeded - only the copy/upload was broken.

## Test plan
- [ ] `tauri-build` on this PR uploads non-empty `Stirling-PDF-<name>`
artifacts on Windows/macOS/Linux.
- [ ] Next release (or a `workflow_dispatch` of multiOSReleases)
attaches MSI/DMG/DEB/RPM/AppImage to the release.

.github/config/.files.yaml

@@ -38,6 +38,8 @@ project: &project
   - frontend/**
   - docker/**
   - scripts/RestartHelper.java
+  - scripts/db-migration/**
+  - .github/workflows/db-migration-test.yml
 
 frontend: &frontend
   - frontend/**

.github/scripts/check_language_toml.py

@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ Usage:
 """
 
 # Sample for Windows:
-# python .github/scripts/check_language_toml.py --reference-file frontend/public/locales/en-GB/translation.toml --branch "" --files frontend/public/locales/de-DE/translation.toml frontend/public/locales/fr-FR/translation.toml
+# python .github/scripts/check_language_toml.py --reference-file frontend/editor/public/locales/en-GB/translation.toml --branch "" --files frontend/editor/public/locales/de-DE/translation.toml frontend/editor/public/locales/fr-FR/translation.toml
 
 import argparse
 import glob
@@ -308,7 +308,7 @@ def check_for_differences(reference_file, file_list, branch, actor):
         report.append("## ❌ Overall Check Status: **_Failed_**")
         report.append("")
         report.append(
-            f"@{actor} please check your translation if it conforms to the standard. Follow the format of [en-GB/translation.toml](https://github.com/Stirling-Tools/Stirling-PDF/blob/main/frontend/public/locales/en-GB/translation.toml)"
+            f"@{actor} please check your translation if it conforms to the standard. Follow the format of [en-GB/translation.toml](https://github.com/Stirling-Tools/Stirling-PDF/blob/main/frontend/editor/public/locales/en-GB/translation.toml)"
         )
     else:
         report.append("## ✅ Overall Check Status: **_Success_**")

.github/workflows/PR-Auto-Deploy-V2.yml

@@ -287,6 +287,7 @@ jobs:
                 - /stirling/V2-PR-${{ needs.check-pr.outputs.pr_number }}/data:/usr/share/tessdata:rw
                 - /stirling/V2-PR-${{ needs.check-pr.outputs.pr_number }}/config:/configs:rw
                 - /stirling/V2-PR-${{ needs.check-pr.outputs.pr_number }}/logs:/logs:rw
+                - /stirling/V2-PR-${{ needs.check-pr.outputs.pr_number }}/storage:/storage:rw
               environment:
                 DISABLE_ADDITIONAL_FEATURES: "false"
                 SECURITY_ENABLELOGIN: "true"
@@ -309,7 +310,7 @@ jobs:
 
           ssh -i ../private.key -o StrictHostKeyChecking=no -o UserKnownHostsFile=/dev/null -T ${{ secrets.NEW_VPS_USERNAME }}@${{ secrets.NEW_VPS_HOST }} << ENDSSH
             # Create V2 PR-specific directories
-            mkdir -p /stirling/V2-PR-${{ needs.check-pr.outputs.pr_number }}/{data,config,logs}
+            mkdir -p /stirling/V2-PR-${{ needs.check-pr.outputs.pr_number }}/{data,config,logs,storage}
 
             # Move docker-compose file to correct location
             mv /tmp/docker-compose-v2.yml /stirling/V2-PR-${{ needs.check-pr.outputs.pr_number }}/docker-compose.yml

.github/workflows/build.yml

@@ -68,6 +68,18 @@ jobs:
     uses: ./.github/workflows/backend-build.yml
     secrets: inherit
 
+  db-migration-test:
+    # Boots the current bootJar against H2 fixtures captured from past
+    # releases (v2.0.0 / v2.5.0 / v2.10.0) and verifies admin login still
+    # works after Hibernate's ddl-auto=update migrates the schema. Gated on
+    # the `project` filter so doc-only PRs skip this ~5-minute job.
+    if: needs.files-changed.outputs.project == 'true'
+    needs: [files-changed]
+    permissions:
+      contents: read
+    uses: ./.github/workflows/db-migration-test.yml
+    secrets: inherit
+
   check-generateOpenApiDocs:
     if: needs.files-changed.outputs.openapi == 'true'
     needs: [files-changed]
@@ -184,6 +196,7 @@ jobs:
     needs:
       - files-changed
       - build
+      - db-migration-test
       - check-generateOpenApiDocs
       - frontend-validation
       - playwright-e2e
@@ -208,6 +221,7 @@ jobs:
           RESULTS: |
             files-changed=${{ needs.files-changed.result }}
             build=${{ needs.build.result }}
+            db-migration-test=${{ needs.db-migration-test.result }}
             check-generateOpenApiDocs=${{ needs.check-generateOpenApiDocs.result }}
             frontend-validation=${{ needs.frontend-validation.result }}
             playwright-e2e=${{ needs.playwright-e2e.result }}

.github/workflows/db-migration-test.yml

@@ -0,0 +1,93 @@
+name: DB migration smoke test
+
+# Boots the current Stirling-PDF JAR against H2 fixtures captured from past
+# releases (v2.0.0 / v2.5.0 / v2.10.0) and verifies admin login still works.
+# Catches schema changes that would break existing user databases under
+# Hibernate's `ddl-auto=update` upgrade path.
+
+on:
+  workflow_call:
+
+permissions:
+  contents: read
+
+jobs:
+  pick:
+    uses: ./.github/workflows/_runner-pick.yml
+
+  migration-test:
+    needs: pick
+    runs-on: ${{ needs.pick.outputs.is_fork == 'true' && 'ubuntu-latest' || 'depot-ubuntu-24.04-8' }}
+    timeout-minutes: 30
+    env:
+      DEPOT_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.DEPOT_TOKEN }}
+    steps:
+      - name: Harden Runner
+        uses: step-security/harden-runner@ab7a9404c0f3da075243ca237b5fac12c98deaa5 # v2.19.3
+        with:
+          egress-policy: audit
+
+      - name: Checkout repository
+        uses: actions/checkout@de0fac2e4500dabe0009e67214ff5f5447ce83dd # v6.0.2
+
+      - name: Set up JDK 25
+        uses: actions/setup-java@be666c2fcd27ec809703dec50e508c2fdc7f6654 # v5.2.0
+        with:
+          java-version: 25
+          distribution: temurin
+
+      - name: Cache Gradle dependency artifacts
+        uses: actions/cache@27d5ce7f107fe9357f9df03efb73ab90386fccae # v5.0.5
+        with:
+          path: |
+            ~/.gradle/wrapper
+            ~/.gradle/caches/modules-2/files-2.1
+            ~/.gradle/caches/modules-2/metadata-2.*
+          key: gradle-deps-${{ runner.os }}-jdk-25-${{ hashFiles('**/gradle/wrapper/gradle-wrapper.properties', '**/*.gradle', '**/*.gradle.kts', 'settings.gradle', 'settings.gradle.kts', 'gradle/libs.versions.toml') }}
+
+      - name: Setup Gradle
+        uses: gradle/actions/setup-gradle@50e97c2cd7a37755bbfafc9c5b7cafaece252f6e # v6.1.0
+        with:
+          gradle-version: 9.3.1
+          cache-disabled: true
+
+      # No `-PnoSpotless` here yet because the upstream cache layer matches the
+      # backend build's; reuse keeps cold-cache cost identical.
+      - name: Build Stirling-PDF JAR
+        env:
+          MAVEN_USER: ${{ secrets.MAVEN_USER }}
+          MAVEN_PASSWORD: ${{ secrets.MAVEN_PASSWORD }}
+          MAVEN_PUBLIC_URL: ${{ secrets.MAVEN_PUBLIC_URL }}
+        run: ./gradlew :stirling-pdf:bootJar -PnoSpotless --no-daemon
+
+      - name: Locate built JAR
+        id: jar
+        run: |
+          jar=$(find app/core/build/libs -maxdepth 1 -name 'Stirling-PDF*.jar' -o -name 'stirling-pdf*.jar' 2>/dev/null \
+              | grep -vE '(-plain|-sources)\.jar$' | head -n 1)
+          if [[ -z "$jar" ]]; then
+            echo "::error::No JAR under app/core/build/libs"
+            ls -lah app/core/build/libs || true
+            exit 1
+          fi
+          # Absolute path - the migration script pushd's into a temp workdir
+          # before invoking java, which would dangle a relative path.
+          jar=$(realpath "$jar")
+          echo "path=$jar" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+          echo "Built JAR: $jar"
+
+      - name: Run migration smoke test
+        env:
+          STIRLING_JAR: ${{ steps.jar.outputs.path }}
+        run: bash scripts/db-migration/run-migration-test.sh
+
+      - name: Upload app logs on failure
+        if: failure()
+        uses: actions/upload-artifact@043fb46d1a93c77aae656e7c1c64a875d1fc6a0a # v7.0.1
+        with:
+          name: db-migration-app-logs
+          # Path matches the preserved workdir in run-migration-test.sh -
+          # only failing fixtures leave a directory behind.
+          path: /tmp/stirling-migration-failed-*/app.log
+          retention-days: 7
+          if-no-files-found: warn

.github/workflows/multiOSReleases.yml

@@ -586,21 +586,23 @@ jobs:
         if: always() && steps.digicert-setup.conclusion != 'failure'
         shell: bash
         run: |
-          mkdir -p ./dist
+          # Absolute dist path so the cd below can't break the copy targets.
+          DIST="$GITHUB_WORKSPACE/dist"
+          mkdir -p "$DIST"
           cd ./frontend/editor/src-tauri/target
 
           # Find and rename artifacts based on platform
           if [ "${{ matrix.platform }}" = "windows-latest" ]; then
             # Only ship the MSI installer on Windows. The loose exe and WiX toolset exes
             # are not the user-facing installer - the MSI contains the signed inner exe.
-            find . -name "*.msi" -exec cp {} "../../../dist/Stirling-PDF-${{ matrix.name }}.msi" \;
+            find . -name "*.msi" -exec cp {} "$DIST/Stirling-PDF-${{ matrix.name }}.msi" \;
           elif [ "${{ matrix.platform }}" = "macos-15" ]; then
-            find . -name "*.dmg" -exec cp {} "../../../dist/Stirling-PDF-${{ matrix.name }}.dmg" \;
-            find . -name "*.app" -exec cp -r {} "../../../dist/Stirling-PDF-${{ matrix.name }}.app" \;
+            find . -name "*.dmg" -exec cp {} "$DIST/Stirling-PDF-${{ matrix.name }}.dmg" \;
+            find . -name "*.app" -exec cp -r {} "$DIST/Stirling-PDF-${{ matrix.name }}.app" \;
           else
-            find . -name "*.deb" -exec cp {} "../../../dist/Stirling-PDF-${{ matrix.name }}.deb" \;
-            find . -name "*.rpm" -exec cp {} "../../../dist/Stirling-PDF-${{ matrix.name }}.rpm" \;
-            find . -name "*.AppImage" -exec cp {} "../../../dist/Stirling-PDF-${{ matrix.name }}.AppImage" \;
+            find . -name "*.deb" -exec cp {} "$DIST/Stirling-PDF-${{ matrix.name }}.deb" \;
+            find . -name "*.rpm" -exec cp {} "$DIST/Stirling-PDF-${{ matrix.name }}.rpm" \;
+            find . -name "*.AppImage" -exec cp {} "$DIST/Stirling-PDF-${{ matrix.name }}.AppImage" \;
           fi
 
       - name: Upload build artifacts

.github/workflows/tauri-build.yml

@@ -157,6 +157,9 @@ jobs:
           JPDFIUM_PLATFORMS: ${{ matrix.jpdfium_platforms }}
         run: task desktop:prepare
 
+      - name: Run Tauri/Cargo tests
+        run: task desktop:test
+
       # DigiCert KeyLocker Setup (Cloud HSM)
       - name: Setup DigiCert KeyLocker
         id: digicert-setup
@@ -417,20 +420,22 @@ jobs:
       - name: Rename artifacts
         shell: bash
         run: |
-          mkdir -p ./dist
+          # Absolute dist path so the cd below can't break the copy targets.
+          DIST="$GITHUB_WORKSPACE/dist"
+          mkdir -p "$DIST"
           cd ./frontend/editor/src-tauri/target
 
           # Find and rename artifacts based on platform
           if [ "${{ matrix.platform }}" = "windows-latest" ]; then
             # Only ship the MSI installer. The loose exe and WiX toolset exes
             # are not the user-facing installer - the MSI contains the signed inner exe.
-            find . -name "*.msi" -exec cp {} "../../../dist/Stirling-PDF-${{ matrix.name }}.msi" \;
+            find . -name "*.msi" -exec cp {} "$DIST/Stirling-PDF-${{ matrix.name }}.msi" \;
           elif [ "${{ matrix.platform }}" = "macos-15" ]; then
-            find . -name "*.dmg" -exec cp {} "../../../dist/Stirling-PDF-${{ matrix.name }}.dmg" \;
+            find . -name "*.dmg" -exec cp {} "$DIST/Stirling-PDF-${{ matrix.name }}.dmg" \;
           else
-            find . -name "*.deb" -exec cp {} "../../../dist/Stirling-PDF-${{ matrix.name }}.deb" \;
-            find . -name "*.rpm" -exec cp {} "../../../dist/Stirling-PDF-${{ matrix.name }}.rpm" \;
-            find . -name "*.AppImage" -exec cp {} "../../../dist/Stirling-PDF-${{ matrix.name }}.AppImage" \;
+            find . -name "*.deb" -exec cp {} "$DIST/Stirling-PDF-${{ matrix.name }}.deb" \;
+            find . -name "*.rpm" -exec cp {} "$DIST/Stirling-PDF-${{ matrix.name }}.rpm" \;
+            find . -name "*.AppImage" -exec cp {} "$DIST/Stirling-PDF-${{ matrix.name }}.AppImage" \;
           fi
 
       # Verify the MSI AND the inner exe extracted from it are signed.

.gitignore

@@ -23,6 +23,10 @@ customFiles/
 configs/
 watchedFolders/
 clientWebUI/
+# Scratch dir used by local fixture-regeneration runs (see
+# app/proprietary/src/test/resources/db-migration-fixtures/README.md).
+# Holds downloaded JARs and disposable workdirs. Never committed.
+.alpha-local/
 !cucumber/
 !cucumber/exampleFiles/
 !cucumber/exampleFiles/example_html.zip
@@ -157,9 +161,7 @@ app/proprietary/build
 common/build
 proprietary/build
 stirling-pdf/build
-frontend/src-tauri/provisioner/target
-frontend/src-tauri/target
-frontend/src-tauri/runtime/
+frontend/editor/src-tauri/provisioner/target
 
 # Byte-compiled / optimized / DLL files
 __pycache__/
@@ -275,3 +277,6 @@ docs/type3/signatures/
 # Playwright MCP screenshots / traces
 .playwright-mcp/
 *.playwright-mcp.png
+
+# Local screenshot artifacts from *-screenshots.spec.ts
+frontend/screenshots/

.taskfiles/backend.yml

@@ -25,9 +25,9 @@ tasks:
     env:
       SERVER_PORT: '{{.PORT}}'
     cmds:
-      - cmd: '{{if .AIENGINE_URL}}AIENGINE_URL={{.AIENGINE_URL}} AIENGINE_ENABLED=true AIENGINE_TIMEOUTSECONDS=120 {{end}}cmd /c ".\gradlew.bat :stirling-pdf:bootRun"'
+      - cmd: '{{if .AIENGINE_URL}}AIENGINE_URL={{.AIENGINE_URL}} AIENGINE_ENABLED=true {{end}}cmd /c ".\gradlew.bat :stirling-pdf:bootRun"'
         platforms: [windows]
-      - cmd: '{{if .AIENGINE_URL}}AIENGINE_URL={{.AIENGINE_URL}} AIENGINE_ENABLED=true AIENGINE_TIMEOUTSECONDS=120 {{end}}./gradlew :stirling-pdf:bootRun'
+      - cmd: '{{if .AIENGINE_URL}}AIENGINE_URL={{.AIENGINE_URL}} AIENGINE_ENABLED=true {{end}}./gradlew :stirling-pdf:bootRun'
         platforms: [linux, darwin]
 
   dev:bundled:
@@ -40,10 +40,10 @@ tasks:
         platforms: [linux, darwin]
 
   dev:saas:
-    desc: "Start backend in SaaS flavor against Supabase (loads .env.saas.local)"
+    desc: "Start backend in SaaS flavor against Supabase"
     # `dotenv:` reads from the root Taskfile's directory (".") because this
-    # subtaskfile is included with `dir: .`. Drop the file at the repo root.
-    dotenv: ['.env.saas.local']
+    # subtaskfile is included with `dir: .`.
+    dotenv: ['app/.env.saas.local', 'app/.env.saas']
     ignore_error: true
     vars:
       PORT: '{{.PORT | default "8080"}}'

.taskfiles/desktop.yml

@@ -78,6 +78,13 @@ tasks:
     cmds:
       - npx tauri build --bundles appimage
 
+  test:
+    desc: "Run Tauri/Cargo tests"
+    deps: [prepare]
+    dir: editor/src-tauri
+    cmds:
+      - cargo test
+
   clean:
     desc: "Clean Tauri/Cargo build artifacts"
     dir: editor

.taskfiles/frontend.yml

@@ -257,7 +257,6 @@ tasks:
       - task: lint
       - task: format:check
       - task: test
-      - task: theme:check-unused-vars
 
   check:all:
     desc: "Full CI quality gate"
@@ -299,17 +298,3 @@ tasks:
     deps: [install]
     cmds:
       - node editor/scripts/generate-licenses.js
-
-  theme:clean-unused-vars:
-    desc: "Remove unused CSS variables from theme.css"
-    deps: [install]
-    vars:
-      REMOVE: '{{.REMOVE | default "false"}}'
-    cmds:
-      - node editor/scripts/clean-unused-theme-vars.js{{if eq .REMOVE "true"}} --remove{{end}} {{.CLI_ARGS}}
-
-  theme:check-unused-vars:
-    desc: "Fail if theme.css contains unused CSS variables"
-    deps: [install]
-    cmds:
-      - node editor/scripts/clean-unused-theme-vars.js --check

Taskfile.yml

@@ -58,6 +58,23 @@ tasks:
           BACKEND_URL: 'http://localhost:{{.BACKEND_PORT}}'
           OPEN: "true"
 
+  dev:saas:
+    desc: "Start SaaS backend + frontend concurrently on free ports"
+    vars:
+      PORTS:
+        sh: '{{if eq OS "windows"}}{{.FIND_FREE_PORT_PS}} 8080 5173{{else}}{{.FIND_FREE_PORT_SH}} 8080 5173{{end}}'
+      BACKEND_PORT: '{{index (splitList "\n" .PORTS) 0}}'
+      FRONTEND_PORT: '{{index (splitList "\n" .PORTS) 1}}'
+    deps:
+      - task: backend:dev:saas
+        vars:
+          PORT: '{{.BACKEND_PORT}}'
+      - task: frontend:dev:saas
+        vars:
+          PORT: '{{.FRONTEND_PORT}}'
+          BACKEND_URL: 'http://localhost:{{.BACKEND_PORT}}'
+          OPEN: "true"
+
   dev:all:
     desc: "Start backend + frontend + engine concurrently on free ports"
     vars:
@@ -74,7 +91,7 @@ tasks:
         vars:
           PORT: '{{.BACKEND_PORT}}'
           AIENGINE_URL: 'http://localhost:{{.ENGINE_PORT}}'
-      - task: frontend:dev
+      - task: frontend:dev:prototypes
         vars:
           PORT: '{{.FRONTEND_PORT}}'
           BACKEND_URL: 'http://localhost:{{.BACKEND_PORT}}'

app/.env.saas

@@ -1,20 +1,20 @@
 ###############################################################################
-# Stirling-PDF SaaS local environment template.
+# Stirling-PDF SaaS environment defaults.
 #
-# Copy this file to `.env.saas.local` (gitignored) and fill in real values.
-# Loaded by `task backend:dev:saas` via Taskfile's `dotenv:` directive, then
-# read by Spring Boot's `${...}` placeholders in application-saas.properties
-# and application-dev.properties.
+# This file is committed and provides non-secret defaults loaded by
+# `task backend:dev:saas`. Put real values for secrets (passwords, project
+# refs, edge function secrets) in `.env.saas.local` - any variable set there
+# takes precedence over what's defined here.
 #
-# DO NOT commit `.env.saas.local`. Only `.env.saas.example` is checked in.
+# DO NOT commit `.env.saas.local`. Only `.env.saas` is checked in.
 ###############################################################################
 
 # ---------- Supabase project ----------
 # Project reference (the subdomain part of <ref>.supabase.co). Required.
-# Example dev project:
+# Set in .env.saas.local.
 SAAS_DB_PROJECT_REF=
 
-# Edge function secret used by billing/license rollup calls.
+# Edge function secret used by billing/license rollup calls. Set in .env.saas.local.
 SUPABASE_EDGE_FUNCTION_SECRET=
 
 # ---------- Database (saas profile) ----------
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ SAAS_DB_PASSWORD=
 # ---------- Database (dev profile overrides) ----------
 # Used when `--spring.profiles.include=dev` is active. The dev profile
 # defaults the URL/username to the shared dev Supabase project, but the
-# password must still be provided here.
+# password must still be provided in .env.saas.local.
 SAAS_DEV_DB_URL=
 SAAS_DEV_DB_USERNAME=postgres
 SAAS_DEV_DB_PASSWORD=

app/.gitignore

@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+# Whitelist committed env defaults. `.env.saas.local` (and any other .env*)
+# stays ignored via the root .gitignore.
+!.env.saas

app/allowed-licenses.json

@@ -44,6 +44,10 @@
       "moduleName": ".*",
       "moduleLicense": "The MIT License"
     },
+    {
+      "moduleName": ".*",
+      "moduleLicense": "MIT-0"
+    },
     {
       "moduleName": "com.github.jai-imageio:jai-imageio-core",
       "moduleLicense": "LICENSE.txt"

app/common/build.gradle

@@ -78,6 +78,9 @@ dependencies {
         runtimeOnly "com.stirling:jpdfium-natives-${platform}:1.0.1"
     }
 
+    // Bucket4j (local in-process token bucket for RateLimitStore default impl)
+    implementation 'com.bucket4j:bucket4j_jdk17-core:8.19.0'
+
     // ArchUnit: enforces module dependency direction (see ArchitectureTest)
     testImplementation 'com.tngtech.archunit:archunit-junit5:1.4.2'
 }

app/common/src/main/java/stirling/software/common/cluster/ClusterBackplane.java

@@ -0,0 +1,24 @@
+package stirling.software.common.cluster;
+
+/** Health and identity facade for the active cluster backplane. */
+public interface ClusterBackplane {
+
+    /** Returns {@code true} when the backplane is reachable; used for health endpoints. */
+    boolean isHealthy();
+
+    /** Returns {@code "inprocess"} or {@code "valkey"}. */
+    String backplaneType();
+
+    /** Returns this JVM's stable node id (matches {@code Cluster.resolvedNodeId()}). */
+    String localNodeId();
+
+    /**
+     * Whether this JVM should run the local {@link
+     * stirling.software.common.service.TaskManager#cleanupOldJobs()} loop. Distributed backplanes
+     * own job expiry via their own TTL, so they should override this to return {@code false}.
+     * Defaults to {@code true} so in-process behavior is preserved without an explicit override.
+     */
+    default boolean shouldRunLocalCleanup() {
+        return true;
+    }
+}

app/common/src/main/java/stirling/software/common/cluster/ClusterConfig.java

@@ -0,0 +1,63 @@
+package stirling.software.common.cluster;
+
+import org.springframework.context.annotation.Configuration;
+
+import jakarta.annotation.PostConstruct;
+
+import lombok.RequiredArgsConstructor;
+import lombok.extern.slf4j.Slf4j;
+
+import stirling.software.common.model.ApplicationProperties;
+import stirling.software.common.model.ApplicationProperties.Cluster;
+
+/**
+ * Validates that cluster mode is internally consistent.
+ *
+ * <p>Cluster settings are bound on the central {@link ApplicationProperties} under {@code
+ * cluster.*}; this class reads {@link ApplicationProperties#getCluster()} and runs guards in {@link
+ * PostConstruct}. When {@code cluster.enabled=false} (the default) all checks are skipped so a
+ * single-instance install needs no new config.
+ */
+@Slf4j
+@Configuration
+@RequiredArgsConstructor
+public class ClusterConfig {
+
+    private final ApplicationProperties applicationProperties;
+
+    @PostConstruct
+    void validate() {
+        Cluster cluster = applicationProperties.getCluster();
+        if (!cluster.isEnabled()) {
+            return;
+        }
+        String backplane = cluster.getBackplane();
+        if ("valkey".equalsIgnoreCase(backplane)) {
+            String url = cluster.getValkey() == null ? null : cluster.getValkey().getUrl();
+            if (url == null || url.isBlank()) {
+                throw new IllegalStateException(
+                        "cluster.enabled=true with backplane=valkey requires"
+                                + " cluster.valkey.url to be set (e.g."
+                                + " redis://valkey:6379).");
+            }
+        } else if ("inprocess".equalsIgnoreCase(backplane)) {
+            // enabled+inprocess only coordinates the local JVM; cross-node lookups will 410.
+            log.warn(
+                    "cluster.enabled=true with backplane=inprocess - only the local"
+                            + " JVM is coordinated. Cross-node lookups and the file proxy will fail."
+                            + " Use backplane=valkey for real multi-node deployments.");
+        } else {
+            // Fail fast on typos like "valky" so Spring doesn't later report a cryptic
+            // "no ClusterBackplane bean" - the operator-facing error names the bad value.
+            throw new IllegalStateException(
+                    "cluster.enabled=true with unknown backplane '"
+                            + backplane
+                            + "'. Valid values: inprocess | valkey.");
+        }
+        log.info(
+                "Cluster mode enabled (backplane={}, nodeRole={}, nodeId={}).",
+                backplane,
+                cluster.resolvedRole(),
+                cluster.resolvedNodeId());
+    }
+}

app/common/src/main/java/stirling/software/common/cluster/ClusterNode.java

@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+package stirling.software.common.cluster;
+
+import java.time.Instant;
+
+/**
+ * Snapshot of a peer node as recorded in the {@link InstanceRegistry}.
+ *
+ * @param internalAddress {@code host:port} the node listens on for {@code /internal/cluster/**}
+ * @param role one of {@code WEB}, {@code WORKER}, {@code BOTH}
+ */
+public record ClusterNode(
+        String nodeId, String internalAddress, Instant lastHeartbeat, String role) {}

app/common/src/main/java/stirling/software/common/cluster/DistributedLock.java

@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+package stirling.software.common.cluster;
+
+import java.time.Duration;
+import java.util.Optional;
+
+/** Cluster-wide mutual exclusion primitive; non-reentrant by contract. */
+public interface DistributedLock {
+
+    Optional<LockHandle> tryAcquire(String lockKey, Duration leaseTime);
+
+    interface LockHandle extends AutoCloseable {
+        void release();
+
+        boolean renew(Duration leaseTime);
+
+        @Override
+        default void close() {
+            release();
+        }
+    }
+}

app/common/src/main/java/stirling/software/common/cluster/FileStore.java

@@ -0,0 +1,45 @@
+package stirling.software.common.cluster;
+
+import java.io.IOException;
+import java.io.InputStream;
+import java.nio.file.Files;
+import java.nio.file.Path;
+
+/** Low-level storage seam for result/job files. */
+public interface FileStore {
+
+    /** Stored file record. */
+    record Stored(String fileId, long size) {}
+
+    /** Store the given stream and return a generated file id and total bytes written. */
+    Stored store(InputStream in, String originalName) throws IOException;
+
+    /**
+     * Store the file at {@code source} and return a generated file id and total bytes written.
+     *
+     * <p>Default implementation opens {@code source} as a stream and delegates to {@link
+     * #store(InputStream, String)}. Local-disk implementations should override to use a direct
+     * file-to-file copy ({@code Files.copy(source, dest)} can use {@code sendfile(2)} on Linux),
+     * which avoids the two-memory-copy hit of streaming a disk-backed upload through the JVM heap.
+     */
+    default Stored store(Path source, String originalName) throws IOException {
+        try (InputStream in = Files.newInputStream(source)) {
+            return store(in, originalName);
+        }
+    }
+
+    /** Open the stored file for streaming reads. Caller closes. */
+    InputStream retrieve(String fileId) throws IOException;
+
+    /** Load the stored file into a byte array. */
+    byte[] retrieveBytes(String fileId) throws IOException;
+
+    /** Size of the stored file in bytes. */
+    long size(String fileId) throws IOException;
+
+    /** Delete the stored file. Returns true if a file was removed. */
+    boolean delete(String fileId);
+
+    /** Whether the file id exists in the store. */
+    boolean exists(String fileId);
+}

app/common/src/main/java/stirling/software/common/cluster/InstanceRegistry.java

@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+package stirling.software.common.cluster;
+
+import java.time.Duration;
+import java.util.Collection;
+import java.util.Optional;
+
+/** Maps {@code nodeId} to its internal cluster address, with TTL'd heartbeats. */
+public interface InstanceRegistry {
+
+    /** Register or refresh this node. Idempotent so a wiped backplane self-heals on next tick. */
+    void register(ClusterNode node, Duration heartbeatTtl);
+
+    Optional<ClusterNode> lookup(String nodeId);
+
+    Collection<ClusterNode> activeNodes();
+
+    void deregister(String nodeId);
+}

app/common/src/main/java/stirling/software/common/cluster/JobStore.java

@@ -0,0 +1,24 @@
+package stirling.software.common.cluster;
+
+import java.time.Duration;
+import java.util.Collection;
+import java.util.Optional;
+
+/** Cluster-visible storage for job status and result metadata, with TTL'd entries. */
+public interface JobStore {
+
+    /** Persist or overwrite a job entry. {@code ttl} sets the lifetime of the entry. */
+    void put(JobStoreEntry entry, Duration ttl);
+
+    Optional<JobStoreEntry> get(String jobId);
+
+    void delete(String jobId);
+
+    boolean exists(String jobId);
+
+    /** Reverse lookup: which job owns this result file id? */
+    Optional<String> findJobIdByFileId(String fileId);
+
+    /** Snapshot of every active entry. Used by admin/stats endpoints; may be O(n). */
+    Collection<JobStoreEntry> all();
+}

app/common/src/main/java/stirling/software/common/cluster/JobStoreEntry.java

@@ -0,0 +1,30 @@
+package stirling.software.common.cluster;
+
+import java.time.Instant;
+import java.util.List;
+import java.util.Map;
+
+/**
+ * Cluster-visible projection of a job's status and result metadata, as persisted in {@link
+ * JobStore}.
+ *
+ * @param owningNodeId the node id that originally executed the job
+ */
+public record JobStoreEntry(
+        String jobId,
+        JobState state,
+        String owningNodeId,
+        Instant createdAt,
+        Instant completedAt,
+        String error,
+        List<String> fileIds,
+        Map<String, String> resultMeta) {
+
+    /** Lifecycle states for a job as observed by the cluster. */
+    public enum JobState {
+        PENDING,
+        RUNNING,
+        COMPLETE,
+        FAILED
+    }
+}

app/common/src/main/java/stirling/software/common/cluster/KeyValueCache.java

@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+package stirling.software.common.cluster;
+
+import java.time.Duration;
+import java.util.Optional;
+
+/** Short-TTL namespaced key/value cache backed by the cluster backplane. */
+public interface KeyValueCache {
+
+    void put(String namespace, String key, String value, Duration ttl);
+
+    Optional<String> get(String namespace, String key);
+
+    void evict(String namespace, String key);
+
+    void evictNamespace(String namespace);
+}

app/common/src/main/java/stirling/software/common/cluster/RateLimitStore.java

@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+package stirling.software.common.cluster;
+
+import java.time.Duration;
+
+/** Token-bucket rate limiting backed by the cluster backplane. */
+public interface RateLimitStore {
+
+    /**
+     * Attempt to consume one token from the bucket identified by {@code bucketKey}.
+     *
+     * @param bucketKey opaque key identifying the bucket (e.g. {@code api:user:123})
+     * @param capacity bucket capacity
+     * @param refillPeriod time window over which {@code capacity} tokens refill
+     */
+    RateLimitDecision tryConsume(String bucketKey, long capacity, Duration refillPeriod);
+
+    record RateLimitDecision(boolean allowed, long remainingTokens, long nanosToWaitForRefill) {}
+}

app/common/src/main/java/stirling/software/common/cluster/StickyMissRecorder.java

@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+package stirling.software.common.cluster;
+
+/** Records one increment per sticky-session miss (a 410 Gone for a job owned by another node). */
+@FunctionalInterface
+public interface StickyMissRecorder {
+    void recordStickyMiss();
+}

app/common/src/main/java/stirling/software/common/cluster/inprocess/InProcessClusterBackplane.java

@@ -0,0 +1,31 @@
+package stirling.software.common.cluster.inprocess;
+
+import lombok.extern.slf4j.Slf4j;
+
+import stirling.software.common.cluster.ClusterBackplane;
+import stirling.software.common.model.ApplicationProperties;
+
+@Slf4j
+public class InProcessClusterBackplane implements ClusterBackplane {
+
+    private final ApplicationProperties applicationProperties;
+
+    public InProcessClusterBackplane(ApplicationProperties applicationProperties) {
+        this.applicationProperties = applicationProperties;
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public boolean isHealthy() {
+        return true;
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public String backplaneType() {
+        return "inprocess";
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public String localNodeId() {
+        return applicationProperties.getCluster().resolvedNodeId();
+    }
+}

app/common/src/main/java/stirling/software/common/cluster/inprocess/InProcessClusterConfiguration.java

@@ -0,0 +1,65 @@
+package stirling.software.common.cluster.inprocess;
+
+import org.springframework.boot.autoconfigure.condition.ConditionalOnExpression;
+import org.springframework.boot.autoconfigure.condition.ConditionalOnMissingBean;
+import org.springframework.context.annotation.Bean;
+import org.springframework.context.annotation.Configuration;
+
+import lombok.extern.slf4j.Slf4j;
+
+import stirling.software.common.cluster.ClusterBackplane;
+import stirling.software.common.cluster.DistributedLock;
+import stirling.software.common.cluster.InstanceRegistry;
+import stirling.software.common.cluster.JobStore;
+import stirling.software.common.cluster.KeyValueCache;
+import stirling.software.common.cluster.RateLimitStore;
+import stirling.software.common.model.ApplicationProperties;
+
+/**
+ * Default cluster backplane wiring: every interface gets an {@code InProcess*} bean. Active when
+ * cluster mode is off or {@code cluster.backplane=inprocess}.
+ */
+@Slf4j
+@Configuration
+@ConditionalOnExpression(
+        "!${cluster.enabled:false} ||"
+                + " '${cluster.backplane:inprocess}'.equalsIgnoreCase('inprocess')")
+public class InProcessClusterConfiguration {
+
+    @Bean
+    @ConditionalOnMissingBean
+    public ClusterBackplane clusterBackplane(ApplicationProperties applicationProperties) {
+        log.info("Cluster backplane: in-process (single node)");
+        return new InProcessClusterBackplane(applicationProperties);
+    }
+
+    @Bean
+    @ConditionalOnMissingBean
+    public JobStore jobStore() {
+        return new InProcessJobStore();
+    }
+
+    @Bean
+    @ConditionalOnMissingBean
+    public RateLimitStore rateLimitStore() {
+        return new InProcessRateLimitStore();
+    }
+
+    @Bean
+    @ConditionalOnMissingBean
+    public DistributedLock distributedLock() {
+        return new InProcessDistributedLock();
+    }
+
+    @Bean
+    @ConditionalOnMissingBean
+    public KeyValueCache keyValueCache() {
+        return new InProcessKeyValueCache();
+    }
+
+    @Bean
+    @ConditionalOnMissingBean
+    public InstanceRegistry instanceRegistry() {
+        return new InProcessInstanceRegistry();
+    }
+}

app/common/src/main/java/stirling/software/common/cluster/inprocess/InProcessDistributedLock.java

@@ -0,0 +1,128 @@
+package stirling.software.common.cluster.inprocess;
+
+import java.time.Duration;
+import java.util.Optional;
+import java.util.concurrent.ConcurrentHashMap;
+import java.util.concurrent.atomic.AtomicLong;
+
+import stirling.software.common.cluster.DistributedLock;
+
+/**
+ * In-process {@link DistributedLock}, non-reentrant per the interface contract, with lease-expiry
+ * semantics that mirror a SET-NX-EX style distributed backend.
+ *
+ * <p>Each lock state carries a per-acquire {@code ownerToken} and an {@code expiryNanos}; another
+ * caller can take over once the lease has elapsed even if the original holder never called {@link
+ * LockHandle#release()}. This matters mostly for parity with the Valkey-backed implementation
+ * (Redis {@code SETEX} auto-expires the key); within a single JVM a crashed holder takes its lock
+ * state with it, but tests and code that rely on the {@code leaseTime} parameter still need it to
+ * be honored.
+ *
+ * <p>Expiry is lazy: an expired lock state lingers in the map until the next acquire attempt for
+ * the same key replaces it. Per-key cleanup also happens on explicit {@link LockHandle#release()},
+ * so a balanced acquire/release workload keeps the map size bounded.
+ */
+public class InProcessDistributedLock implements DistributedLock {
+
+    private final ConcurrentHashMap<String, LockState> locks = new ConcurrentHashMap<>();
+    private final AtomicLong tokenSeq = new AtomicLong();
+
+    /**
+     * Lease state for a single acquired lock. {@code ownerToken} prevents a former holder from
+     * releasing or renewing a lock now owned by someone else after lease expiry; {@code
+     * expiryNanos} is read/written only inside {@link ConcurrentHashMap#compute} so the bin lock
+     * provides the necessary happens-before guarantee.
+     */
+    private static final class LockState {
+        final long ownerToken;
+        long expiryNanos;
+
+        LockState(long ownerToken, long expiryNanos) {
+            this.ownerToken = ownerToken;
+            this.expiryNanos = expiryNanos;
+        }
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public Optional<LockHandle> tryAcquire(String lockKey, Duration leaseTime) {
+        long token = tokenSeq.incrementAndGet();
+        long nowNanos = System.nanoTime();
+        long expiryNanos = nowNanos + leaseTime.toNanos();
+        boolean[] acquired = {false};
+        locks.compute(
+                lockKey,
+                (k, existing) -> {
+                    if (existing == null || existing.expiryNanos - nowNanos <= 0L) {
+                        // No lock, or the previous lease has expired - we take it. Subtraction
+                        // form avoids the long-overflow trap that would bite a naive
+                        // expiryNanos <= nowNanos comparison around System.nanoTime() rollover.
+                        acquired[0] = true;
+                        return new LockState(token, expiryNanos);
+                    }
+                    return existing;
+                });
+        if (!acquired[0]) {
+            return Optional.empty();
+        }
+        return Optional.of(new InProcessHandle(lockKey, token));
+    }
+
+    private void releaseInternal(String lockKey, long token) {
+        locks.compute(
+                lockKey,
+                (k, existing) -> {
+                    if (existing == null || existing.ownerToken != token) {
+                        // Already removed, expired-and-replaced, or never ours.
+                        return existing;
+                    }
+                    return null;
+                });
+    }
+
+    private boolean renewInternal(String lockKey, long token, Duration leaseTime) {
+        long nowNanos = System.nanoTime();
+        boolean[] renewed = {false};
+        locks.compute(
+                lockKey,
+                (k, existing) -> {
+                    if (existing == null
+                            || existing.ownerToken != token
+                            || existing.expiryNanos - nowNanos <= 0L) {
+                        // Lock is gone or expired; renewal is a no-op so the caller can detect it.
+                        return existing;
+                    }
+                    existing.expiryNanos = nowNanos + leaseTime.toNanos();
+                    renewed[0] = true;
+                    return existing;
+                });
+        return renewed[0];
+    }
+
+    private final class InProcessHandle implements LockHandle {
+        private final String lockKey;
+        private final long token;
+        private boolean released;
+
+        InProcessHandle(String lockKey, long token) {
+            this.lockKey = lockKey;
+            this.token = token;
+        }
+
+        @Override
+        public synchronized void release() {
+            if (released) {
+                return;
+            }
+            released = true;
+            releaseInternal(lockKey, token);
+        }
+
+        @Override
+        public synchronized boolean renew(Duration leaseTime) {
+            if (released) {
+                return false;
+            }
+            return renewInternal(lockKey, token, leaseTime);
+        }
+    }
+}

app/common/src/main/java/stirling/software/common/cluster/inprocess/InProcessInstanceRegistry.java

@@ -0,0 +1,42 @@
+package stirling.software.common.cluster.inprocess;
+
+import java.time.Duration;
+import java.util.Collection;
+import java.util.Collections;
+import java.util.Optional;
+import java.util.concurrent.atomic.AtomicReference;
+
+import stirling.software.common.cluster.ClusterNode;
+import stirling.software.common.cluster.InstanceRegistry;
+
+public class InProcessInstanceRegistry implements InstanceRegistry {
+
+    private final AtomicReference<ClusterNode> self = new AtomicReference<>();
+
+    @Override
+    public void register(ClusterNode node, Duration heartbeatTtl) {
+        self.set(node);
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public Optional<ClusterNode> lookup(String nodeId) {
+        ClusterNode current = self.get();
+        return current != null && current.nodeId().equals(nodeId)
+                ? Optional.of(current)
+                : Optional.empty();
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public Collection<ClusterNode> activeNodes() {
+        ClusterNode current = self.get();
+        return current == null ? Collections.emptyList() : Collections.singletonList(current);
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public void deregister(String nodeId) {
+        ClusterNode current = self.get();
+        if (current != null && current.nodeId().equals(nodeId)) {
+            self.set(null);
+        }
+    }
+}

app/common/src/main/java/stirling/software/common/cluster/inprocess/InProcessJobStore.java

@@ -0,0 +1,96 @@
+package stirling.software.common.cluster.inprocess;
+
+import java.time.Duration;
+import java.time.Instant;
+import java.util.ArrayList;
+import java.util.Collection;
+import java.util.List;
+import java.util.Map;
+import java.util.Optional;
+import java.util.concurrent.ConcurrentHashMap;
+
+import lombok.extern.slf4j.Slf4j;
+
+import stirling.software.common.cluster.JobStore;
+import stirling.software.common.cluster.JobStoreEntry;
+
+@Slf4j
+public class InProcessJobStore implements JobStore {
+
+    private final ConcurrentHashMap<String, Holder> entries = new ConcurrentHashMap<>();
+
+    @Override
+    public void put(JobStoreEntry entry, Duration ttl) {
+        Instant expiry = ttl == null ? Instant.MAX : Instant.now().plus(ttl);
+        entries.put(entry.jobId(), new Holder(entry, expiry));
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public Optional<JobStoreEntry> get(String jobId) {
+        Holder h = entries.get(jobId);
+        if (h == null) {
+            return Optional.empty();
+        }
+        if (h.isExpired()) {
+            entries.remove(jobId, h);
+            return Optional.empty();
+        }
+        return Optional.of(h.entry);
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public void delete(String jobId) {
+        entries.remove(jobId);
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public boolean exists(String jobId) {
+        return get(jobId).isPresent();
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public Optional<String> findJobIdByFileId(String fileId) {
+        for (Map.Entry<String, Holder> e : entries.entrySet()) {
+            Holder h = e.getValue();
+            if (h.isExpired()) {
+                continue;
+            }
+            List<String> fileIds = h.entry.fileIds();
+            if (fileIds != null && fileIds.contains(fileId)) {
+                return Optional.of(e.getKey());
+            }
+        }
+        return Optional.empty();
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public Collection<JobStoreEntry> all() {
+        List<JobStoreEntry> result = new ArrayList<>(entries.size());
+        for (Holder h : entries.values()) {
+            if (!h.isExpired()) {
+                result.add(h.entry);
+            }
+        }
+        return result;
+    }
+
+    /** Drop entries whose TTL has elapsed. Called by the {@code TaskManager} cleanup scheduler. */
+    public int purgeExpired() {
+        int removed = 0;
+        Instant now = Instant.now();
+        for (Map.Entry<String, Holder> e : entries.entrySet()) {
+            if (!e.getValue().expiry.equals(Instant.MAX) && e.getValue().expiry.isBefore(now)) {
+                if (entries.remove(e.getKey(), e.getValue())) {
+                    removed++;
+                }
+            }
+        }
+        return removed;
+    }
+
+    private record Holder(JobStoreEntry entry, Instant expiry) {
+        boolean isExpired() {
+            return !expiry.equals(Instant.MAX) && expiry.isBefore(Instant.now());
+        }
+    }
+}

app/common/src/main/java/stirling/software/common/cluster/inprocess/InProcessKeyValueCache.java

@@ -0,0 +1,55 @@
+package stirling.software.common.cluster.inprocess;
+
+import java.time.Duration;
+import java.time.Instant;
+import java.util.Map;
+import java.util.Optional;
+import java.util.concurrent.ConcurrentHashMap;
+
+import stirling.software.common.cluster.KeyValueCache;
+
+public class InProcessKeyValueCache implements KeyValueCache {
+
+    private final ConcurrentHashMap<String, ConcurrentHashMap<String, Expiring>> namespaces =
+            new ConcurrentHashMap<>();
+
+    @Override
+    public void put(String namespace, String key, String value, Duration ttl) {
+        Instant expiry = ttl == null ? Instant.MAX : Instant.now().plus(ttl);
+        namespaces
+                .computeIfAbsent(namespace, n -> new ConcurrentHashMap<>())
+                .put(key, new Expiring(value, expiry));
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public Optional<String> get(String namespace, String key) {
+        Map<String, Expiring> ns = namespaces.get(namespace);
+        if (ns == null) {
+            return Optional.empty();
+        }
+        Expiring e = ns.get(key);
+        if (e == null) {
+            return Optional.empty();
+        }
+        if (e.expiry.isBefore(Instant.now())) {
+            ns.remove(key, e);
+            return Optional.empty();
+        }
+        return Optional.of(e.value);
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public void evict(String namespace, String key) {
+        Map<String, Expiring> ns = namespaces.get(namespace);
+        if (ns != null) {
+            ns.remove(key);
+        }
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public void evictNamespace(String namespace) {
+        namespaces.remove(namespace);
+    }
+
+    private record Expiring(String value, Instant expiry) {}
+}

app/common/src/main/java/stirling/software/common/cluster/inprocess/InProcessRateLimitStore.java

@@ -0,0 +1,49 @@
+package stirling.software.common.cluster.inprocess;
+
+import java.time.Duration;
+import java.util.Collections;
+import java.util.LinkedHashMap;
+import java.util.Map;
+
+import io.github.bucket4j.Bandwidth;
+import io.github.bucket4j.Bucket;
+import io.github.bucket4j.ConsumptionProbe;
+import io.github.bucket4j.local.LocalBucketBuilder;
+
+import stirling.software.common.cluster.RateLimitStore;
+
+/** Bucket4j-backed token bucket implementation of {@link RateLimitStore}. */
+public class InProcessRateLimitStore implements RateLimitStore {
+
+    /** Cap to bound memory; oldest accessed buckets are evicted. */
+    private static final int MAX_BUCKETS = 10_000;
+
+    private final Map<String, Bucket> buckets =
+            Collections.synchronizedMap(
+                    new LinkedHashMap<String, Bucket>(256, 0.75f, true) {
+                        @Override
+                        protected boolean removeEldestEntry(Map.Entry<String, Bucket> eldest) {
+                            return size() > MAX_BUCKETS;
+                        }
+                    });
+
+    @Override
+    public RateLimitDecision tryConsume(String bucketKey, long capacity, Duration refillPeriod) {
+        String compositeKey = bucketKey + "|" + capacity + "|" + refillPeriod.toNanos();
+        Bucket bucket =
+                buckets.computeIfAbsent(compositeKey, k -> buildBucket(capacity, refillPeriod));
+        ConsumptionProbe probe = bucket.tryConsumeAndReturnRemaining(1);
+        return new RateLimitDecision(
+                probe.isConsumed(),
+                probe.getRemainingTokens(),
+                probe.isConsumed() ? 0L : probe.getNanosToWaitForRefill());
+    }
+
+    private static Bucket buildBucket(long capacity, Duration refillPeriod) {
+        Bandwidth limit =
+                Bandwidth.builder().capacity(capacity).refillGreedy(capacity, refillPeriod).build();
+        LocalBucketBuilder builder = Bucket.builder();
+        builder.addLimit(limit);
+        return builder.build();
+    }
+}

app/common/src/main/java/stirling/software/common/cluster/inprocess/LocalDiskFileStore.java

@@ -0,0 +1,128 @@
+package stirling.software.common.cluster.inprocess;
+
+import java.io.BufferedInputStream;
+import java.io.IOException;
+import java.io.InputStream;
+import java.nio.file.Files;
+import java.nio.file.Path;
+import java.util.UUID;
+
+import lombok.extern.slf4j.Slf4j;
+
+import stirling.software.common.cluster.FileStore;
+
+/** Local-disk {@link FileStore} storing files under a base directory keyed by a UUID file id. */
+@Slf4j
+public class LocalDiskFileStore implements FileStore {
+
+    private final String baseDirPath;
+
+    public LocalDiskFileStore(String baseDirPath) {
+        this.baseDirPath = baseDirPath;
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public Stored store(InputStream in, String originalName) throws IOException {
+        String fileId = UUID.randomUUID().toString();
+        Path filePath = resolve(fileId);
+        Files.createDirectories(filePath.getParent());
+        boolean success = false;
+        try {
+            long size = Files.copy(in, filePath);
+            success = true;
+            return new Stored(fileId, size);
+        } finally {
+            if (!success) {
+                try {
+                    Files.deleteIfExists(filePath);
+                } catch (IOException cleanupEx) {
+                    log.warn(
+                            "Failed to clean up partial file {} after store failure",
+                            filePath,
+                            cleanupEx);
+                }
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * File-to-file copy. {@link Files#copy(Path, Path, java.nio.file.CopyOption...)} can use {@code
+     * sendfile(2)} on Linux for a zero-copy kernel transfer when source and destination share a
+     * filesystem, avoiding the streaming overhead of pulling the bytes through the JVM heap. Reads
+     * the source size before copying so the post-copy stat is unnecessary.
+     */
+    @Override
+    public Stored store(Path source, String originalName) throws IOException {
+        String fileId = UUID.randomUUID().toString();
+        Path filePath = resolve(fileId);
+        Files.createDirectories(filePath.getParent());
+        long size = Files.size(source);
+        boolean success = false;
+        try {
+            Files.copy(source, filePath);
+            success = true;
+            return new Stored(fileId, size);
+        } finally {
+            if (!success) {
+                try {
+                    Files.deleteIfExists(filePath);
+                } catch (IOException cleanupEx) {
+                    log.warn(
+                            "Failed to clean up partial file {} after store failure",
+                            filePath,
+                            cleanupEx);
+                }
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public InputStream retrieve(String fileId) throws IOException {
+        return new BufferedInputStream(Files.newInputStream(resolve(fileId)));
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public byte[] retrieveBytes(String fileId) throws IOException {
+        Path filePath = resolve(fileId);
+        if (!Files.exists(filePath)) {
+            throw new IOException("File not found with ID: " + fileId);
+        }
+        return Files.readAllBytes(filePath);
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public long size(String fileId) throws IOException {
+        Path filePath = resolve(fileId);
+        if (!Files.exists(filePath)) {
+            throw new IOException("File not found with ID: " + fileId);
+        }
+        return Files.size(filePath);
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public boolean delete(String fileId) {
+        try {
+            return Files.deleteIfExists(resolve(fileId));
+        } catch (IOException e) {
+            log.error("Error deleting file with ID: {}", fileId, e);
+            return false;
+        }
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public boolean exists(String fileId) {
+        return Files.exists(resolve(fileId));
+    }
+
+    public Path resolve(String fileId) {
+        if (fileId.contains("..") || fileId.contains("/") || fileId.contains("\\")) {
+            throw new IllegalArgumentException("Invalid file ID");
+        }
+        Path basePath = Path.of(baseDirPath).normalize().toAbsolutePath();
+        Path resolvedPath = basePath.resolve(fileId).normalize();
+        if (!resolvedPath.startsWith(basePath)) {
+            throw new IllegalArgumentException("File ID resolves to an invalid path");
+        }
+        return resolvedPath;
+    }
+}

app/common/src/main/java/stirling/software/common/cluster/inprocess/LocalDiskFileStoreConfiguration.java

@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+package stirling.software.common.cluster.inprocess;
+
+import org.springframework.beans.factory.annotation.Value;
+import org.springframework.boot.autoconfigure.condition.ConditionalOnMissingBean;
+import org.springframework.boot.autoconfigure.condition.ConditionalOnProperty;
+import org.springframework.context.annotation.Bean;
+import org.springframework.context.annotation.Configuration;
+
+import stirling.software.common.cluster.FileStore;
+
+/**
+ * Always-on wiring for the per-node local-disk {@link FileStore}. Active when {@code
+ * cluster.artifactStore=local} (the default; {@code matchIfMissing=true}). The S3 artifact-store
+ * supplies its own bean when {@code cluster.artifactStore=s3}.
+ */
+@Configuration
+@ConditionalOnProperty(
+        prefix = "cluster",
+        name = "artifactStore",
+        havingValue = "local",
+        matchIfMissing = true)
+public class LocalDiskFileStoreConfiguration {
+
+    @Bean
+    @ConditionalOnMissingBean
+    public FileStore fileStore(@Value("${stirling.tempDir:/tmp/stirling-files}") String tempDir) {
+        return new LocalDiskFileStore(tempDir);
+    }
+}

app/common/src/main/java/stirling/software/common/model/ApplicationProperties.java

@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ import java.util.Arrays;
 import java.util.Collection;
 import java.util.List;
 import java.util.Locale;
+import java.util.UUID;
 
 import org.springframework.boot.context.properties.ConfigurationProperties;
 import org.springframework.context.annotation.Bean;
@@ -77,6 +78,7 @@ public class ApplicationProperties {
     private PdfEditor pdfEditor = new PdfEditor();
     private AiEngine aiEngine = new AiEngine();
     private InternalApi internalApi = new InternalApi();
+    private Cluster cluster = new Cluster();
 
     @Bean
     public PropertySource<?> dynamicYamlPropertySource(ConfigurableEnvironment environment)
@@ -254,6 +256,106 @@ public class ApplicationProperties {
         private int longRunningTimeoutSeconds = 600;
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Cluster backplane configuration. All keys live under the top-level {@code cluster.*} prefix
+     * (e.g. env var {@code CLUSTER_ENABLED}). The master switch is {@link #enabled} and defaults to
+     * off; when off the in-process backplane is wired and no other cluster keys are required.
+     */
+    @Data
+    public static class Cluster {
+
+        /** Master switch. When {@code false} (default) the in-process backplane is wired. */
+        private boolean enabled = false;
+
+        /** Backplane implementation selector. Valid values: {@code inprocess} | {@code valkey}. */
+        private String backplane = "inprocess";
+
+        /**
+         * Transient cluster job-artifact store selector. Valid values: {@code local} | {@code s3}.
+         *
+         * <p>This is distinct from {@code storage.provider}, which selects the backend for
+         * persistent user-uploaded files. The two switches exist because the user-facing storage
+         * feature is optional ({@code storage.enabled=false} is common) but every multi-node
+         * cluster still needs a shared artifact store to serve cross-node downloads. Both
+         * implementations share credentials from {@code storage.s3.*} when set to {@code s3}.
+         */
+        private String artifactStore = "local";
+
+        private Valkey valkey = new Valkey();
+        private Node node = new Node();
+
+        private transient String cachedNodeId;
+
+        public NodeRole resolvedRole() {
+            if (node == null || node.getRole() == null) {
+                return NodeRole.BOTH;
+            }
+            String value = node.getRole().trim().toUpperCase(Locale.ROOT);
+            try {
+                return NodeRole.valueOf(value);
+            } catch (IllegalArgumentException ex) {
+                return NodeRole.BOTH;
+            }
+        }
+
+        public synchronized String resolvedNodeId() {
+            if (node != null && node.getId() != null && !node.getId().isBlank()) {
+                return node.getId();
+            }
+            if (cachedNodeId == null) {
+                cachedNodeId = UUID.randomUUID().toString();
+            }
+            return cachedNodeId;
+        }
+
+        public enum NodeRole {
+            WEB,
+            WORKER,
+            BOTH
+        }
+
+        @Data
+        public static class Valkey {
+            /**
+             * {@code redis://host:6379} or {@code rediss://...} for TLS. Required when cluster mode
+             * is on and backplane is valkey.
+             */
+            private String url = "";
+
+            private Tls tls = new Tls();
+
+            @Data
+            public static class Tls {
+                /**
+                 * When {@code true}, skip Valkey/Redis TLS certificate verification (dev/test
+                 * only). Leave {@code false} in production.
+                 */
+                private boolean skipCertVerification = false;
+            }
+        }
+
+        @Data
+        public static class Node {
+            /** Optional explicit node id. Blank = auto-generated UUID at startup. */
+            private String id = "";
+
+            /** {@code web} | {@code worker} | {@code both}. */
+            private String role = "both";
+
+            /**
+             * Internal cluster address advertised in the instance registry (host:port). Blank =
+             * derived at startup.
+             */
+            private String internalAddress = "";
+
+            /** {@code http} | {@code https} - scheme used when peers call this node. */
+            private String scheme = "http";
+
+            /** Heartbeat publish interval for the instance registry, in milliseconds. */
+            private long heartbeatIntervalMs = 5000;
+        }
+    }
+
     /**
      * HTTP timeouts for loopback calls to internal Stirling API endpoints, used by the AI workflow
      * executor and the pipeline processor. A bounded read timeout prevents a hung tool (e.g. an
@@ -426,6 +528,16 @@ public class ApplicationProperties {
             private String provider;
             private Client client = new Client();
 
+            /**
+             * When true, the OAuth2/OIDC login flow logs the full set of ID token and UserInfo
+             * claims at INFO level (and again at ERROR level if the username attribute cannot be
+             * resolved). Used to diagnose provider misconfiguration (for example ADFS not returning
+             * an {@code email} claim). WARNING: writes PII (sub, email, name) to application logs.
+             * Leave disabled in production; enable only while actively troubleshooting and disable
+             * again afterwards.
+             */
+            private Boolean debugLogging = false;
+
             public void setScopes(String scopes) {
                 List<String> scopesList =
                         Arrays.stream(scopes.split(",")).map(String::trim).toList();
@@ -676,6 +788,7 @@ public class ApplicationProperties {
         private boolean enabled = false;
         private String provider = "local";
         private Local local = new Local();
+        private S3 s3 = new S3();
         private Quotas quotas = new Quotas();
         private Sharing sharing = new Sharing();
         private Signing signing = new Signing();
@@ -685,6 +798,57 @@ public class ApplicationProperties {
             private String basePath = InstallationPathConfig.getPath() + "storage";
         }
 
+        @Data
+        public static class S3 {
+            /**
+             * Optional custom endpoint (e.g. {@code https://<account>.r2.cloudflarestorage.com},
+             * {@code https://<project>.supabase.co/storage/v1/s3}, or {@code http://localhost:9000}
+             * for MinIO). Blank = use AWS regional default.
+             */
+            private String endpoint = "";
+
+            private String bucket = "";
+
+            private String region = "us-east-1";
+
+            private String accessKey = "";
+            private String secretKey = "";
+
+            /**
+             * When {@code true} use path-style URLs ({@code <endpoint>/<bucket>/<key>}) instead of
+             * virtual-hosted ({@code <bucket>.<endpoint>/<key>}). MinIO and most S3-compatible
+             * gateways require path-style; AWS S3 prefers virtual-hosted.
+             */
+            private boolean pathStyleAccess = false;
+
+            /**
+             * When {@code false} (default), {@code endpoint} hostnames that resolve to private,
+             * loopback, or link-local addresses are rejected at startup to block SSRF attacks via
+             * the cloud metadata service (e.g. {@code http://169.254.169.254/}). Set to {@code
+             * true} to opt in for MinIO / in-cluster S3 endpoints on private networks.
+             */
+            private boolean allowPrivateEndpoints = false;
+
+            /**
+             * Controls when the SDK adds an {@code x-amz-checksum-*} header on PUT/UploadPart.
+             * Default {@code WHEN_SUPPORTED} (the SDK default since 2.30) makes the SDK send a
+             * CRC32 checksum on every upload - this works on AWS S3, MinIO, current Supabase,
+             * Backblaze B2 (post-July-2025), and modern R2. Set to {@code WHEN_REQUIRED} to
+             * suppress the auto-checksum on vendors that reject unknown {@code x-amz-checksum-*}
+             * headers (older Backblaze B2, some R2 corner cases, GCS S3 endpoint). Invalid values
+             * fall back to {@code WHEN_SUPPORTED}.
+             */
+            private String requestChecksumCalculation = "WHEN_SUPPORTED";
+
+            /**
+             * Controls when the SDK validates returned {@code x-amz-checksum-*} headers on GET
+             * responses. Default {@code WHEN_SUPPORTED}. Set to {@code WHEN_REQUIRED} if your
+             * vendor never returns these headers and you see false-positive checksum-mismatch
+             * errors. Invalid values fall back to {@code WHEN_SUPPORTED}.
+             */
+            private String responseChecksumValidation = "WHEN_SUPPORTED";
+        }
+
         @Data
         public static class Sharing {
             private boolean enabled = false;

app/common/src/main/java/stirling/software/common/service/FileStorage.java

@@ -1,15 +1,13 @@
 package stirling.software.common.service;
 
-import java.io.BufferedInputStream;
-import java.io.BufferedOutputStream;
+import java.io.ByteArrayInputStream;
 import java.io.IOException;
 import java.io.InputStream;
-import java.io.OutputStream;
-import java.nio.file.Files;
-import java.nio.file.Path;
-import java.util.UUID;
+import java.io.PipedInputStream;
+import java.io.PipedOutputStream;
+import java.util.concurrent.Executors;
+import java.util.concurrent.atomic.AtomicReference;
 
-import org.springframework.beans.factory.annotation.Value;
 import org.springframework.core.io.Resource;
 import org.springframework.stereotype.Service;
 import org.springframework.web.multipart.MultipartFile;
@@ -18,9 +16,11 @@ import org.springframework.web.servlet.mvc.method.annotation.StreamingResponseBo
 import lombok.RequiredArgsConstructor;
 import lombok.extern.slf4j.Slf4j;
 
+import stirling.software.common.cluster.FileStore;
+
 /**
  * Service for storing and retrieving files with unique file IDs. Used by the AutoJobPostMapping
- * system to handle file references.
+ * system to handle file references. Disk I/O is delegated to the injected {@link FileStore} bean.
  */
 @Service
 @RequiredArgsConstructor
@@ -30,251 +30,150 @@ public class FileStorage {
     /** Holds the result of a stream-to-disk store operation: the file ID and the bytes written. */
     public record StoredFile(String fileId, long size) {}
 
-    @Value("${stirling.tempDir:/tmp/stirling-files}")
-    private String tempDirPath;
-
     private final FileOrUploadService fileOrUploadService;
+    private final FileStore fileStore;
 
-    /**
-     * Store a file and return its unique ID
-     *
-     * @param file The file to store
-     * @return The unique ID assigned to the file
-     * @throws IOException If there is an error storing the file
-     */
     public String storeFile(MultipartFile file) throws IOException {
-        String fileId = generateFileId();
-        Path filePath = getFilePath(fileId);
-
-        // Ensure the directory exists
-        Files.createDirectories(filePath.getParent());
-
-        // Transfer the file to the storage location
-        file.transferTo(filePath.toFile());
-
-        log.debug("Stored file with ID: {}", fileId);
-        return fileId;
-    }
-
-    /**
-     * Store a byte array as a file and return its unique ID
-     *
-     * @param bytes The byte array to store
-     * @param originalName The original name of the file (for extension)
-     * @return The unique ID assigned to the file
-     * @throws IOException If there is an error storing the file
-     */
-    public String storeBytes(byte[] bytes, String originalName) throws IOException {
-        String fileId = generateFileId();
-        Path filePath = getFilePath(fileId);
-
-        // Ensure the directory exists
-        Files.createDirectories(filePath.getParent());
-
-        // Write the bytes to the file
-        Files.write(filePath, bytes);
-
-        log.debug("Stored byte array with ID: {}", fileId);
-        return fileId;
-    }
-
-    /**
-     * Retrieve a file by its ID as a MultipartFile
-     *
-     * @param fileId The ID of the file to retrieve
-     * @return The file as a MultipartFile
-     * @throws IOException If the file doesn't exist or can't be read
-     */
-    public MultipartFile retrieveFile(String fileId) throws IOException {
-        Path filePath = getFilePath(fileId);
-
-        if (!Files.exists(filePath)) {
-            throw new IOException("File not found with ID: " + fileId);
+        // Fast path: when Spring buffered the multipart to disk (typical for large uploads), the
+        // backing Resource exposes a real File. Hand the Path to the FileStore so it can do a
+        // file-to-file copy (Linux sendfile, no copy through Java heap) rather than streaming
+        // the bytes through an 8K buffer. Falls back to the InputStream path for in-memory
+        // multiparts, exotic Resource impls, and anything that does not back onto a File.
+        Resource res;
+        try {
+            res = file.getResource();
+        } catch (RuntimeException ignored) {
+            res = null;
         }
+        if (res != null && res.isFile()) {
+            try {
+                FileStore.Stored stored =
+                        fileStore.store(res.getFile().toPath(), file.getOriginalFilename());
+                log.debug("Stored file with ID: {} (fast path)", stored.fileId());
+                return stored.fileId();
+            } catch (IOException ex) {
+                // Some Resource impls advertise isFile()=true but throw on getFile(); fall through.
+                log.debug("Resource fast path failed, falling back to stream copy", ex);
+            }
+        }
+        try (InputStream in = file.getInputStream()) {
+            FileStore.Stored stored = fileStore.store(in, file.getOriginalFilename());
+            log.debug("Stored file with ID: {}", stored.fileId());
+            return stored.fileId();
+        }
+    }
 
-        byte[] fileData = Files.readAllBytes(filePath);
+    public String storeBytes(byte[] bytes, String originalName) throws IOException {
+        FileStore.Stored stored = fileStore.store(new ByteArrayInputStream(bytes), originalName);
+        log.debug("Stored byte array with ID: {}", stored.fileId());
+        return stored.fileId();
+    }
+
+    public MultipartFile retrieveFile(String fileId) throws IOException {
+        byte[] fileData = fileStore.retrieveBytes(fileId);
         return fileOrUploadService.toMockMultipartFile(fileId, fileData);
     }
 
-    /**
-     * Retrieve a file by its ID as a byte array
-     *
-     * @param fileId The ID of the file to retrieve
-     * @return The file as a byte array
-     * @throws IOException If the file doesn't exist or can't be read
-     */
     public byte[] retrieveBytes(String fileId) throws IOException {
-        Path filePath = getFilePath(fileId);
-
-        if (!Files.exists(filePath)) {
-            throw new IOException("File not found with ID: " + fileId);
-        }
-
-        return Files.readAllBytes(filePath);
+        return fileStore.retrieveBytes(fileId);
     }
 
-    /**
-     * Retrieve a file by its ID as a streaming InputStream. The caller is responsible for closing
-     * the returned stream.
-     *
-     * @param fileId The ID of the file to retrieve
-     * @return A buffered InputStream for the file
-     * @throws IOException If the file doesn't exist or can't be read
-     */
     public InputStream retrieveInputStream(String fileId) throws IOException {
-        Path filePath = getFilePath(fileId);
-        // Let Files.newInputStream throw NoSuchFileException naturally — avoids TOCTOU race
-        // between exists-check and open when another thread may delete concurrently.
-        return new BufferedInputStream(Files.newInputStream(filePath));
+        return fileStore.retrieve(fileId);
     }
 
-    /**
-     * Store data from an InputStream as a file and return its unique ID and byte count. Streams
-     * directly to disk without buffering the entire content in heap.
-     *
-     * @param inputStream The input stream to read from
-     * @param originalName The original name of the file (unused, kept for API symmetry)
-     * @return A {@link StoredFile} containing the file ID and the number of bytes written
-     * @throws IOException If there is an error storing the file
-     */
     public StoredFile storeInputStream(InputStream inputStream, String originalName)
             throws IOException {
-        String fileId = generateFileId();
-        Path filePath = getFilePath(fileId);
-        Files.createDirectories(filePath.getParent());
-        long size = Files.copy(inputStream, filePath);
-        log.debug("Stored input stream with ID: {}", fileId);
-        return new StoredFile(fileId, size);
+        FileStore.Stored stored = fileStore.store(inputStream, originalName);
+        log.debug("Stored input stream with ID: {}", stored.fileId());
+        return new StoredFile(stored.fileId(), stored.size());
     }
 
     public String storeFromStreamingBody(StreamingResponseBody body, String originalName)
             throws IOException {
-        String fileId = generateFileId();
-        Path filePath = getFilePath(fileId);
-        Files.createDirectories(filePath.getParent());
-        boolean success = false;
-        try (OutputStream os = new BufferedOutputStream(Files.newOutputStream(filePath))) {
-            body.writeTo(os);
-            success = true;
-        } finally {
-            if (!success) {
+        // Hold Throwable not IOException: an unchecked failure (NPE, IllegalState, OOM, etc.)
+        // from the body writer would otherwise close the pipe with EOF and the consumer would
+        // return a truncated file with no error surfaced to the caller.
+        AtomicReference<Throwable> bodyError = new AtomicReference<>();
+        try (PipedOutputStream out = new PipedOutputStream();
+                PipedInputStream in = new PipedInputStream(out, 8192)) {
+            var executor = Executors.newSingleThreadExecutor(Thread.ofVirtual().factory());
+            java.util.concurrent.Future<?> task = null;
+            try {
+                task =
+                        executor.submit(
+                                () -> {
+                                    try {
+                                        body.writeTo(out);
+                                    } catch (Throwable ex) {
+                                        bodyError.set(ex);
+                                    } finally {
+                                        try {
+                                            out.close();
+                                        } catch (IOException ignored) {
+                                            // closed on the consumer side too
+                                        }
+                                    }
+                                });
+                FileStore.Stored stored = fileStore.store(in, originalName);
+                Throwable writerErr = bodyError.get();
+                if (writerErr != null) {
+                    // Body failed mid-write: the FileStore persisted a truncated entry.
+                    // Best-effort delete so we don't leak partial files; never let cleanup
+                    // mask the original writer error.
+                    try {
+                        fileStore.delete(stored.fileId());
+                    } catch (RuntimeException cleanupEx) {
+                        log.warn(
+                                "Failed to delete partial file {} after writer error: {}",
+                                stored.fileId(),
+                                cleanupEx.getMessage());
+                    }
+                    if (writerErr instanceof IOException ioe) {
+                        throw ioe;
+                    }
+                    throw new IOException(
+                            "StreamingResponseBody writer failed: " + writerErr.getMessage(),
+                            writerErr);
+                }
+                log.debug("Stored StreamingResponseBody with ID: {}", stored.fileId());
+                return stored.fileId();
+            } finally {
+                // Interrupt and join the writer task: shutdown() alone returns immediately and a
+                // failed store leaves the writer running, leaking a thread per failed upload.
+                if (task != null && !task.isDone()) {
+                    task.cancel(true);
+                }
+                executor.shutdown();
                 try {
-                    Files.deleteIfExists(filePath);
-                } catch (IOException cleanupEx) {
-                    log.warn(
-                            "Failed to clean up partial file {} after store failure",
-                            filePath,
-                            cleanupEx);
+                    if (!executor.awaitTermination(5, java.util.concurrent.TimeUnit.SECONDS)) {
+                        executor.shutdownNow();
+                    }
+                } catch (InterruptedException ie) {
+                    executor.shutdownNow();
+                    Thread.currentThread().interrupt();
                 }
             }
         }
-        log.debug("Stored StreamingResponseBody with ID: {}", fileId);
-        return fileId;
     }
 
-    /**
-     * Persist a {@link Resource} body to disk, returning the generated file ID. Used by the async
-     * job pipeline to capture {@code ResponseEntity<Resource>} results produced by controllers.
-     */
     public String storeFromResource(Resource resource, String originalName) throws IOException {
-        String fileId = generateFileId();
-        Path filePath = getFilePath(fileId);
-        Files.createDirectories(filePath.getParent());
-        boolean success = false;
         try (InputStream in = resource.getInputStream()) {
-            Files.copy(in, filePath);
-            success = true;
-        } finally {
-            if (!success) {
-                try {
-                    Files.deleteIfExists(filePath);
-                } catch (IOException cleanupEx) {
-                    log.warn(
-                            "Failed to clean up partial file {} after store failure",
-                            filePath,
-                            cleanupEx);
-                }
-            }
+            FileStore.Stored stored = fileStore.store(in, originalName);
+            log.debug("Stored Resource with ID: {}", stored.fileId());
+            return stored.fileId();
         }
-        log.debug("Stored Resource with ID: {}", fileId);
-        return fileId;
     }
 
-    /**
-     * Delete a file by its ID
-     *
-     * @param fileId The ID of the file to delete
-     * @return true if the file was deleted, false otherwise
-     */
     public boolean deleteFile(String fileId) {
-        try {
-            Path filePath = getFilePath(fileId);
-            return Files.deleteIfExists(filePath);
-        } catch (IOException e) {
-            log.error("Error deleting file with ID: {}", fileId, e);
-            return false;
-        }
+        return fileStore.delete(fileId);
     }
 
-    /**
-     * Check if a file exists by its ID
-     *
-     * @param fileId The ID of the file to check
-     * @return true if the file exists, false otherwise
-     */
     public boolean fileExists(String fileId) {
-        Path filePath = getFilePath(fileId);
-        return Files.exists(filePath);
+        return fileStore.exists(fileId);
     }
 
-    /**
-     * Get the size of a file by its ID without loading the content into memory
-     *
-     * @param fileId The ID of the file
-     * @return The size of the file in bytes
-     * @throws IOException If the file doesn't exist or can't be read
-     */
     public long getFileSize(String fileId) throws IOException {
-        Path filePath = getFilePath(fileId);
-
-        if (!Files.exists(filePath)) {
-            throw new IOException("File not found with ID: " + fileId);
-        }
-
-        return Files.size(filePath);
-    }
-
-    /**
-     * Get the path for a file ID
-     *
-     * @param fileId The ID of the file
-     * @return The path to the file
-     * @throws IllegalArgumentException if fileId contains path traversal characters or resolves
-     *     outside base directory
-     */
-    private Path getFilePath(String fileId) {
-        // Validate fileId to prevent path traversal
-        if (fileId.contains("..") || fileId.contains("/") || fileId.contains("\\")) {
-            throw new IllegalArgumentException("Invalid file ID");
-        }
-
-        Path basePath = Path.of(tempDirPath).normalize().toAbsolutePath();
-        Path resolvedPath = basePath.resolve(fileId).normalize();
-
-        // Ensure resolved path is within the base directory
-        if (!resolvedPath.startsWith(basePath)) {
-            throw new IllegalArgumentException("File ID resolves to an invalid path");
-        }
-
-        return resolvedPath;
-    }
-
-    /**
-     * Generate a unique file ID
-     *
-     * @return A unique file ID
-     */
-    private String generateFileId() {
-        return UUID.randomUUID().toString();
+        return fileStore.size(fileId);
     }
 }

app/common/src/main/java/stirling/software/common/service/TaskManager.java

@@ -3,9 +3,13 @@ package stirling.software.common.service;
 import java.io.BufferedInputStream;
 import java.io.IOException;
 import java.io.InputStream;
+import java.time.Duration;
+import java.time.Instant;
 import java.time.LocalDateTime;
+import java.time.ZoneId;
 import java.time.temporal.ChronoUnit;
 import java.util.ArrayList;
+import java.util.HashMap;
 import java.util.List;
 import java.util.Locale;
 import java.util.Map;
@@ -16,6 +20,7 @@ import java.util.concurrent.TimeUnit;
 import java.util.zip.ZipEntry;
 import java.util.zip.ZipInputStream;
 
+import org.springframework.beans.factory.annotation.Autowired;
 import org.springframework.beans.factory.annotation.Value;
 import org.springframework.http.MediaType;
 import org.springframework.stereotype.Service;
@@ -26,6 +31,10 @@ import jakarta.annotation.PreDestroy;
 
 import lombok.extern.slf4j.Slf4j;
 
+import stirling.software.common.cluster.ClusterBackplane;
+import stirling.software.common.cluster.JobStore;
+import stirling.software.common.cluster.JobStoreEntry;
+import stirling.software.common.cluster.JobStoreEntry.JobState;
 import stirling.software.common.model.job.JobResult;
 import stirling.software.common.model.job.JobStats;
 import stirling.software.common.model.job.ResultFile;
@@ -40,20 +49,20 @@ public class TaskManager {
     private int jobResultExpiryMinutes = 30;
 
     private final FileStorage fileStorage;
+    private final JobStore jobStore;
+    private final ClusterBackplane clusterBackplane;
     private final ScheduledExecutorService cleanupExecutor =
             Executors.newSingleThreadScheduledExecutor(
                     Thread.ofVirtual().name("task-cleanup-", 0).factory());
 
-    /** Initialize the task manager and start the cleanup scheduler */
-    public TaskManager(FileStorage fileStorage) {
+    @Autowired
+    public TaskManager(
+            FileStorage fileStorage, JobStore jobStore, ClusterBackplane clusterBackplane) {
         this.fileStorage = fileStorage;
+        this.jobStore = jobStore;
+        this.clusterBackplane = clusterBackplane;
 
-        // Schedule periodic cleanup of old job results
-        cleanupExecutor.scheduleAtFixedRate(
-                this::cleanupOldJobs,
-                10, // Initial delay
-                10, // Interval
-                TimeUnit.MINUTES);
+        cleanupExecutor.scheduleAtFixedRate(this::cleanupOldJobs, 10, 10, TimeUnit.MINUTES);
 
         log.debug(
                 "Task manager initialized with job result expiry of {} minutes",
@@ -66,7 +75,9 @@ public class TaskManager {
      * @param jobId The job ID
      */
     public void createTask(String jobId) {
-        jobResults.put(jobId, JobResult.createNew(jobId));
+        JobResult result = JobResult.createNew(jobId);
+        jobResults.put(jobId, result);
+        writeThrough(jobId, result);
         log.debug("Created task with job ID: {}", jobId);
     }
 
@@ -79,6 +90,7 @@ public class TaskManager {
     public void setResult(String jobId, Object result) {
         JobResult jobResult = getOrCreateJobResult(jobId);
         jobResult.completeWithResult(result);
+        writeThrough(jobId, jobResult);
         log.debug("Set result for job ID: {}", jobId);
     }
 
@@ -101,6 +113,7 @@ public class TaskManager {
                         extractZipToIndividualFiles(fileId, originalFileName);
                 if (!extractedFiles.isEmpty()) {
                     jobResult.completeWithFiles(extractedFiles);
+                    writeThrough(jobId, jobResult);
                     log.debug(
                             "Set multiple file results for job ID: {} with {} files extracted from"
                                     + " ZIP",
@@ -127,6 +140,7 @@ public class TaskManager {
                     "Failed to get file size for job {}: {}. Using size 0.", jobId, e.getMessage());
             jobResult.completeWithSingleFile(fileId, originalFileName, contentType, 0);
         }
+        writeThrough(jobId, jobResult);
     }
 
     /**
@@ -138,6 +152,7 @@ public class TaskManager {
     public void setMultipleFileResults(String jobId, List<ResultFile> resultFiles) {
         JobResult jobResult = getOrCreateJobResult(jobId);
         jobResult.completeWithFiles(resultFiles);
+        writeThrough(jobId, jobResult);
         log.debug(
                 "Set multiple file results for job ID: {} with {} files",
                 jobId,
@@ -153,6 +168,7 @@ public class TaskManager {
     public void setError(String jobId, String error) {
         JobResult jobResult = getOrCreateJobResult(jobId);
         jobResult.failWithError(error);
+        writeThrough(jobId, jobResult);
         log.debug("Set error for job ID: {}: {}", jobId, error);
     }
 
@@ -169,6 +185,7 @@ public class TaskManager {
             // If no result or error has been set, mark it as complete with an empty result
             jobResult.completeWithResult("Task completed successfully");
         }
+        writeThrough(jobId, jobResult);
         log.debug("Marked job ID: {} as complete", jobId);
     }
 
@@ -205,6 +222,7 @@ public class TaskManager {
         JobResult jobResult = jobResults.get(jobId);
         if (jobResult != null) {
             jobResult.addNote(note);
+            writeThrough(jobId, jobResult);
             log.debug("Added note to job ID: {}: {}", jobId, note);
             return true;
         }
@@ -295,8 +313,11 @@ public class TaskManager {
         return jobResults.computeIfAbsent(jobId, JobResult::createNew);
     }
 
-    /** Clean up old completed job results */
+    /** Clean up old completed job results. No-op in cluster mode; the backplane TTL owns expiry. */
     public void cleanupOldJobs() {
+        if (clusterBackplane != null && !clusterBackplane.shouldRunLocalCleanup()) {
+            return;
+        }
         LocalDateTime expiryThreshold =
                 LocalDateTime.now().minus(jobResultExpiryMinutes, ChronoUnit.MINUTES);
         int removedCount = 0;
@@ -315,6 +336,9 @@ public class TaskManager {
 
                     // Remove the job result
                     jobResults.remove(entry.getKey());
+                    if (jobStore != null) {
+                        jobStore.delete(entry.getKey());
+                    }
                     removedCount++;
                 }
             }
@@ -327,6 +351,53 @@ public class TaskManager {
         }
     }
 
+    /** Mirror the in-memory {@code JobResult} into the cluster-visible {@link JobStore}. */
+    private void writeThrough(String jobId, JobResult result) {
+        if (jobStore == null) {
+            return;
+        }
+        try {
+            jobStore.put(toEntry(jobId, result), Duration.ofMinutes(jobResultExpiryMinutes));
+        } catch (RuntimeException ex) {
+            log.warn("JobStore write-through failed for job {}: {}", jobId, ex.getMessage());
+        }
+    }
+
+    private JobStoreEntry toEntry(String jobId, JobResult result) {
+        JobState state;
+        if (result.isComplete()) {
+            state = result.getError() != null ? JobState.FAILED : JobState.COMPLETE;
+        } else {
+            state = JobState.PENDING;
+        }
+        Instant createdAt = toInstant(result.getCreatedAt());
+        Instant completedAt = toInstant(result.getCompletedAt());
+        List<String> fileIds = new ArrayList<>();
+        if (result.hasFiles()) {
+            for (ResultFile rf : result.getAllResultFiles()) {
+                fileIds.add(rf.getFileId());
+            }
+        }
+        Map<String, String> meta = new HashMap<>();
+        if (result.getNotes() != null && !result.getNotes().isEmpty()) {
+            meta.put("notesCount", Integer.toString(result.getNotes().size()));
+        }
+        String owningNodeId = clusterBackplane == null ? "local" : clusterBackplane.localNodeId();
+        return new JobStoreEntry(
+                jobId,
+                state,
+                owningNodeId,
+                createdAt,
+                completedAt,
+                result.getError(),
+                fileIds,
+                meta);
+    }
+
+    private Instant toInstant(LocalDateTime ldt) {
+        return ldt == null ? null : ldt.atZone(ZoneId.systemDefault()).toInstant();
+    }
+
     /** Shutdown the cleanup executor */
     @PreDestroy
     public void shutdown() {
@@ -370,7 +441,7 @@ public class TaskManager {
             while ((entry = zipIn.getNextEntry()) != null) {
                 if (!entry.isDirectory()) {
                     String contentType = determineContentType(entry.getName());
-                    // storeInputStream returns the fileId and byte count — no extra stat needed
+                    // storeInputStream returns the fileId and byte count - no extra stat needed
                     FileStorage.StoredFile stored =
                             fileStorage.storeInputStream(zipIn, entry.getName());
 
@@ -458,7 +529,8 @@ public class TaskManager {
     }
 
     /**
-     * Find the job key that owns a given file ID.
+     * Find the job key that owns a given file ID. Checks the local in-memory map first, then falls
+     * back to the cluster-visible {@link JobStore}.
      *
      * @param fileId file identifier to look up
      * @return scoped job key if found, otherwise null
@@ -474,6 +546,18 @@ public class TaskManager {
                 }
             }
         }
+        if (jobStore != null) {
+            // Propagate JobStore failures: returning null on a backplane outage would conflate
+            // "no such file" with "lookup unavailable" and the caller would respond 404 to a
+            // transient blip that should be retried. Let Spring's exception handler surface a
+            // 5xx so clients know to retry.
+            try {
+                return jobStore.findJobIdByFileId(fileId).orElse(null);
+            } catch (RuntimeException e) {
+                log.warn("JobStore findJobIdByFileId failed for {}: {}", fileId, e.getMessage());
+                throw e;
+            }
+        }
         return null;
     }
 }

app/common/src/main/java/stirling/software/common/util/RequestUriUtils.java

@@ -83,7 +83,16 @@ public class RequestUriUtils {
             return false;
         }
 
-        // Blocklist of backend/non-frontend paths that should still go through filters
+        // Blocklist of backend/non-frontend paths that should still go through filters.
+        //
+        // `/files` was historically a backend route; it is now a frontend route
+        // owned by HomePage / FileManagerView. Direct-nav or refresh on /files
+        // (or /files/<folder-uuid>) was returning the Spring auth filter's 401
+        // JSON instead of serving index.html, so the SPA never got a chance to
+        // mount and the user saw a raw error response. There are no `/files`
+        // backend mappings at the servlet root - the real storage endpoints
+        // live under `/api/v1/storage/files`, which is filtered out a few lines
+        // up by the `startsWith("/api/")` guard.
         String[] backendOnlyPrefixes = {
             "/register",
             "/pipeline",
@@ -91,7 +100,6 @@ public class RequestUriUtils {
             "/pdfjs-legacy",
             "/fonts",
             "/images",
-            "/files",
             "/css",
             "/js",
             "/swagger",
@@ -181,7 +189,7 @@ public class RequestUriUtils {
                 || trimmedUri.startsWith(
                         "/api/v1/mobile-scanner/") // Mobile scanner endpoints (no auth)
                 || trimmedUri.startsWith("/v1/api-docs")
-                // Workflow participant endpoints — access controlled by share tokens, not login
+                // Workflow participant endpoints - access controlled by share tokens, not login
                 || trimmedUri.startsWith("/api/v1/workflow/participant/")
                 // Share-link SPA bootstrap; data APIs remain protected
                 || trimmedUri.matches("^/share/[^/]+/?$");

app/common/src/test/java/stirling/software/common/architecture/ArchitectureTest.java

@@ -56,4 +56,17 @@ class ArchitectureTest {
                         .resideInAPackage("stirling.software.saas..");
         rule.check(commonClasses);
     }
+
+    @Test
+    void clusterInterfacesHaveNoImplementationDependencies() {
+        ArchRule rule =
+                noClasses()
+                        .that()
+                        .resideInAPackage("stirling.software.common.cluster..")
+                        .should()
+                        .dependOnClassesThat()
+                        .resideInAnyPackage(
+                                "stirling.software.proprietary..", "stirling.software.saas..");
+        rule.check(commonClasses);
+    }
 }

app/common/src/test/java/stirling/software/common/cluster/BackplaneContractCompilationTest.java

@@ -0,0 +1,51 @@
+package stirling.software.common.cluster;
+
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertEquals;
+
+import java.time.Instant;
+import java.util.List;
+import java.util.Map;
+
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
+
+class BackplaneContractCompilationTest {
+
+    @Test
+    void jobStoreEntryRecordRoundTrips() {
+        Instant now = Instant.now();
+        JobStoreEntry entry =
+                new JobStoreEntry(
+                        "job-1",
+                        JobStoreEntry.JobState.PENDING,
+                        "node-a",
+                        now,
+                        null,
+                        null,
+                        List.of("file-1"),
+                        Map.of("k", "v"));
+        assertEquals("job-1", entry.jobId());
+        assertEquals(JobStoreEntry.JobState.PENDING, entry.state());
+        assertEquals("node-a", entry.owningNodeId());
+        assertEquals(now, entry.createdAt());
+        assertEquals(List.of("file-1"), entry.fileIds());
+        assertEquals("v", entry.resultMeta().get("k"));
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void clusterNodeRecordRoundTrips() {
+        Instant heartbeat = Instant.now();
+        ClusterNode node = new ClusterNode("node-a", "10.0.0.1:8080", heartbeat, "BOTH");
+        assertEquals("node-a", node.nodeId());
+        assertEquals("10.0.0.1:8080", node.internalAddress());
+        assertEquals(heartbeat, node.lastHeartbeat());
+        assertEquals("BOTH", node.role());
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void rateLimitDecisionRecordRoundTrips() {
+        RateLimitStore.RateLimitDecision d = new RateLimitStore.RateLimitDecision(true, 7, 0L);
+        assertEquals(true, d.allowed());
+        assertEquals(7, d.remainingTokens());
+        assertEquals(0L, d.nanosToWaitForRefill());
+    }
+}

app/common/src/test/java/stirling/software/common/cluster/ClusterConfigValidationTest.java

@@ -0,0 +1,65 @@
+package stirling.software.common.cluster;
+
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertDoesNotThrow;
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertThrows;
+
+import java.lang.reflect.Method;
+
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
+
+import stirling.software.common.model.ApplicationProperties;
+import stirling.software.common.model.ApplicationProperties.Cluster;
+
+class ClusterConfigValidationTest {
+
+    @Test
+    void validationPassesWhenDisabled() {
+        ApplicationProperties props = new ApplicationProperties();
+        ClusterConfig config = new ClusterConfig(props);
+        assertDoesNotThrow(() -> invokeValidate(config));
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void validationFailsWhenValkeyEnabledWithoutUrl() {
+        ApplicationProperties props = new ApplicationProperties();
+        Cluster cluster = props.getCluster();
+        cluster.setEnabled(true);
+        cluster.setBackplane("valkey");
+        ClusterConfig config = new ClusterConfig(props);
+        assertThrows(IllegalStateException.class, () -> invokeValidate(config));
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void validationPassesWhenValkeyEnabledWithUrl() {
+        ApplicationProperties props = new ApplicationProperties();
+        Cluster cluster = props.getCluster();
+        cluster.setEnabled(true);
+        cluster.setBackplane("valkey");
+        cluster.getValkey().setUrl("redis://localhost:6379");
+        ClusterConfig config = new ClusterConfig(props);
+        assertDoesNotThrow(() -> invokeValidate(config));
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void validationPassesWhenInProcessEnabled() {
+        ApplicationProperties props = new ApplicationProperties();
+        Cluster cluster = props.getCluster();
+        cluster.setEnabled(true);
+        cluster.setBackplane("inprocess");
+        ClusterConfig config = new ClusterConfig(props);
+        assertDoesNotThrow(() -> invokeValidate(config));
+    }
+
+    private void invokeValidate(ClusterConfig config) throws Exception {
+        Method m = ClusterConfig.class.getDeclaredMethod("validate");
+        m.setAccessible(true);
+        try {
+            m.invoke(config);
+        } catch (java.lang.reflect.InvocationTargetException ex) {
+            if (ex.getCause() instanceof RuntimeException re) {
+                throw re;
+            }
+            throw ex;
+        }
+    }
+}

app/common/src/test/java/stirling/software/common/cluster/ClusterPropertiesTest.java

@@ -0,0 +1,62 @@
+package stirling.software.common.cluster;
+
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertEquals;
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertFalse;
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertNotNull;
+
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
+
+import stirling.software.common.model.ApplicationProperties;
+import stirling.software.common.model.ApplicationProperties.Cluster;
+
+class ClusterPropertiesTest {
+
+    @Test
+    void defaultsAreDisabledAndInprocess() {
+        Cluster props = new ApplicationProperties().getCluster();
+        assertFalse(props.isEnabled());
+        assertEquals("inprocess", props.getBackplane());
+        assertEquals("local", props.getArtifactStore());
+        assertEquals(Cluster.NodeRole.BOTH, props.resolvedRole());
+        assertEquals("", props.getValkey().getUrl());
+        assertFalse(props.getValkey().getTls().isSkipCertVerification());
+        assertEquals("both", props.getNode().getRole());
+        assertEquals("http", props.getNode().getScheme());
+        assertEquals(5000L, props.getNode().getHeartbeatIntervalMs());
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void resolvedRoleParsesCaseInsensitively() {
+        Cluster props = new ApplicationProperties().getCluster();
+        props.getNode().setRole("WEB");
+        assertEquals(Cluster.NodeRole.WEB, props.resolvedRole());
+
+        props.getNode().setRole("web");
+        assertEquals(Cluster.NodeRole.WEB, props.resolvedRole());
+
+        props.getNode().setRole("Worker");
+        assertEquals(Cluster.NodeRole.WORKER, props.resolvedRole());
+
+        props.getNode().setRole("garbage");
+        assertEquals(Cluster.NodeRole.BOTH, props.resolvedRole());
+
+        props.getNode().setRole(null);
+        assertEquals(Cluster.NodeRole.BOTH, props.resolvedRole());
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void resolvedNodeIdIsStableAcrossCalls() {
+        Cluster props = new ApplicationProperties().getCluster();
+        String first = props.resolvedNodeId();
+        String second = props.resolvedNodeId();
+        assertNotNull(first);
+        assertEquals(first, second);
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void resolvedNodeIdHonoursExplicitId() {
+        Cluster props = new ApplicationProperties().getCluster();
+        props.getNode().setId("abc");
+        assertEquals("abc", props.resolvedNodeId());
+    }
+}

app/common/src/test/java/stirling/software/common/cluster/InProcessConfigurationConditionalTest.java

@@ -0,0 +1,90 @@
+package stirling.software.common.cluster;
+
+import static org.assertj.core.api.Assertions.assertThat;
+
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
+import org.springframework.boot.autoconfigure.context.PropertyPlaceholderAutoConfiguration;
+import org.springframework.boot.test.context.runner.ApplicationContextRunner;
+import org.springframework.context.annotation.Bean;
+import org.springframework.context.annotation.Configuration;
+
+import stirling.software.common.cluster.inprocess.InProcessClusterConfiguration;
+import stirling.software.common.model.ApplicationProperties;
+
+/**
+ * Verifies the {@link InProcessClusterConfiguration} conditional wiring: in-process beans wire when
+ * cluster mode is off or {@code backplane=inprocess}, and are skipped when {@code
+ * backplane=valkey}.
+ */
+class InProcessConfigurationConditionalTest {
+
+    private final ApplicationContextRunner runner =
+            new ApplicationContextRunner()
+                    .withConfiguration(
+                            org.springframework.boot.autoconfigure.AutoConfigurations.of(
+                                    PropertyPlaceholderAutoConfiguration.class))
+                    .withUserConfiguration(
+                            TestAppPropertiesConfig.class,
+                            ClusterConfig.class,
+                            InProcessClusterConfiguration.class);
+
+    @Test
+    void inProcessBeansWireWhenClusterDisabled() {
+        runner.run(
+                context ->
+                        assertThat(context)
+                                .hasNotFailed()
+                                .hasSingleBean(ClusterBackplane.class)
+                                .hasSingleBean(JobStore.class)
+                                .hasSingleBean(RateLimitStore.class)
+                                .hasSingleBean(DistributedLock.class)
+                                .hasSingleBean(KeyValueCache.class)
+                                .hasSingleBean(InstanceRegistry.class));
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void inProcessBeansWireWhenEnabledWithInProcessBackplane() {
+        runner.withPropertyValues("cluster.enabled=true", "cluster.backplane=inprocess")
+                .run(
+                        context ->
+                                assertThat(context)
+                                        .hasNotFailed()
+                                        .hasSingleBean(ClusterBackplane.class)
+                                        .hasSingleBean(JobStore.class)
+                                        .hasSingleBean(RateLimitStore.class)
+                                        .hasSingleBean(DistributedLock.class)
+                                        .hasSingleBean(KeyValueCache.class)
+                                        .hasSingleBean(InstanceRegistry.class));
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void inProcessBeansSkippedWhenEnabledWithDistributedBackplane() {
+        runner.withPropertyValues(
+                        "cluster.enabled=true",
+                        "cluster.backplane=valkey",
+                        "cluster.valkey.url=redis://localhost:6379")
+                .run(
+                        context ->
+                                assertThat(context)
+                                        .hasNotFailed()
+                                        .doesNotHaveBean(ClusterBackplane.class)
+                                        .doesNotHaveBean(JobStore.class)
+                                        .doesNotHaveBean(RateLimitStore.class)
+                                        .doesNotHaveBean(DistributedLock.class)
+                                        .doesNotHaveBean(KeyValueCache.class)
+                                        .doesNotHaveBean(InstanceRegistry.class));
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Hand-rolled {@link ApplicationProperties} bean: the production class loads YAML at startup
+     * via a {@code @PostConstruct} hook that isn't appropriate for the slice runner, so we wire a
+     * defaults-only instance here.
+     */
+    @Configuration
+    static class TestAppPropertiesConfig {
+        @Bean
+        ApplicationProperties applicationProperties() {
+            return new ApplicationProperties();
+        }
+    }
+}

app/common/src/test/java/stirling/software/common/cluster/inprocess/InProcessDistributedLockTest.java

@@ -0,0 +1,167 @@
+package stirling.software.common.cluster.inprocess;
+
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertFalse;
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertTrue;
+
+import java.time.Duration;
+import java.util.Optional;
+import java.util.concurrent.CountDownLatch;
+import java.util.concurrent.TimeUnit;
+import java.util.concurrent.atomic.AtomicBoolean;
+
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
+
+import stirling.software.common.cluster.DistributedLock;
+
+class InProcessDistributedLockTest {
+
+    @Test
+    void acquireReleaseAcquire() {
+        DistributedLock lock = new InProcessDistributedLock();
+        DistributedLock.LockHandle h1 = lock.tryAcquire("k", Duration.ofSeconds(30)).orElseThrow();
+        h1.release();
+        assertTrue(lock.tryAcquire("k", Duration.ofSeconds(30)).isPresent());
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void reentryFromSameThreadFails() {
+        DistributedLock lock = new InProcessDistributedLock();
+        DistributedLock.LockHandle h1 = lock.tryAcquire("k", Duration.ofSeconds(30)).orElseThrow();
+        Optional<DistributedLock.LockHandle> reentry = lock.tryAcquire("k", Duration.ofSeconds(30));
+        assertFalse(reentry.isPresent(), "in-process lock must be non-reentrant");
+        h1.release();
+        // After release, anyone can acquire again.
+        assertTrue(lock.tryAcquire("k", Duration.ofSeconds(30)).isPresent());
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void secondAcquireFromAnotherThreadFails() throws InterruptedException {
+        DistributedLock lock = new InProcessDistributedLock();
+        DistributedLock.LockHandle h1 = lock.tryAcquire("k", Duration.ofSeconds(30)).orElseThrow();
+
+        CountDownLatch done = new CountDownLatch(1);
+        AtomicBoolean acquired = new AtomicBoolean(true);
+        Thread t =
+                new Thread(
+                        () -> {
+                            Optional<DistributedLock.LockHandle> attempt =
+                                    lock.tryAcquire("k", Duration.ofSeconds(30));
+                            acquired.set(attempt.isPresent());
+                            attempt.ifPresent(DistributedLock.LockHandle::release);
+                            done.countDown();
+                        });
+        t.start();
+        assertTrue(done.await(2, TimeUnit.SECONDS));
+        assertFalse(acquired.get());
+        h1.release();
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void leaseExpiryAllowsTakeoverEvenWithoutRelease() throws InterruptedException {
+        // Acquire with a short lease, never call release, then try to acquire again after the
+        // lease has elapsed. Matches Redis SET-NX-EX semantics - the second caller gets the lock
+        // because the first lease auto-expired. 250ms lease + 350ms wait gives CI generous slack.
+        DistributedLock lock = new InProcessDistributedLock();
+        DistributedLock.LockHandle h1 = lock.tryAcquire("k", Duration.ofMillis(250)).orElseThrow();
+        Thread.sleep(350);
+        Optional<DistributedLock.LockHandle> takeover =
+                lock.tryAcquire("k", Duration.ofSeconds(30));
+        assertTrue(
+                takeover.isPresent(),
+                "expired lease must release the lock so a new caller can take over");
+        // Calling release() on the original handle after takeover must be a no-op (token check).
+        h1.release();
+        // The takeover holder is still the legitimate owner.
+        assertFalse(lock.tryAcquire("k", Duration.ofSeconds(30)).isPresent());
+        takeover.get().release();
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void renewExtendsLease() throws InterruptedException {
+        // Acquire with a short lease, renew it before it expires, then verify the lock is still
+        // held past the original expiry point. 200ms initial + renew to 2s + wait 350ms.
+        DistributedLock lock = new InProcessDistributedLock();
+        DistributedLock.LockHandle h1 = lock.tryAcquire("k", Duration.ofMillis(200)).orElseThrow();
+        assertTrue(h1.renew(Duration.ofSeconds(2)), "renew on a held lease must succeed");
+        Thread.sleep(350);
+        assertFalse(
+                lock.tryAcquire("k", Duration.ofSeconds(30)).isPresent(),
+                "renew should have pushed expiry well past the original 200ms");
+        h1.release();
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void renewAfterReleaseFails() {
+        DistributedLock lock = new InProcessDistributedLock();
+        DistributedLock.LockHandle h1 = lock.tryAcquire("k", Duration.ofSeconds(30)).orElseThrow();
+        h1.release();
+        assertFalse(h1.renew(Duration.ofSeconds(30)), "renew on a released handle must fail");
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Concurrency stress: many threads contending on the same key with each holder respecting the
+     * lease (hold &lt;&lt; lease). The lock behaves as a strict mutex in this regime so asserting
+     * mutual exclusion is meaningful. A separate test ({@link
+     * #leaseExpiryAllowsTakeoverEvenWithoutRelease}) covers the takeover-across-expiry branch,
+     * which legitimately allows two holders momentarily and is split-brain behaviour inherent to
+     * any lease-based lock.
+     */
+    @Test
+    void concurrentContentionPreservesMutualExclusion() throws InterruptedException {
+        DistributedLock lock = new InProcessDistributedLock();
+        int threads = 16;
+        int attemptsPerThread = 200;
+        // Lease far exceeds any plausible hold time, so the takeover branch never triggers in
+        // this test and the lock acts as a strict mutex.
+        Duration lease = Duration.ofSeconds(5);
+        java.util.concurrent.atomic.AtomicInteger concurrentHolders =
+                new java.util.concurrent.atomic.AtomicInteger();
+        java.util.concurrent.atomic.AtomicInteger maxConcurrent =
+                new java.util.concurrent.atomic.AtomicInteger();
+        java.util.concurrent.atomic.AtomicInteger acquires =
+                new java.util.concurrent.atomic.AtomicInteger();
+        java.util.concurrent.atomic.AtomicReference<Throwable> firstFailure =
+                new java.util.concurrent.atomic.AtomicReference<>();
+        CountDownLatch start = new CountDownLatch(1);
+        CountDownLatch done = new CountDownLatch(threads);
+
+        for (int i = 0; i < threads; i++) {
+            new Thread(
+                            () -> {
+                                try {
+                                    start.await();
+                                    for (int j = 0; j < attemptsPerThread; j++) {
+                                        Optional<DistributedLock.LockHandle> h =
+                                                lock.tryAcquire("hot", lease);
+                                        if (h.isPresent()) {
+                                            int now = concurrentHolders.incrementAndGet();
+                                            maxConcurrent.accumulateAndGet(now, Math::max);
+                                            acquires.incrementAndGet();
+                                            // Trivial critical section; well within lease.
+                                            concurrentHolders.decrementAndGet();
+                                            h.get().release();
+                                        }
+                                    }
+                                } catch (Throwable t) {
+                                    firstFailure.compareAndSet(null, t);
+                                } finally {
+                                    done.countDown();
+                                }
+                            },
+                            "lock-stress-" + i)
+                    .start();
+        }
+        start.countDown();
+        assertTrue(done.await(30, TimeUnit.SECONDS), "stress workers must finish in time");
+        org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertNull(firstFailure.get(), "no worker may throw");
+        org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertEquals(
+                1,
+                maxConcurrent.get(),
+                "mutual exclusion violated: more than one holder observed simultaneously");
+        assertTrue(
+                acquires.get() > 0,
+                "at least some acquires must succeed under contention (saw "
+                        + acquires.get()
+                        + ")");
+    }
+}

app/common/src/test/java/stirling/software/common/cluster/inprocess/InProcessInstanceRegistryTest.java

@@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
+package stirling.software.common.cluster.inprocess;
+
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertEquals;
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertTrue;
+
+import java.time.Duration;
+import java.time.Instant;
+
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
+
+import stirling.software.common.cluster.ClusterNode;
+
+class InProcessInstanceRegistryTest {
+
+    @Test
+    void registerThenLookupAndActiveNodes() {
+        InProcessInstanceRegistry registry = new InProcessInstanceRegistry();
+        ClusterNode node = new ClusterNode("node-1", "127.0.0.1:8080", Instant.now(), "BOTH");
+        registry.register(node, Duration.ofSeconds(30));
+
+        assertTrue(registry.lookup("node-1").isPresent());
+        assertEquals("node-1", registry.lookup("node-1").get().nodeId());
+        assertEquals(1, registry.activeNodes().size());
+
+        registry.deregister("node-1");
+        assertTrue(registry.lookup("node-1").isEmpty());
+    }
+}

app/common/src/test/java/stirling/software/common/cluster/inprocess/InProcessJobStoreTest.java

@@ -0,0 +1,91 @@
+package stirling.software.common.cluster.inprocess;
+
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertEquals;
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertFalse;
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertTrue;
+
+import java.time.Duration;
+import java.time.Instant;
+import java.util.List;
+import java.util.Map;
+
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
+
+import stirling.software.common.cluster.JobStoreEntry;
+
+class InProcessJobStoreTest {
+
+    private final InProcessJobStore store = new InProcessJobStore();
+
+    @Test
+    void putGetDeleteExistsRoundTrip() {
+        JobStoreEntry entry = entry("job-1");
+        store.put(entry, Duration.ofMinutes(30));
+
+        assertTrue(store.exists("job-1"));
+        assertEquals(entry, store.get("job-1").orElseThrow());
+
+        store.delete("job-1");
+        assertFalse(store.exists("job-1"));
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void ttlExpiry() throws InterruptedException {
+        store.put(entry("job-2"), Duration.ofMillis(50));
+        Thread.sleep(100);
+        assertFalse(store.get("job-2").isPresent());
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void purgeExpiredRemovesOnlyStaleEntries() throws InterruptedException {
+        store.put(entry("job-fresh"), Duration.ofMinutes(30));
+        store.put(entry("job-stale"), Duration.ofMillis(20));
+        Thread.sleep(80);
+
+        int removed = store.purgeExpired();
+        assertEquals(1, removed);
+        assertTrue(store.exists("job-fresh"));
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void findJobIdByFileIdReturnsTheRightJob() {
+        store.put(
+                new JobStoreEntry(
+                        "job-a",
+                        JobStoreEntry.JobState.COMPLETE,
+                        "node-1",
+                        Instant.now(),
+                        Instant.now(),
+                        null,
+                        List.of("file-1", "file-2"),
+                        Map.of()),
+                Duration.ofMinutes(30));
+        store.put(
+                new JobStoreEntry(
+                        "job-b",
+                        JobStoreEntry.JobState.COMPLETE,
+                        "node-1",
+                        Instant.now(),
+                        Instant.now(),
+                        null,
+                        List.of("file-3"),
+                        Map.of()),
+                Duration.ofMinutes(30));
+
+        assertEquals("job-a", store.findJobIdByFileId("file-1").orElseThrow());
+        assertEquals("job-b", store.findJobIdByFileId("file-3").orElseThrow());
+        assertFalse(store.findJobIdByFileId("missing").isPresent());
+    }
+
+    private JobStoreEntry entry(String id) {
+        return new JobStoreEntry(
+                id,
+                JobStoreEntry.JobState.PENDING,
+                "node-1",
+                Instant.now(),
+                null,
+                null,
+                List.of(),
+                Map.of());
+    }
+}

app/common/src/test/java/stirling/software/common/cluster/inprocess/InProcessKeyValueCacheTest.java

@@ -0,0 +1,41 @@
+package stirling.software.common.cluster.inprocess;
+
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertEquals;
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertFalse;
+
+import java.time.Duration;
+
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
+
+import stirling.software.common.cluster.KeyValueCache;
+
+class InProcessKeyValueCacheTest {
+
+    @Test
+    void putGetEvict() {
+        KeyValueCache cache = new InProcessKeyValueCache();
+        cache.put("apikey", "a", "userA", Duration.ofMinutes(1));
+        assertEquals("userA", cache.get("apikey", "a").orElseThrow());
+
+        cache.evict("apikey", "a");
+        assertFalse(cache.get("apikey", "a").isPresent());
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void ttlExpiry() throws InterruptedException {
+        KeyValueCache cache = new InProcessKeyValueCache();
+        cache.put("ns", "k", "v", Duration.ofMillis(40));
+        Thread.sleep(80);
+        assertFalse(cache.get("ns", "k").isPresent());
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void evictNamespace() {
+        KeyValueCache cache = new InProcessKeyValueCache();
+        cache.put("ns", "a", "1", Duration.ofMinutes(1));
+        cache.put("ns", "b", "2", Duration.ofMinutes(1));
+        cache.evictNamespace("ns");
+        assertFalse(cache.get("ns", "a").isPresent());
+        assertFalse(cache.get("ns", "b").isPresent());
+    }
+}

app/common/src/test/java/stirling/software/common/cluster/inprocess/InProcessRateLimitStoreTest.java

@@ -0,0 +1,56 @@
+package stirling.software.common.cluster.inprocess;
+
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertEquals;
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertFalse;
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertTrue;
+
+import java.time.Duration;
+
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
+
+import stirling.software.common.cluster.RateLimitStore;
+import stirling.software.common.cluster.RateLimitStore.RateLimitDecision;
+
+class InProcessRateLimitStoreTest {
+
+    @Test
+    void firstNConsumesAllowed() {
+        RateLimitStore store = new InProcessRateLimitStore();
+        for (int i = 0; i < 5; i++) {
+            assertTrue(store.tryConsume("k", 5, Duration.ofSeconds(60)).allowed(), "i=" + i);
+        }
+        assertFalse(store.tryConsume("k", 5, Duration.ofSeconds(60)).allowed());
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void remainingTokensDecrements() {
+        RateLimitStore store = new InProcessRateLimitStore();
+        RateLimitDecision d1 = store.tryConsume("k", 5, Duration.ofSeconds(60));
+        RateLimitDecision d2 = store.tryConsume("k", 5, Duration.ofSeconds(60));
+        assertTrue(d1.allowed());
+        assertTrue(d2.allowed());
+        assertEquals(4, d1.remainingTokens());
+        assertEquals(3, d2.remainingTokens());
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void refillRestoresTokens() throws InterruptedException {
+        RateLimitStore store = new InProcessRateLimitStore();
+        // Capacity 2 with smooth refill over 100 ms -> ~1 token per 50 ms.
+        for (int i = 0; i < 2; i++) {
+            assertTrue(store.tryConsume("k", 2, Duration.ofMillis(100)).allowed());
+        }
+        assertFalse(store.tryConsume("k", 2, Duration.ofMillis(100)).allowed());
+        Thread.sleep(150);
+        assertTrue(store.tryConsume("k", 2, Duration.ofMillis(100)).allowed());
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void deniedConsumeReportsWaitNanos() {
+        RateLimitStore store = new InProcessRateLimitStore();
+        assertTrue(store.tryConsume("wait", 1, Duration.ofSeconds(10)).allowed());
+        RateLimitDecision denied = store.tryConsume("wait", 1, Duration.ofSeconds(10));
+        assertFalse(denied.allowed());
+        assertTrue(denied.nanosToWaitForRefill() > 0L);
+    }
+}

app/common/src/test/java/stirling/software/common/cluster/inprocess/LocalDiskFileStoreTest.java

@@ -0,0 +1,42 @@
+package stirling.software.common.cluster.inprocess;
+
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertArrayEquals;
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertEquals;
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertFalse;
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertThrows;
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertTrue;
+
+import java.io.ByteArrayInputStream;
+import java.io.IOException;
+import java.nio.file.Path;
+
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.io.TempDir;
+
+import stirling.software.common.cluster.FileStore;
+
+class LocalDiskFileStoreTest {
+
+    @Test
+    void storeRetrieveSizeDeleteExistsRoundTrip(@TempDir Path dir) throws IOException {
+        LocalDiskFileStore store = new LocalDiskFileStore(dir.toString());
+        byte[] payload = "hello-bytes".getBytes();
+
+        FileStore.Stored stored = store.store(new ByteArrayInputStream(payload), "x.txt");
+        assertEquals(payload.length, stored.size());
+        assertTrue(store.exists(stored.fileId()));
+        assertEquals(payload.length, store.size(stored.fileId()));
+        assertArrayEquals(payload, store.retrieveBytes(stored.fileId()));
+
+        assertTrue(store.delete(stored.fileId()));
+        assertFalse(store.exists(stored.fileId()));
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void traversalIdsAreRejected(@TempDir Path dir) {
+        LocalDiskFileStore store = new LocalDiskFileStore(dir.toString());
+        assertThrows(IllegalArgumentException.class, () -> store.resolve("../foo"));
+        assertThrows(IllegalArgumentException.class, () -> store.resolve("a/b"));
+        assertThrows(IllegalArgumentException.class, () -> store.resolve("a\\b"));
+    }
+}

app/common/src/test/java/stirling/software/common/service/FileStorageDelegationTest.java

@@ -0,0 +1,27 @@
+package stirling.software.common.service;
+
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertArrayEquals;
+import static org.mockito.Mockito.mock;
+
+import java.io.IOException;
+import java.nio.file.Path;
+
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.io.TempDir;
+
+import stirling.software.common.cluster.inprocess.LocalDiskFileStore;
+
+class FileStorageDelegationTest {
+
+    @Test
+    void storeBytesThenRetrieveBytesRoundTripsThroughFileStore(@TempDir Path tempDir)
+            throws IOException {
+        FileStorage fs =
+                new FileStorage(
+                        mock(FileOrUploadService.class),
+                        new LocalDiskFileStore(tempDir.toString()));
+        byte[] payload = "round-trip".getBytes();
+        String id = fs.storeBytes(payload, "x.bin");
+        assertArrayEquals(payload, fs.retrieveBytes(id));
+    }
+}

app/common/src/test/java/stirling/software/common/service/FileStorageTest.java

@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ package stirling.software.common.service;
 import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.*;
 import static org.mockito.Mockito.*;
 
+import java.io.ByteArrayInputStream;
 import java.io.IOException;
 import java.io.InputStream;
 import java.nio.charset.StandardCharsets;
@@ -13,29 +14,30 @@ import java.util.stream.Stream;
 import org.junit.jupiter.api.BeforeEach;
 import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
 import org.junit.jupiter.api.io.TempDir;
-import org.mockito.InjectMocks;
 import org.mockito.Mock;
 import org.mockito.MockitoAnnotations;
 import org.springframework.core.io.ByteArrayResource;
 import org.springframework.core.io.Resource;
 import org.springframework.http.MediaType;
-import org.springframework.test.util.ReflectionTestUtils;
 import org.springframework.web.multipart.MultipartFile;
 
+import stirling.software.common.cluster.inprocess.LocalDiskFileStore;
+
 class FileStorageTest {
 
     @TempDir Path tempDir;
 
     @Mock private FileOrUploadService fileOrUploadService;
 
-    @InjectMocks private FileStorage fileStorage;
+    private FileStorage fileStorage;
 
     private MultipartFile mockFile;
 
     @BeforeEach
-    void setUp() {
+    void setUp() throws IOException {
         MockitoAnnotations.openMocks(this);
-        ReflectionTestUtils.setField(fileStorage, "tempDirPath", tempDir.toString());
+        fileStorage =
+                new FileStorage(fileOrUploadService, new LocalDiskFileStore(tempDir.toString()));
 
         // Create a mock MultipartFile
         mockFile = mock(MultipartFile.class);
@@ -47,17 +49,7 @@ class FileStorageTest {
     void testStoreFile() throws IOException {
         // Arrange
         byte[] fileContent = "Test PDF content".getBytes();
-        when(mockFile.getBytes()).thenReturn(fileContent);
-
-        // Set up mock to handle transferTo by writing the file
-        doAnswer(
-                        invocation -> {
-                            java.io.File file = invocation.getArgument(0);
-                            Files.write(file.toPath(), fileContent);
-                            return null;
-                        })
-                .when(mockFile)
-                .transferTo(any(java.io.File.class));
+        when(mockFile.getInputStream()).thenReturn(new ByteArrayInputStream(fileContent));
 
         // Act
         String fileId = fileStorage.storeFile(mockFile);
@@ -65,7 +57,7 @@ class FileStorageTest {
         // Assert
         assertNotNull(fileId);
         assertTrue(Files.exists(tempDir.resolve(fileId)));
-        verify(mockFile).transferTo(any(java.io.File.class));
+        assertArrayEquals(fileContent, Files.readAllBytes(tempDir.resolve(fileId)));
     }
 
     @Test
@@ -247,11 +239,11 @@ class FileStorageTest {
             filesBefore = s.count();
         }
 
-        // Act + Assert: IOException must propagate out — not be swallowed.
+        // Act + Assert: IOException must propagate out - not be swallowed.
         assertThrows(
                 IOException.class, () -> fileStorage.storeFromResource(flakyResource, "n.pdf"));
 
-        // Assert: no partial file lingers under the storage directory — the finally
+        // Assert: no partial file lingers under the storage directory - the finally
         // branch's deleteIfExists must have cleaned it up.
         long filesAfter;
         try (Stream<Path> s = Files.list(tempDir)) {

app/common/src/test/java/stirling/software/common/service/TaskManagerJobStoreDelegationTest.java

@@ -0,0 +1,120 @@
+package stirling.software.common.service;
+
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertEquals;
+import static org.mockito.ArgumentMatchers.any;
+import static org.mockito.Mockito.never;
+import static org.mockito.Mockito.spy;
+import static org.mockito.Mockito.verify;
+
+import java.time.LocalDateTime;
+
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.BeforeEach;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
+import org.mockito.Mock;
+import org.mockito.MockitoAnnotations;
+import org.springframework.test.util.ReflectionTestUtils;
+
+import stirling.software.common.cluster.ClusterBackplane;
+import stirling.software.common.cluster.JobStoreEntry;
+import stirling.software.common.cluster.JobStoreEntry.JobState;
+import stirling.software.common.cluster.inprocess.InProcessClusterBackplane;
+import stirling.software.common.cluster.inprocess.InProcessJobStore;
+import stirling.software.common.model.ApplicationProperties;
+import stirling.software.common.model.job.JobResult;
+
+class TaskManagerJobStoreDelegationTest {
+
+    @Mock private FileStorage fileStorage;
+
+    private InProcessJobStore jobStore;
+    private ClusterBackplane backplane;
+    private TaskManager taskManager;
+
+    @BeforeEach
+    void setUp() {
+        MockitoAnnotations.openMocks(this);
+        jobStore = spy(new InProcessJobStore());
+        backplane = new InProcessClusterBackplane(new ApplicationProperties());
+        taskManager = new TaskManager(fileStorage, jobStore, backplane);
+        ReflectionTestUtils.setField(taskManager, "jobResultExpiryMinutes", 30);
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void createTaskWritesPendingEntry() {
+        taskManager.createTask("job-1");
+        JobStoreEntry entry = jobStore.get("job-1").orElseThrow();
+        assertEquals(JobState.PENDING, entry.state());
+        assertEquals(backplane.localNodeId(), entry.owningNodeId());
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void setCompleteFlipsToComplete() {
+        taskManager.createTask("job-2");
+        taskManager.setResult("job-2", "ok");
+        taskManager.setComplete("job-2");
+        JobStoreEntry entry = jobStore.get("job-2").orElseThrow();
+        assertEquals(JobState.COMPLETE, entry.state());
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void setErrorFlipsToFailed() {
+        taskManager.createTask("job-3");
+        taskManager.setError("job-3", "boom");
+        JobStoreEntry entry = jobStore.get("job-3").orElseThrow();
+        assertEquals(JobState.FAILED, entry.state());
+        assertEquals("boom", entry.error());
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void cleanupOldJobsIsNoopWhenBackplaneIsNotInProcess() {
+        ClusterBackplane mockedValkeyBackplane =
+                new ClusterBackplane() {
+                    @Override
+                    public boolean isHealthy() {
+                        return true;
+                    }
+
+                    @Override
+                    public String backplaneType() {
+                        return "valkey";
+                    }
+
+                    @Override
+                    public String localNodeId() {
+                        return "node-1";
+                    }
+
+                    @Override
+                    public boolean shouldRunLocalCleanup() {
+                        return false;
+                    }
+                };
+        TaskManager tm = new TaskManager(fileStorage, jobStore, mockedValkeyBackplane);
+        ReflectionTestUtils.setField(tm, "jobResultExpiryMinutes", 30);
+        tm.createTask("job-4");
+        tm.setComplete("job-4");
+        ageJobPastExpiry(tm, "job-4");
+        tm.cleanupOldJobs();
+        // cleanup must short-circuit before touching jobStore in cluster mode; the backplane
+        // TTL owns expiry there. If the gate fired correctly, delete is never called.
+        verify(jobStore, never()).delete(any());
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void cleanupOldJobsDeletesFromJobStoreWhenBackplaneIsInProcess() {
+        taskManager.createTask("job-5");
+        taskManager.setComplete("job-5");
+        ageJobPastExpiry(taskManager, "job-5");
+        taskManager.cleanupOldJobs();
+        verify(jobStore).delete("job-5");
+    }
+
+    @SuppressWarnings("unchecked")
+    private static void ageJobPastExpiry(TaskManager tm, String jobId) {
+        var jobResults =
+                (java.util.Map<String, JobResult>) ReflectionTestUtils.getField(tm, "jobResults");
+        JobResult result = jobResults.get(jobId);
+        ReflectionTestUtils.setField(result, "completedAt", LocalDateTime.now().minusHours(2));
+        ReflectionTestUtils.setField(result, "complete", true);
+    }
+}

app/common/src/test/java/stirling/software/common/service/TaskManagerTest.java

@@ -1,20 +1,28 @@
 package stirling.software.common.service;
 
 import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.*;
+import static org.mockito.ArgumentMatchers.any;
+import static org.mockito.ArgumentMatchers.anyString;
 import static org.mockito.Mockito.*;
 
 import java.time.LocalDateTime;
 import java.util.Map;
+import java.util.Optional;
 
 import org.junit.jupiter.api.AfterEach;
 import org.junit.jupiter.api.BeforeEach;
 import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
+import org.mockito.ArgumentCaptor;
 import org.mockito.InjectMocks;
 import org.mockito.Mock;
 import org.mockito.MockitoAnnotations;
 import org.springframework.http.MediaType;
 import org.springframework.test.util.ReflectionTestUtils;
 
+import stirling.software.common.cluster.ClusterBackplane;
+import stirling.software.common.cluster.JobStore;
+import stirling.software.common.cluster.JobStoreEntry;
+import stirling.software.common.cluster.JobStoreEntry.JobState;
 import stirling.software.common.model.job.JobResult;
 import stirling.software.common.model.job.JobStats;
 import stirling.software.common.model.job.ResultFile;
@@ -22,6 +30,8 @@ import stirling.software.common.model.job.ResultFile;
 class TaskManagerTest {
 
     @Mock private FileStorage fileStorage;
+    @Mock private JobStore jobStore;
+    @Mock private ClusterBackplane clusterBackplane;
 
     @InjectMocks private TaskManager taskManager;
 
@@ -30,6 +40,10 @@ class TaskManagerTest {
     @BeforeEach
     void setUp() {
         closeable = MockitoAnnotations.openMocks(this);
+        // Treat the backplane as in-process so cleanupOldJobs is not short-circuited.
+        lenient().when(clusterBackplane.backplaneType()).thenReturn("inprocess");
+        lenient().when(clusterBackplane.localNodeId()).thenReturn("test-node");
+        lenient().when(clusterBackplane.shouldRunLocalCleanup()).thenReturn(true);
         ReflectionTestUtils.setField(taskManager, "jobResultExpiryMinutes", 30);
     }
 
@@ -270,6 +284,33 @@ class TaskManagerTest {
         verify(fileStorage).deleteFile("file-id");
     }
 
+    @Test
+    void testCleanupOldJobs_NoOpWhenBackplaneOwnsExpiry() {
+        // When the backplane reports it should NOT run local cleanup (e.g. a distributed
+        // backplane with its own TTL), the cleanup loop must leave local state untouched.
+        when(clusterBackplane.shouldRunLocalCleanup()).thenReturn(false);
+
+        // Seed an old completed job that would normally be removed.
+        String oldJobId = "old-job-distributed";
+        taskManager.createTask(oldJobId);
+        JobResult oldJob = taskManager.getJobResult(oldJobId);
+        ReflectionTestUtils.setField(oldJob, "completedAt", LocalDateTime.now().minusHours(1));
+        ReflectionTestUtils.setField(oldJob, "complete", true);
+
+        Map<String, JobResult> jobResultsMap =
+                (Map<String, JobResult>) ReflectionTestUtils.getField(taskManager, "jobResults");
+        assertNotNull(jobResultsMap);
+        assertTrue(jobResultsMap.containsKey(oldJobId));
+
+        // Act
+        taskManager.cleanupOldJobs();
+
+        // Assert: nothing was removed locally, and no jobStore.delete was issued.
+        assertTrue(jobResultsMap.containsKey(oldJobId));
+        verify(jobStore, never()).delete(anyString());
+        verify(fileStorage, never()).deleteFile(anyString());
+    }
+
     @Test
     void testShutdown() {
         // This mainly tests that the shutdown method doesn't throw exceptions
@@ -310,4 +351,33 @@ class TaskManagerTest {
         // Assert
         assertFalse(result);
     }
+
+    @Test
+    void testWriteThroughOnUpdate() {
+        // Mutating calls must write through to the injected JobStore.
+        String jobId = "write-through-job";
+        taskManager.createTask(jobId);
+        taskManager.setResult(jobId, "done");
+
+        ArgumentCaptor<JobStoreEntry> captor = ArgumentCaptor.forClass(JobStoreEntry.class);
+        verify(jobStore, atLeast(2)).put(captor.capture(), any());
+
+        JobStoreEntry last = captor.getValue();
+        assertEquals(jobId, last.jobId());
+        assertEquals(JobState.COMPLETE, last.state());
+        assertEquals("test-node", last.owningNodeId());
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void testFindJobKeyByFileId_FallsBackToJobStore() {
+        // When the file id is not in the local map, TaskManager delegates to JobStore.
+        String fileId = "remote-file-id";
+        String expectedJobKey = "remote-job-key";
+        when(jobStore.findJobIdByFileId(fileId)).thenReturn(Optional.of(expectedJobKey));
+
+        String actual = taskManager.findJobKeyByFileId(fileId);
+
+        assertEquals(expectedJobKey, actual);
+        verify(jobStore).findJobIdByFileId(fileId);
+    }
 }

app/common/src/test/java/stirling/software/common/util/RequestUriUtilsTest.java

@@ -98,6 +98,17 @@ class RequestUriUtilsTest {
         assertTrue(RequestUriUtils.isFrontendRoute("", "/split-pdf"));
     }
 
+    @Test
+    void testIsFrontendRoute_filesRouteOwnedByFrontend() {
+        // /files and /files/<folder-uuid> are FileManagerView routes - they
+        // must fall through to the SPA index.html, not get blocked by the
+        // backend auth filter. Regression test for direct-nav/refresh on
+        // the file manager returning a 401 JSON.
+        assertTrue(RequestUriUtils.isFrontendRoute("", "/files"));
+        assertTrue(
+                RequestUriUtils.isFrontendRoute("", "/files/3331910a-4155-4f71-8111-e38c896bc458"));
+    }
+
     @Test
     void testIsFrontendRoute_pathWithExtension() {
         assertFalse(RequestUriUtils.isFrontendRoute("", "/some/file.pdf"));
@@ -183,7 +194,7 @@ class RequestUriUtilsTest {
 
     @Test
     void testIsPublicAuthEndpoint_shareRootNotPublic() {
-        // Avoid matching bare "/share" or "/share/" — must have a token segment
+        // Avoid matching bare "/share" or "/share/" - must have a token segment
         assertFalse(RequestUriUtils.isPublicAuthEndpoint("/share", ""));
         assertFalse(RequestUriUtils.isPublicAuthEndpoint("/share/", ""));
     }
@@ -197,7 +208,7 @@ class RequestUriUtilsTest {
 
     @Test
     void testIsPublicAuthEndpoint_shareApiStillProtected() {
-        // Share-link data APIs must NOT be public — they enforce auth + access checks
+        // Share-link data APIs must NOT be public - they enforce auth + access checks
         assertFalse(RequestUriUtils.isPublicAuthEndpoint("/api/v1/storage/share-links/abc123", ""));
         assertFalse(
                 RequestUriUtils.isPublicAuthEndpoint(

app/core/src/main/java/stirling/software/SPDF/controller/api/ScalePagesController.java

@@ -40,7 +40,8 @@ public class ScalePagesController {
     private final CustomPDFDocumentFactory pdfDocumentFactory;
     private final TempFileManager tempFileManager;
 
-    private static PDRectangle getTargetSize(String targetPDRectangle, PDDocument sourceDocument) {
+    private static PDRectangle getTargetSize(
+            String targetPDRectangle, String orientation, PDDocument sourceDocument) {
         if ("KEEP".equals(targetPDRectangle)) {
             if (sourceDocument.getNumberOfPages() == 0) {
                 throw ExceptionUtils.createInvalidPageSizeException("KEEP");
@@ -57,18 +58,19 @@ public class ScalePagesController {
         }
 
         Map<String, PDRectangle> sizeMap = getSizeMap();
-
-        if (sizeMap.containsKey(targetPDRectangle)) {
-            return sizeMap.get(targetPDRectangle);
+        PDRectangle base = sizeMap.get(targetPDRectangle);
+        if (base == null) {
+            throw ExceptionUtils.createInvalidPageSizeException(targetPDRectangle);
         }
 
-        throw ExceptionUtils.createInvalidPageSizeException(targetPDRectangle);
+        if ("LANDSCAPE".equalsIgnoreCase(orientation)) {
+            return new PDRectangle(base.getHeight(), base.getWidth());
+        }
+        return base;
     }
 
     private static Map<String, PDRectangle> getSizeMap() {
         Map<String, PDRectangle> sizeMap = new HashMap<>();
-
-        // Portrait sizes (A0-A6)
         sizeMap.put("A0", PDRectangle.A0);
         sizeMap.put("A1", PDRectangle.A1);
         sizeMap.put("A2", PDRectangle.A2);
@@ -76,42 +78,8 @@ public class ScalePagesController {
         sizeMap.put("A4", PDRectangle.A4);
         sizeMap.put("A5", PDRectangle.A5);
         sizeMap.put("A6", PDRectangle.A6);
-
-        // Landscape sizes (A0-A6)
-        sizeMap.put(
-                "A0_LANDSCAPE",
-                new PDRectangle(PDRectangle.A0.getHeight(), PDRectangle.A0.getWidth()));
-        sizeMap.put(
-                "A1_LANDSCAPE",
-                new PDRectangle(PDRectangle.A1.getHeight(), PDRectangle.A1.getWidth()));
-        sizeMap.put(
-                "A2_LANDSCAPE",
-                new PDRectangle(PDRectangle.A2.getHeight(), PDRectangle.A2.getWidth()));
-        sizeMap.put(
-                "A3_LANDSCAPE",
-                new PDRectangle(PDRectangle.A3.getHeight(), PDRectangle.A3.getWidth()));
-        sizeMap.put(
-                "A4_LANDSCAPE",
-                new PDRectangle(PDRectangle.A4.getHeight(), PDRectangle.A4.getWidth()));
-        sizeMap.put(
-                "A5_LANDSCAPE",
-                new PDRectangle(PDRectangle.A5.getHeight(), PDRectangle.A5.getWidth()));
-        sizeMap.put(
-                "A6_LANDSCAPE",
-                new PDRectangle(PDRectangle.A6.getHeight(), PDRectangle.A6.getWidth()));
-
-        // Portrait US sizes
         sizeMap.put("LETTER", PDRectangle.LETTER);
         sizeMap.put("LEGAL", PDRectangle.LEGAL);
-
-        // Landscape US sizes
-        sizeMap.put(
-                "LETTER_LANDSCAPE",
-                new PDRectangle(PDRectangle.LETTER.getHeight(), PDRectangle.LETTER.getWidth()));
-        sizeMap.put(
-                "LEGAL_LANDSCAPE",
-                new PDRectangle(PDRectangle.LEGAL.getHeight(), PDRectangle.LEGAL.getWidth()));
-
         return sizeMap;
     }
 
@@ -128,13 +96,14 @@ public class ScalePagesController {
             throws IOException {
         MultipartFile file = request.getFileInput();
         String targetPDRectangle = request.getPageSize();
+        String orientation = request.getOrientation();
         float scaleFactor = request.getScaleFactor();
 
         try (PDDocument sourceDocument = pdfDocumentFactory.load(file);
                 PDDocument outputDocument =
                         pdfDocumentFactory.createNewDocumentBasedOnOldDocument(sourceDocument)) {
 
-            PDRectangle targetSize = getTargetSize(targetPDRectangle, sourceDocument);
+            PDRectangle targetSize = getTargetSize(targetPDRectangle, orientation, sourceDocument);
 
             // Create LayerUtility once outside the loop for better performance
             LayerUtility layerUtility = new LayerUtility(outputDocument);

app/core/src/main/java/stirling/software/SPDF/controller/api/misc/ConfigController.java

@@ -12,6 +12,8 @@ import org.springframework.web.bind.annotation.RequestParam;
 
 import io.swagger.v3.oas.annotations.Hidden;
 
+import jakarta.servlet.http.HttpServletRequest;
+
 import lombok.extern.slf4j.Slf4j;
 
 import stirling.software.SPDF.config.EndpointConfiguration;
@@ -91,6 +93,44 @@ public class ConfigController {
         return null;
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Resolve the frontend URL the client should advertise to phones / share-link recipients.
+     * Priority: explicit system.frontendUrl, then the Host the user is already using to reach this
+     * server (works for Docker, reverse proxies, and bare-metal LANs), then a detected site-local
+     * IPv4, then empty.
+     */
+    // visible for testing
+    String resolveFrontendUrl(HttpServletRequest request, AppConfig appConfig) {
+        String configured = applicationProperties.getSystem().getFrontendUrl();
+        if (configured != null && !configured.isBlank()) {
+            return configured;
+        }
+        if (request != null) {
+            String host = request.getServerName();
+            if (host != null && !host.isBlank() && !isLoopbackHost(host)) {
+                String scheme = request.getScheme();
+                int port = request.getServerPort();
+                boolean defaultPort =
+                        ("http".equals(scheme) && port == 80)
+                                || ("https".equals(scheme) && port == 443);
+                return defaultPort ? scheme + "://" + host : scheme + "://" + host + ":" + port;
+            }
+        }
+        String localIp = GeneralUtils.getLocalNetworkIp();
+        if (localIp != null) {
+            String scheme = appConfig.getBackendUrl().startsWith("https") ? "https" : "http";
+            return scheme + "://" + localIp + ":" + appConfig.getServerPort();
+        }
+        return "";
+    }
+
+    private static boolean isLoopbackHost(String host) {
+        return "localhost".equalsIgnoreCase(host)
+                || "127.0.0.1".equals(host)
+                || "::1".equals(host)
+                || "0:0:0:0:0:0:0:1".equals(host);
+    }
+
     /** Check if running Enterprise edition dynamically. */
     private Boolean isRunningEE() {
         // Use LicenseService for fresh license status if available
@@ -107,7 +147,7 @@ public class ConfigController {
     }
 
     @GetMapping("/app-config")
-    public ResponseEntity<Map<String, Object>> getAppConfig() {
+    public ResponseEntity<Map<String, Object>> getAppConfig(HttpServletRequest request) {
         Map<String, Object> configData = new HashMap<>();
 
         try {
@@ -124,17 +164,7 @@ public class ConfigController {
             configData.put("serverPort", appConfig.getServerPort());
 
             String frontendUrl = applicationProperties.getSystem().getFrontendUrl();
-            if ((frontendUrl == null || frontendUrl.isBlank())
-                    && Boolean.parseBoolean(
-                            System.getProperty("STIRLING_PDF_TAURI_MODE", "false"))) {
-                String localIp = GeneralUtils.getLocalNetworkIp();
-                if (localIp != null) {
-                    String scheme =
-                            appConfig.getBackendUrl().startsWith("https") ? "https" : "http";
-                    frontendUrl = scheme + "://" + localIp + ":" + appConfig.getServerPort();
-                }
-            }
-            configData.put("frontendUrl", frontendUrl != null ? frontendUrl : "");
+            configData.put("frontendUrl", resolveFrontendUrl(request, appConfig));
 
             // Add mobile scanner settings
             configData.put(
@@ -277,9 +307,6 @@ public class ConfigController {
             // Premium/Enterprise settings
             configData.put("premiumEnabled", applicationProperties.getPremium().isEnabled());
 
-            // AI Engine settings
-            configData.put("aiEngineEnabled", applicationProperties.getAiEngine().isEnabled());
-
             // Timestamp TSA settings — single source of truth for presets + admin URLs
             ApplicationProperties.Security.Timestamp tsConfig =
                     applicationProperties.getSecurity().getTimestamp();

app/core/src/main/java/stirling/software/SPDF/controller/web/ReactRoutingController.java

@@ -160,14 +160,19 @@ public class ReactRoutingController {
         return ResponseEntity.ok().contentType(MediaType.TEXT_HTML).body(cachedCallbackHtml);
     }
 
+    // `files` was historically a backend static-asset directory and was therefore
+    // in the exclusion list - removing it lets /files and /files/<folder-uuid>
+    // forward to the SPA index.html, which is what FileManagerView expects.
+    // (Real storage endpoints live under /api/v1/storage/files, already
+    // excluded by the leading `api` token in the same regex.)
     @GetMapping(
-            "/{path:^(?!api|static|robots\\.txt|favicon\\.ico|manifest.*\\.json|pipeline|pdfjs|pdfjs-legacy|pdfium|vendor|fonts|images|files|css|js|assets|locales|modern-logo|classic-logo|Login|og_images|samples)[^\\.]*$}")
+            "/{path:^(?!api|static|robots\\.txt|favicon\\.ico|manifest.*\\.json|pipeline|pdfjs|pdfjs-legacy|pdfium|vendor|fonts|images|css|js|assets|locales|modern-logo|classic-logo|Login|og_images|samples)[^\\.]*$}")
     public ResponseEntity<String> forwardRootPaths(HttpServletRequest request) throws IOException {
         return serveIndexHtml(request);
     }
 
     @GetMapping(
-            "/{path:^(?!api|static|pipeline|pdfjs|pdfjs-legacy|pdfium|vendor|fonts|images|files|css|js|assets|locales|modern-logo|classic-logo|Login|og_images|samples)[^\\.]*}/{subpath:^(?!.*\\.).*$}")
+            "/{path:^(?!api|static|pipeline|pdfjs|pdfjs-legacy|pdfium|vendor|fonts|images|css|js|assets|locales|modern-logo|classic-logo|Login|og_images|samples)[^\\.]*}/{subpath:^(?!.*\\.).*$}")
     public ResponseEntity<String> forwardNestedPaths(HttpServletRequest request)
             throws IOException {
         return serveIndexHtml(request);

app/core/src/main/java/stirling/software/SPDF/exception/GlobalExceptionHandler.java

@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ import org.springframework.web.bind.annotation.ExceptionHandler;
 import org.springframework.web.bind.annotation.RestControllerAdvice;
 import org.springframework.web.multipart.MaxUploadSizeExceededException;
 import org.springframework.web.multipart.support.MissingServletRequestPartException;
+import org.springframework.web.server.ResponseStatusException;
 import org.springframework.web.servlet.NoHandlerFoundException;
 
 import jakarta.servlet.http.HttpServletRequest;
@@ -196,12 +197,12 @@ public class GlobalExceptionHandler {
     /**
      * Checks whether the given IOException indicates that the client disconnected before the
      * response could be written (broken pipe, connection reset, etc.). When this happens there is
-     * no point in serialising a {@link ProblemDetail} body because the socket is already closed —
+     * no point in serialising a {@link ProblemDetail} body because the socket is already closed -
      * and attempting to do so may trigger a secondary {@code HttpMessageNotWritableException} if
      * the response Content-Type was already committed as a non-JSON type (e.g. image/png).
      */
     private static boolean isClientDisconnectException(IOException ex) {
-        // Walk the causal chain — Jetty/Tomcat may wrap the low-level SocketException
+        // Walk the causal chain - Jetty/Tomcat may wrap the low-level SocketException
         Throwable current = ex;
         while (current != null) {
             String msg = current.getMessage();
@@ -1040,6 +1041,43 @@ public class GlobalExceptionHandler {
      * @param request the HTTP servlet request
      * @return ProblemDetail with appropriate HTTP status
      */
+    /**
+     * Handle ResponseStatusException explicitly so its embedded HTTP status reaches the client
+     * instead of being swallowed by the {@code RuntimeException} catch-all (which would downgrade
+     * every controller-thrown 400/404/409 to a generic 500). Folder/file storage controllers and
+     * any other code that throws {@code ResponseStatusException} relies on this handler taking
+     * precedence.
+     */
+    @ExceptionHandler(ResponseStatusException.class)
+    public ResponseEntity<ProblemDetail> handleResponseStatusException(
+            ResponseStatusException ex, HttpServletRequest request) {
+        HttpStatus status =
+                HttpStatus.resolve(ex.getStatusCode().value()) != null
+                        ? HttpStatus.valueOf(ex.getStatusCode().value())
+                        : HttpStatus.INTERNAL_SERVER_ERROR;
+        String reason = ex.getReason() != null ? ex.getReason() : status.getReasonPhrase();
+        ProblemDetail problemDetail = createBaseProblemDetail(status, reason, request);
+        problemDetail.setType(URI.create("/errors/" + status.value()));
+        problemDetail.setTitle(status.getReasonPhrase());
+        problemDetail.setProperty("title", status.getReasonPhrase());
+        // 5xx is operator-relevant; 4xx is a normal client-rejection - log at the right level.
+        if (status.is5xxServerError()) {
+            log.error(
+                    "ResponseStatusException {} at {}: {}",
+                    status.value(),
+                    request.getRequestURI(),
+                    reason,
+                    ex);
+        } else {
+            log.debug(
+                    "ResponseStatusException {} at {}: {}",
+                    status.value(),
+                    request.getRequestURI(),
+                    reason);
+        }
+        return ResponseEntity.status(status).contentType(PROBLEM_JSON).body(problemDetail);
+    }
+
     @ExceptionHandler(RuntimeException.class)
     public ResponseEntity<ProblemDetail> handleRuntimeException(
             RuntimeException ex, HttpServletRequest request) {

app/core/src/main/java/stirling/software/SPDF/model/api/PDFWithPageSize.java

@@ -18,4 +18,11 @@ public class PDFWithPageSize extends PDFFile {
             requiredMode = Schema.RequiredMode.REQUIRED,
             allowableValues = {"A0", "A1", "A2", "A3", "A4", "A5", "A6", "LETTER", "LEGAL", "KEEP"})
     private String pageSize;
+
+    @Schema(
+            description =
+                    "Orientation to apply to the target page size. Ignored when pageSize is KEEP.",
+            defaultValue = "PORTRAIT",
+            allowableValues = {"PORTRAIT", "LANDSCAPE"})
+    private String orientation = "PORTRAIT";
 }

app/core/src/main/resources/settings.yml.template

@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ security:
     password: "" # initial password for the first login
   oauth2:
     enabled: false # set to 'true' to enable login (Note: enableLogin must also be 'true' for this to work)
+    debugLogging: false # set to 'true' to log full ID token and UserInfo claims during OAuth2/OIDC login. Use this to diagnose claim issues (e.g. "Attribute value for 'email' cannot be null" with ADFS). WARNING: writes PII (sub, email, name) to logs; disable after troubleshooting.
     client:
       keycloak:
         issuer: "" # URL of the Keycloak realm's OpenID Connect Discovery endpoint
@@ -245,6 +246,39 @@ storage:
   provider: local # storage provider: 'local' for filesystem storage, 'database' for DB-backed storage
   local:
     basePath: './storage' # base directory for stored files
+  # ====================================================================================
+  # S3-COMPATIBLE OBJECT STORAGE - PRO / ENTERPRISE LICENSE REQUIRED
+  # storage.provider=s3, storage.provider=database, and cluster.artifactStore=s3 all
+  # require a valid Pro or Enterprise license.
+  # ====================================================================================
+  # Used when provider=s3 (persistent user uploads) and/or cluster.artifactStore=s3
+  # (transient cluster artifacts). The two consumers share this block.
+  # Vendor cheat sheet (set the highlighted flags to taste):
+  #   AWS S3              -> endpoint='' region='<your-region>' pathStyleAccess=false
+  #   Cloudflare R2       -> endpoint='https://<acct>.r2.cloudflarestorage.com' region='auto'
+  #                          pathStyleAccess=false; if uploads fail with 'unsupported header
+  #                          x-amz-checksum-*' set requestChecksumCalculation=WHEN_REQUIRED
+  #   Supabase Storage    -> endpoint='https://<project>.supabase.co/storage/v1/s3'
+  #                          region='<project-region>' pathStyleAccess=true
+  #                          (filenames with non-ASCII display fine - the storage key is opaque)
+  #   MinIO (in-cluster)  -> endpoint='http://minio:9000' region='us-east-1'
+  #                          pathStyleAccess=true allowPrivateEndpoints=true
+  #   Backblaze B2        -> endpoint='https://s3.<region>.backblazeb2.com'
+  #                          If on a B2 deployment older than July-2025 and uploads return
+  #                          'Unsupported header x-amz-checksum-crc32', set
+  #                          requestChecksumCalculation=WHEN_REQUIRED
+  #   DigitalOcean Spaces -> endpoint='https://<region>.digitaloceanspaces.com'
+  #                          Note: 5GB per-object cap (regardless of multipart)
+  s3:
+    endpoint: "" # blank = use AWS regional default; otherwise full URL incl. https://
+    bucket: "" # required when provider=s3 or cluster.artifactStore=s3
+    region: us-east-1
+    accessKey: "" # blank = fall back to AWS DefaultCredentialsProvider (env / profile / IMDS)
+    secretKey: ""
+    pathStyleAccess: false # true for MinIO and Supabase; false for AWS/R2/most CDNs
+    allowPrivateEndpoints: false # true required when endpoint resolves to a private/loopback IP (e.g. in-cluster MinIO). SSRF guard - leave false for any internet-facing vendor.
+    requestChecksumCalculation: WHEN_SUPPORTED # WHEN_SUPPORTED|WHEN_REQUIRED|DISABLED. Set WHEN_REQUIRED if your vendor rejects auto-added x-amz-checksum-* headers (older Backblaze B2, some R2 corner cases).
+    responseChecksumValidation: WHEN_SUPPORTED # WHEN_SUPPORTED|WHEN_REQUIRED|DISABLED. Set WHEN_REQUIRED if you see false-positive checksum-mismatch errors on GET from a vendor that never returns checksum headers.
   quotas:
     maxStorageMbPerUser: -1 # Max storage per user in MB; -1 disables per-user cap
     maxStorageMbTotal: -1 # Max storage across all users in MB; -1 disables total cap
@@ -330,6 +364,24 @@ aiEngine:
   url: http://localhost:5001 # URL of the Python AI engine
   timeoutSeconds: 120 # Timeout in seconds for AI engine requests
 
+# Cluster configuration. NOT YET ENABLED - scaffolding for later work. Leave at defaults.
+cluster:
+  enabled: false # Master switch. 'false' (default) wires the in-process backplane and skips all cluster checks. Single-instance installs do not need to change anything here.
+  backplane: inprocess # Backplane implementation: 'inprocess' (single JVM only) or 'valkey' (multi-node via Valkey/Redis)
+  artifactStore: local # Transient cluster job-artifact backend: 'local' (per-node disk; single-node only) or 's3' (shared object store; required for multi-node). Distinct from 'storage.provider' which controls persistent user uploads - when both are 's3' they share the storage.s3.* credentials block. Multi-node deployments MUST set this to 's3'.
+  s3:
+    keyPrefix: transient/ # Bucket key prefix used by the cluster artifact store when artifactStore=s3. Trailing slash recommended. Lets a single bucket host both persistent uploads (storage.s3.*) and transient job artifacts under separate prefixes.
+  valkey:
+    url: "" # Valkey/Redis URL, e.g. 'redis://valkey:6379' or 'rediss://...' for TLS. Required when enabled=true and backplane=valkey.
+    tls:
+      skipCertVerification: false # set to 'true' to skip TLS certificate verification on Valkey connections (dev/test only)
+  node:
+    id: "" # Optional explicit node id. Blank = auto-generated UUID at startup.
+    role: both # 'web' (serves HTTP), 'worker' (runs jobs), or 'both' (default)
+    internalAddress: "" # host:port advertised in the instance registry for peer-to-peer cluster traffic. Blank = derived at startup.
+    scheme: http # 'http' or 'https' - scheme peers use to call this node's /internal/cluster/** endpoints
+    heartbeatIntervalMs: 5000 # Heartbeat publish interval for the instance registry (ms)
+
 pdfEditor:
   fallback-font: classpath:/static/fonts/NotoSans-Regular.ttf # Override to point at a custom fallback font
   cache:

app/core/src/test/java/stirling/software/SPDF/controller/api/ScalePagesControllerTest.java

@@ -237,7 +237,8 @@ class ScalePagesControllerTest {
 
         ScalePagesRequest request = new ScalePagesRequest();
         request.setFileInput(file);
-        request.setPageSize("A4_LANDSCAPE");
+        request.setPageSize("A4");
+        request.setOrientation("LANDSCAPE");
         request.setScaleFactor(1.0f);
 
         setupFactory();

app/core/src/test/java/stirling/software/SPDF/controller/api/misc/ConfigControllerTest.java

@@ -15,10 +15,14 @@ import org.springframework.context.ApplicationContext;
 import org.springframework.http.HttpStatus;
 import org.springframework.http.ResponseEntity;
 
+import jakarta.servlet.http.HttpServletRequest;
+
 import stirling.software.SPDF.config.EndpointConfiguration;
 import stirling.software.SPDF.config.EndpointConfiguration.DisableReason;
 import stirling.software.SPDF.config.EndpointConfiguration.EndpointAvailability;
+import stirling.software.common.configuration.AppConfig;
 import stirling.software.common.model.ApplicationProperties;
+import stirling.software.common.model.ApplicationProperties.System;
 import stirling.software.common.service.LicenseServiceInterface;
 import stirling.software.common.service.ServerCertificateServiceInterface;
 import stirling.software.common.service.UserServiceInterface;
@@ -173,4 +177,71 @@ class ConfigControllerTest {
         assertEquals(HttpStatus.OK, response.getStatusCode());
         verify(endpointConfiguration).getAllEndpoints();
     }
+
+    @Test
+    void resolveFrontendUrl_prefersExplicitConfiguredValue() {
+        System sys = mock(System.class);
+        when(applicationProperties.getSystem()).thenReturn(sys);
+        when(sys.getFrontendUrl()).thenReturn("https://pdf.example.com");
+
+        // Request would say something else, but configured wins.
+        HttpServletRequest req = mock(HttpServletRequest.class);
+        AppConfig appConfig = mock(AppConfig.class);
+
+        assertEquals(
+                "https://pdf.example.com", configController.resolveFrontendUrl(req, appConfig));
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void resolveFrontendUrl_usesRequestHostWhenNotConfigured() {
+        System sys = mock(System.class);
+        when(applicationProperties.getSystem()).thenReturn(sys);
+        when(sys.getFrontendUrl()).thenReturn(null);
+
+        HttpServletRequest req = mock(HttpServletRequest.class);
+        when(req.getServerName()).thenReturn("192.168.1.100");
+        when(req.getScheme()).thenReturn("http");
+        when(req.getServerPort()).thenReturn(8080);
+
+        assertEquals(
+                "http://192.168.1.100:8080",
+                configController.resolveFrontendUrl(req, mock(AppConfig.class)));
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void resolveFrontendUrl_elidesDefaultHttpsPort() {
+        System sys = mock(System.class);
+        when(applicationProperties.getSystem()).thenReturn(sys);
+        when(sys.getFrontendUrl()).thenReturn("");
+
+        HttpServletRequest req = mock(HttpServletRequest.class);
+        when(req.getServerName()).thenReturn("pdf.example.com");
+        when(req.getScheme()).thenReturn("https");
+        when(req.getServerPort()).thenReturn(443);
+
+        assertEquals(
+                "https://pdf.example.com",
+                configController.resolveFrontendUrl(req, mock(AppConfig.class)));
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void resolveFrontendUrl_fallsThroughOnLoopbackHost() {
+        System sys = mock(System.class);
+        when(applicationProperties.getSystem()).thenReturn(sys);
+        when(sys.getFrontendUrl()).thenReturn(null);
+
+        HttpServletRequest req = mock(HttpServletRequest.class);
+        when(req.getServerName()).thenReturn("localhost");
+
+        AppConfig appConfig = mock(AppConfig.class);
+        when(appConfig.getBackendUrl()).thenReturn("http://localhost:8080");
+        when(appConfig.getServerPort()).thenReturn("8080");
+
+        // Detected IP (if any) wins over loopback request host. We can't assert the
+        // exact value (depends on the host running the test) but we can assert it
+        // never returns "localhost".
+        String result = configController.resolveFrontendUrl(req, appConfig);
+        assertNotNull(result);
+        assertFalse(result.contains("localhost"));
+    }
 }

app/proprietary/.gitignore

@@ -123,6 +123,8 @@ SwaggerDoc.json
 *.tar.gz
 *.rar
 *.db
+# Whitelist the H2 fixtures that feed the version-migration CI smoke test.
+!src/test/resources/db-migration-fixtures/*.mv.db
 /build
 /app/proprietary/build/
 

app/proprietary/build.gradle

@@ -5,6 +5,8 @@ repositories {
 
 ext {
     jwtVersion = '0.13.0'
+    awsSdkVersion = '2.44.12'
+    testcontainersMinioVersion = '1.21.4'
 }
 
 bootRun {
@@ -71,6 +73,13 @@ dependencies {
     implementation('com.coveo:saml-client:5.0.0') {
         exclude group: 'org.opensaml', module: 'opensaml-core'
     }
+
+    implementation "software.amazon.awssdk:s3:$awsSdkVersion"
+    implementation "software.amazon.awssdk:url-connection-client:$awsSdkVersion"
+
+    testImplementation "org.testcontainers:minio:$testcontainersMinioVersion"
+    testImplementation "org.testcontainers:junit-jupiter:$testcontainersMinioVersion"
+    testImplementation "org.testcontainers:localstack:$testcontainersMinioVersion"
 }
 
 tasks.register('prepareKotlinBuildScriptModel') {}

app/proprietary/src/main/java/stirling/software/proprietary/cluster/s3/S3Clients.java

@@ -0,0 +1,200 @@
+package stirling.software.proprietary.cluster.s3;
+
+import java.net.InetAddress;
+import java.net.URI;
+import java.net.URISyntaxException;
+import java.net.UnknownHostException;
+
+import lombok.extern.slf4j.Slf4j;
+
+import stirling.software.common.model.ApplicationProperties;
+
+import software.amazon.awssdk.auth.credentials.AwsBasicCredentials;
+import software.amazon.awssdk.auth.credentials.DefaultCredentialsProvider;
+import software.amazon.awssdk.auth.credentials.StaticCredentialsProvider;
+import software.amazon.awssdk.core.checksums.RequestChecksumCalculation;
+import software.amazon.awssdk.core.checksums.ResponseChecksumValidation;
+import software.amazon.awssdk.http.urlconnection.UrlConnectionHttpClient;
+import software.amazon.awssdk.regions.Region;
+import software.amazon.awssdk.services.s3.S3Client;
+import software.amazon.awssdk.services.s3.S3ClientBuilder;
+import software.amazon.awssdk.services.s3.S3Configuration;
+import software.amazon.awssdk.services.s3.presigner.S3Presigner;
+
+/**
+ * Shared factory for {@link S3Client} and {@link S3Presigner} instances used by both {@code
+ * S3StorageProvider} and {@code S3FileStore}, so endpoint/region/credentials wiring lives in
+ * exactly one place.
+ */
+@Slf4j
+public final class S3Clients {
+
+    private S3Clients() {}
+
+    /** Paired client and presigner with coordinated lifecycle. */
+    public record Bundle(S3Client client, S3Presigner presigner) implements AutoCloseable {
+        @Override
+        public void close() {
+            try {
+                presigner.close();
+            } catch (Exception e) {
+                log.warn("Error closing S3 presigner", e);
+            }
+            try {
+                client.close();
+            } catch (Exception e) {
+                log.warn("Error closing S3 client", e);
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    /** Build a client+presigner pair from the shared S3 config block. */
+    public static Bundle build(ApplicationProperties.Storage.S3 cfg, String usage) {
+        if (cfg == null) {
+            throw new IllegalStateException(
+                    usage + " requires storage.s3.* configuration to be set");
+        }
+        if (cfg.getBucket() == null || cfg.getBucket().isBlank()) {
+            throw new IllegalStateException(usage + " requires storage.s3.bucket to be set");
+        }
+        String region =
+                cfg.getRegion() == null || cfg.getRegion().isBlank()
+                        ? "us-east-1"
+                        : cfg.getRegion();
+
+        S3Configuration s3Configuration =
+                S3Configuration.builder().pathStyleAccessEnabled(cfg.isPathStyleAccess()).build();
+
+        RequestChecksumCalculation requestChecksum =
+                parseRequestChecksum(cfg.getRequestChecksumCalculation());
+        ResponseChecksumValidation responseChecksum =
+                parseResponseChecksum(cfg.getResponseChecksumValidation());
+
+        S3ClientBuilder clientBuilder =
+                S3Client.builder()
+                        .httpClient(UrlConnectionHttpClient.create())
+                        .region(Region.of(region))
+                        .serviceConfiguration(s3Configuration)
+                        .requestChecksumCalculation(requestChecksum)
+                        .responseChecksumValidation(responseChecksum);
+
+        S3Presigner.Builder presignerBuilder =
+                S3Presigner.builder()
+                        .region(Region.of(region))
+                        .serviceConfiguration(s3Configuration);
+
+        if (cfg.getEndpoint() != null && !cfg.getEndpoint().isBlank()) {
+            URI endpoint;
+            try {
+                endpoint = new URI(cfg.getEndpoint());
+            } catch (URISyntaxException e) {
+                throw new IllegalStateException(
+                        "Invalid storage.s3.endpoint: " + cfg.getEndpoint(), e);
+            }
+            validateEndpointHost(endpoint, cfg.isAllowPrivateEndpoints());
+            clientBuilder.endpointOverride(endpoint);
+            presignerBuilder.endpointOverride(endpoint);
+        }
+
+        boolean hasStaticCreds =
+                cfg.getAccessKey() != null
+                        && !cfg.getAccessKey().isBlank()
+                        && cfg.getSecretKey() != null
+                        && !cfg.getSecretKey().isBlank();
+        if (hasStaticCreds) {
+            AwsBasicCredentials credentials =
+                    AwsBasicCredentials.create(cfg.getAccessKey(), cfg.getSecretKey());
+            StaticCredentialsProvider provider = StaticCredentialsProvider.create(credentials);
+            clientBuilder.credentialsProvider(provider);
+            presignerBuilder.credentialsProvider(provider);
+        } else {
+            clientBuilder.credentialsProvider(DefaultCredentialsProvider.create());
+            presignerBuilder.credentialsProvider(DefaultCredentialsProvider.create());
+        }
+
+        log.debug(
+                "Configured S3 {}: bucket={}, region={}, endpoint={}, pathStyle={}",
+                usage,
+                cfg.getBucket(),
+                region,
+                cfg.getEndpoint() == null || cfg.getEndpoint().isBlank()
+                        ? "<aws-default>"
+                        : cfg.getEndpoint(),
+                cfg.isPathStyleAccess());
+
+        return new Bundle(clientBuilder.build(), presignerBuilder.build());
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Block SSRF via the S3 endpoint setting. An admin who can edit config could otherwise point
+     * the SDK at the cloud metadata service (e.g. {@code http://169.254.169.254/}) and exfiltrate
+     * instance-role credentials. Reject any endpoint whose host resolves to a loopback, link-local,
+     * or RFC1918 private address unless the operator has explicitly opted in via {@code
+     * storage.s3.allow-private-endpoints=true}.
+     */
+    static void validateEndpointHost(URI endpoint, boolean allowPrivate) {
+        if (allowPrivate) {
+            return;
+        }
+        String host = endpoint.getHost();
+        if (host == null || host.isBlank()) {
+            throw new IllegalStateException("storage.s3.endpoint must include a host: " + endpoint);
+        }
+        InetAddress[] addresses;
+        try {
+            addresses = InetAddress.getAllByName(host);
+        } catch (UnknownHostException e) {
+            throw new IllegalStateException(
+                    "Unable to resolve storage.s3.endpoint host '" + host + "'", e);
+        }
+        for (InetAddress address : addresses) {
+            if (isPrivateOrLocal(address)) {
+                throw new IllegalStateException(
+                        "storage.s3.endpoint host '"
+                                + host
+                                + "' resolves to private/link-local address "
+                                + address.getHostAddress()
+                                + "; set storage.s3.allow-private-endpoints=true to opt in"
+                                + " (e.g. for MinIO or in-cluster S3).");
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    private static boolean isPrivateOrLocal(InetAddress address) {
+        return address.isLoopbackAddress()
+                || address.isLinkLocalAddress()
+                || address.isSiteLocalAddress()
+                || address.isAnyLocalAddress()
+                || address.isMulticastAddress();
+    }
+
+    static RequestChecksumCalculation parseRequestChecksum(String value) {
+        if (value == null || value.isBlank()) {
+            return RequestChecksumCalculation.WHEN_SUPPORTED;
+        }
+        try {
+            return RequestChecksumCalculation.valueOf(
+                    value.trim().toUpperCase(java.util.Locale.ROOT));
+        } catch (IllegalArgumentException ex) {
+            log.warn(
+                    "Unknown storage.s3.request-checksum-calculation value '{}', falling back to WHEN_SUPPORTED",
+                    value);
+            return RequestChecksumCalculation.WHEN_SUPPORTED;
+        }
+    }
+
+    static ResponseChecksumValidation parseResponseChecksum(String value) {
+        if (value == null || value.isBlank()) {
+            return ResponseChecksumValidation.WHEN_SUPPORTED;
+        }
+        try {
+            return ResponseChecksumValidation.valueOf(
+                    value.trim().toUpperCase(java.util.Locale.ROOT));
+        } catch (IllegalArgumentException ex) {
+            log.warn(
+                    "Unknown storage.s3.response-checksum-validation value '{}', falling back to WHEN_SUPPORTED",
+                    value);
+            return ResponseChecksumValidation.WHEN_SUPPORTED;
+        }
+    }
+}

app/proprietary/src/main/java/stirling/software/proprietary/cluster/s3/S3FileStore.java

@@ -0,0 +1,226 @@
+package stirling.software.proprietary.cluster.s3;
+
+import java.io.BufferedInputStream;
+import java.io.IOException;
+import java.io.InputStream;
+import java.nio.file.Files;
+import java.nio.file.Path;
+import java.nio.file.StandardCopyOption;
+import java.util.Optional;
+import java.util.UUID;
+
+import lombok.extern.slf4j.Slf4j;
+
+import stirling.software.common.cluster.FileStore;
+
+import software.amazon.awssdk.core.ResponseInputStream;
+import software.amazon.awssdk.core.exception.SdkException;
+import software.amazon.awssdk.core.sync.RequestBody;
+import software.amazon.awssdk.services.s3.S3Client;
+import software.amazon.awssdk.services.s3.model.DeleteObjectRequest;
+import software.amazon.awssdk.services.s3.model.GetObjectRequest;
+import software.amazon.awssdk.services.s3.model.GetObjectResponse;
+import software.amazon.awssdk.services.s3.model.HeadObjectRequest;
+import software.amazon.awssdk.services.s3.model.HeadObjectResponse;
+import software.amazon.awssdk.services.s3.model.NoSuchKeyException;
+import software.amazon.awssdk.services.s3.model.PutObjectRequest;
+import software.amazon.awssdk.services.s3.model.S3Exception;
+
+/**
+ * S3-backed {@link FileStore} for transient job-result files. Objects are namespaced under a
+ * configurable key prefix (default {@code transient/}) and can coexist in the same bucket as {@code
+ * S3StorageProvider}.
+ */
+@Slf4j
+public class S3FileStore implements FileStore, AutoCloseable {
+
+    public static final String DEFAULT_KEY_PREFIX = "transient/";
+
+    private final S3Client s3Client;
+    private final String bucket;
+    private final String keyPrefix;
+    private final boolean ownsClient;
+
+    public S3FileStore(S3Client s3Client, String bucket) {
+        this(s3Client, bucket, DEFAULT_KEY_PREFIX, true);
+    }
+
+    public S3FileStore(S3Client s3Client, String bucket, String keyPrefix) {
+        this(s3Client, bucket, keyPrefix, true);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @param ownsClient when true, {@link #close()} will close the supplied client. Set to false in
+     *     tests that share the client with another consumer.
+     */
+    public S3FileStore(S3Client s3Client, String bucket, String keyPrefix, boolean ownsClient) {
+        if (bucket == null || bucket.isBlank()) {
+            throw new IllegalArgumentException("S3 bucket must be configured");
+        }
+        this.s3Client = s3Client;
+        this.bucket = bucket;
+        this.keyPrefix = normalizePrefix(keyPrefix);
+        this.ownsClient = ownsClient;
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public Stored store(InputStream in, String originalName) throws IOException {
+        String fileId = UUID.randomUUID().toString();
+        // S3 PUT requires a known content-length; spool to a temp file first so memory stays
+        // bounded for large payloads, then stream the file to S3 via RequestBody.fromFile.
+        Path tempFile = Files.createTempFile("s3-upload-", ".bin");
+        long size;
+        try {
+            try (InputStream src = in) {
+                Files.copy(src, tempFile, StandardCopyOption.REPLACE_EXISTING);
+            }
+            size = Files.size(tempFile);
+            PutObjectRequest request =
+                    PutObjectRequest.builder().bucket(bucket).key(resolveKey(fileId)).build();
+            try {
+                s3Client.putObject(request, RequestBody.fromFile(tempFile));
+            } catch (SdkException e) {
+                throw new IOException("Failed to upload object to S3", e);
+            }
+        } finally {
+            try {
+                Files.deleteIfExists(tempFile);
+            } catch (IOException cleanupError) {
+                log.warn("Failed to delete S3 upload temp file: {}", tempFile, cleanupError);
+            }
+        }
+        return new Stored(fileId, size);
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public InputStream retrieve(String fileId) throws IOException {
+        validateFileId(fileId);
+        GetObjectRequest request =
+                GetObjectRequest.builder().bucket(bucket).key(resolveKey(fileId)).build();
+        try {
+            ResponseInputStream<GetObjectResponse> stream = s3Client.getObject(request);
+            return new BufferedInputStream(stream);
+        } catch (NoSuchKeyException e) {
+            throw new IOException("File not found with ID: " + fileId, e);
+        } catch (SdkException e) {
+            throw new IOException("Failed to load object from S3", e);
+        }
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public byte[] retrieveBytes(String fileId) throws IOException {
+        validateFileId(fileId);
+        GetObjectRequest request =
+                GetObjectRequest.builder().bucket(bucket).key(resolveKey(fileId)).build();
+        try (ResponseInputStream<GetObjectResponse> stream = s3Client.getObject(request)) {
+            return stream.readAllBytes();
+        } catch (NoSuchKeyException e) {
+            throw new IOException("File not found with ID: " + fileId, e);
+        } catch (SdkException e) {
+            throw new IOException("Failed to load object from S3", e);
+        }
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public long size(String fileId) throws IOException {
+        validateFileId(fileId);
+        HeadObjectRequest request =
+                HeadObjectRequest.builder().bucket(bucket).key(resolveKey(fileId)).build();
+        try {
+            HeadObjectResponse response = s3Client.headObject(request);
+            return Optional.ofNullable(response.contentLength()).orElse(0L);
+        } catch (NoSuchKeyException e) {
+            throw new IOException("File not found with ID: " + fileId, e);
+        } catch (S3Exception e) {
+            if (e.statusCode() == 404) {
+                throw new IOException("File not found with ID: " + fileId, e);
+            }
+            throw new IOException("Failed to head object in S3", e);
+        } catch (SdkException e) {
+            throw new IOException("Failed to head object in S3", e);
+        }
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public boolean delete(String fileId) {
+        try {
+            validateFileId(fileId);
+        } catch (IllegalArgumentException e) {
+            log.warn("Refusing to delete invalid file id: {}", fileId);
+            return false;
+        }
+        try {
+            s3Client.deleteObject(
+                    DeleteObjectRequest.builder().bucket(bucket).key(resolveKey(fileId)).build());
+            return true;
+        } catch (SdkException e) {
+            log.error("Error deleting file with ID: {}", fileId, e);
+            return false;
+        }
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public boolean exists(String fileId) {
+        try {
+            validateFileId(fileId);
+        } catch (IllegalArgumentException e) {
+            return false;
+        }
+        HeadObjectRequest request =
+                HeadObjectRequest.builder().bucket(bucket).key(resolveKey(fileId)).build();
+        try {
+            s3Client.headObject(request);
+            return true;
+        } catch (NoSuchKeyException e) {
+            return false;
+        } catch (S3Exception e) {
+            if (e.statusCode() == 404) {
+                return false;
+            }
+            log.warn("Error checking existence for file ID: {}", fileId, e);
+            return false;
+        } catch (SdkException e) {
+            log.warn("Error checking existence for file ID: {}", fileId, e);
+            return false;
+        }
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public void close() {
+        if (!ownsClient) {
+            return;
+        }
+        try {
+            s3Client.close();
+        } catch (Exception e) {
+            log.warn("Error closing S3 client", e);
+        }
+    }
+
+    String resolveKey(String fileId) {
+        return keyPrefix + fileId;
+    }
+
+    private static void validateFileId(String fileId) {
+        if (fileId == null || fileId.isBlank()) {
+            throw new IllegalArgumentException("File ID must not be blank");
+        }
+        if (fileId.contains("..") || fileId.contains("/") || fileId.contains("\\")) {
+            throw new IllegalArgumentException("Invalid file ID");
+        }
+    }
+
+    private static String normalizePrefix(String prefix) {
+        if (prefix == null || prefix.isBlank()) {
+            return "";
+        }
+        String trimmed = prefix.trim();
+        if (trimmed.startsWith("/")) {
+            trimmed = trimmed.substring(1);
+        }
+        if (!trimmed.isEmpty() && !trimmed.endsWith("/")) {
+            trimmed = trimmed + "/";
+        }
+        return trimmed;
+    }
+}

app/proprietary/src/main/java/stirling/software/proprietary/cluster/s3/S3FileStoreConfiguration.java

@@ -0,0 +1,37 @@
+package stirling.software.proprietary.cluster.s3;
+
+import org.springframework.beans.factory.annotation.Value;
+import org.springframework.boot.autoconfigure.condition.ConditionalOnMissingBean;
+import org.springframework.boot.autoconfigure.condition.ConditionalOnProperty;
+import org.springframework.context.annotation.Bean;
+import org.springframework.context.annotation.Configuration;
+
+import lombok.RequiredArgsConstructor;
+import lombok.extern.slf4j.Slf4j;
+
+import stirling.software.common.cluster.FileStore;
+import stirling.software.common.model.ApplicationProperties;
+
+/** Activates the S3-backed transient {@link FileStore} when {@code cluster.artifactStore=s3}. */
+@Slf4j
+@Configuration
+@RequiredArgsConstructor
+@ConditionalOnProperty(prefix = "cluster", name = "artifactStore", havingValue = "s3")
+public class S3FileStoreConfiguration {
+
+    private final ApplicationProperties applicationProperties;
+
+    @Bean(destroyMethod = "close")
+    @ConditionalOnMissingBean
+    public FileStore fileStore(@Value("${cluster.s3.keyPrefix:transient/}") String keyPrefix) {
+        ApplicationProperties.Storage.S3 cfg = applicationProperties.getStorage().getS3();
+        S3Clients.Bundle bundle = S3Clients.build(cfg, "cluster file store");
+        // FileStore has no signed-URL contract; close the unused presigner immediately.
+        try {
+            bundle.presigner().close();
+        } catch (Exception ignored) {
+        }
+        log.info("Cluster FileStore: s3 (bucket={}, keyPrefix={})", cfg.getBucket(), keyPrefix);
+        return new S3FileStore(bundle.client(), cfg.getBucket(), keyPrefix, true);
+    }
+}

app/proprietary/src/main/java/stirling/software/proprietary/security/configuration/ee/EEAppConfig.java

@@ -49,7 +49,11 @@ public class EEAppConfig {
     @Profile("security & !saas")
     @Bean(name = "SSOAutoLogin")
     public boolean ssoAutoLogin() {
-        return applicationProperties.getPremium().getProFeatures().isSsoAutoLogin();
+        boolean enabled = applicationProperties.getPremium().getProFeatures().isSsoAutoLogin();
+        if (enabled) {
+            licenseKeyChecker.requireProOrEnterprise("premium.proFeatures.ssoAutoLogin=true");
+        }
+        return enabled;
     }
 
     // TODO: Remove post migration

app/proprietary/src/main/java/stirling/software/proprietary/security/configuration/ee/LicenseKeyChecker.java

@@ -32,7 +32,10 @@ public class LicenseKeyChecker {
 
     private final UserLicenseSettingsService licenseSettingsService;
 
-    private License premiumEnabledResult = License.NORMAL;
+    // volatile: written by evaluateLicense() on the @Scheduled refresh thread, read by request
+    // threads via getPremiumLicenseEnabledResult() / requireProOrEnterprise(). Ensures readers see
+    // the latest tier rather than a stale cached value.
+    private volatile License premiumEnabledResult = License.NORMAL;
 
     public LicenseKeyChecker(
             KeygenLicenseVerifier licenseService,
@@ -133,4 +136,16 @@ public class LicenseKeyChecker {
     public License getPremiumLicenseEnabledResult() {
         return premiumEnabledResult;
     }
+
+    /**
+     * Throws {@link IllegalStateException} if the current license is not Pro or Enterprise. Used by
+     * boot-time gates to fail fast when an operator enables a premium-only setting without a valid
+     * license. {@code configuredAs} is the human-readable property path (e.g. {@code
+     * "storage.provider=s3"}) and appears in the exception message.
+     */
+    public void requireProOrEnterprise(String configuredAs) {
+        if (premiumEnabledResult != License.SERVER && premiumEnabledResult != License.ENTERPRISE) {
+            throw new IllegalStateException(configuredAs + " requires a Pro or Enterprise license");
+        }
+    }
 }

app/proprietary/src/main/java/stirling/software/proprietary/security/service/CustomOAuth2UserService.java

@@ -1,6 +1,10 @@
 package stirling.software.proprietary.security.service;
 
+import java.util.Collections;
+import java.util.Map;
 import java.util.Optional;
+import java.util.Set;
+import java.util.TreeSet;
 
 import org.springframework.security.authentication.LockedException;
 import org.springframework.security.oauth2.client.oidc.userinfo.OidcUserRequest;
@@ -8,6 +12,8 @@ import org.springframework.security.oauth2.client.oidc.userinfo.OidcUserService;
 import org.springframework.security.oauth2.client.userinfo.OAuth2UserService;
 import org.springframework.security.oauth2.core.OAuth2AuthenticationException;
 import org.springframework.security.oauth2.core.OAuth2Error;
+import org.springframework.security.oauth2.core.oidc.OidcIdToken;
+import org.springframework.security.oauth2.core.oidc.OidcUserInfo;
 import org.springframework.security.oauth2.core.oidc.user.DefaultOidcUser;
 import org.springframework.security.oauth2.core.oidc.user.OidcUser;
 
@@ -39,20 +45,37 @@ public class CustomOAuth2UserService implements OAuth2UserService<OidcUserReques
 
     @Override
     public OidcUser loadUser(OidcUserRequest userRequest) throws OAuth2AuthenticationException {
+        String registrationId = userRequest.getClientRegistration().getRegistrationId();
+        boolean debugLogging = Boolean.TRUE.equals(oauth2Properties.getDebugLogging());
+        // Resolved inside the try so a bad/null useAsUsername (IllegalArgumentException from
+        // valueOf, or NPE on toUpperCase) is caught and wrapped as OAuth2AuthenticationException
+        // by the existing handlers below, matching the pre-debugLogging behaviour.
+        String usernameAttributeKey = null;
+
         try {
-            OidcUser user = delegate.loadUser(userRequest);
-            String usernameAttributeKey =
+            usernameAttributeKey =
                     UsernameAttribute.valueOf(oauth2Properties.getUseAsUsername().toUpperCase())
                             .getName();
+            OidcUser user = delegate.loadUser(userRequest);
+
+            if (debugLogging) {
+                logClaimDump(
+                        "OAuth2/OIDC login claims received",
+                        registrationId,
+                        usernameAttributeKey,
+                        user.getIdToken(),
+                        user.getUserInfo(),
+                        user.getAttributes(),
+                        false);
+            }
 
             // Extract SSO provider information
             String ssoProviderId = user.getSubject(); // Standard OIDC 'sub' claim
-            String ssoProvider = userRequest.getClientRegistration().getRegistrationId();
             String username = user.getAttribute(usernameAttributeKey);
 
             log.debug(
                     "OAuth2 login - Provider: {}, ProviderId: {}, Username: {}",
-                    ssoProvider,
+                    registrationId,
                     ssoProviderId,
                     username);
 
@@ -79,10 +102,154 @@ public class CustomOAuth2UserService implements OAuth2UserService<OidcUserReques
                     usernameAttributeKey);
         } catch (IllegalArgumentException e) {
             log.error("Error loading OIDC user: {}", e.getMessage());
+            // Only emit the claim dump if we successfully resolved usernameAttributeKey. A null
+            // value here means UsernameAttribute.valueOf rejected the configured useAsUsername
+            // before delegate.loadUser ran — that error message is self-explanatory and a claim
+            // dump would have no resolved-key to compare against.
+            if (debugLogging && usernameAttributeKey != null) {
+                // The DefaultOidcUser constructor (or our own checks) rejected the chosen
+                // username attribute. Dump the claims we DID receive so the operator can pick
+                // a different value for security.oauth2.useAsUsername.
+                logClaimDump(
+                        "OAuth2/OIDC login FAILED - dumping received claims",
+                        registrationId,
+                        usernameAttributeKey,
+                        userRequest.getIdToken(),
+                        null,
+                        userRequest.getIdToken() == null
+                                ? Collections.emptyMap()
+                                : userRequest.getIdToken().getClaims(),
+                        true);
+            }
             throw new OAuth2AuthenticationException(new OAuth2Error(e.getMessage()), e);
         } catch (Exception e) {
             log.error("Unexpected error loading OIDC user", e);
+            if (debugLogging && usernameAttributeKey != null && userRequest.getIdToken() != null) {
+                logClaimDump(
+                        "OAuth2/OIDC login FAILED (unexpected error) - dumping ID token claims",
+                        registrationId,
+                        usernameAttributeKey,
+                        userRequest.getIdToken(),
+                        null,
+                        userRequest.getIdToken().getClaims(),
+                        true);
+            }
             throw new OAuth2AuthenticationException("Unexpected error during authentication");
         }
     }
+
+    /**
+     * Emits a multi-line diagnostic dump of the claims returned by the OAuth2/OIDC provider. Only
+     * invoked when {@code security.oauth2.debugLogging=true}.
+     *
+     * @param banner short title for the log block
+     * @param registrationId Spring client registration id (e.g. "demarest", "keycloak")
+     * @param usernameAttributeKey the claim key the application is configured to use as username
+     * @param idToken the decoded ID token, may be null on unexpected failures
+     * @param userInfo the decoded UserInfo response, may be null if the provider returned none
+     * @param mergedAttributes the merged attribute map Spring uses for {@code getAttribute()}
+     * @param failure true if logging in the error path (uses ERROR level), false for INFO
+     */
+    private void logClaimDump(
+            String banner,
+            String registrationId,
+            String usernameAttributeKey,
+            OidcIdToken idToken,
+            OidcUserInfo userInfo,
+            Map<String, Object> mergedAttributes,
+            boolean failure) {
+        StringBuilder sb = new StringBuilder();
+        sb.append("\n========== [OAUTH2 DEBUG] ").append(banner).append(" ==========\n");
+        sb.append("Provider registrationId : ").append(registrationId).append('\n');
+        sb.append("Configured useAsUsername: ")
+                .append(oauth2Properties.getUseAsUsername())
+                .append(" (looks up claim key '")
+                .append(usernameAttributeKey)
+                .append("')\n");
+
+        if (idToken != null) {
+            Map<String, Object> idClaims = idToken.getClaims();
+            sb.append("\n-- ID token claims (")
+                    .append(idClaims == null ? 0 : idClaims.size())
+                    .append(") --\n");
+            appendClaims(sb, idClaims);
+            sb.append("ID token issued at : ").append(idToken.getIssuedAt()).append('\n');
+            sb.append("ID token expires at: ").append(idToken.getExpiresAt()).append('\n');
+        } else {
+            sb.append("\n-- ID token: <null> --\n");
+        }
+
+        if (userInfo != null && userInfo.getClaims() != null) {
+            sb.append("\n-- UserInfo endpoint claims (")
+                    .append(userInfo.getClaims().size())
+                    .append(") --\n");
+            appendClaims(sb, userInfo.getClaims());
+        } else {
+            sb.append("\n-- UserInfo endpoint claims: none returned --\n");
+        }
+
+        if (mergedAttributes != null) {
+            sb.append("\n-- Merged attribute keys available to useAsUsername: ")
+                    .append(new TreeSet<>(mergedAttributes.keySet()))
+                    .append("\n");
+            Object resolved = mergedAttributes.get(usernameAttributeKey);
+            sb.append("-- Value at '")
+                    .append(usernameAttributeKey)
+                    .append("' : ")
+                    .append(resolved == null ? "<NULL — this is why login fails>" : resolved)
+                    .append('\n');
+
+            if (resolved == null) {
+                Set<String> hints = suggestUsernameClaims(mergedAttributes.keySet());
+                if (!hints.isEmpty()) {
+                    sb.append(
+                                    "-- Hint: the following claim(s) are present and map to a"
+                                            + " known UsernameAttribute value — try setting"
+                                            + " security.oauth2.useAsUsername to one of: ")
+                            .append(hints)
+                            .append('\n');
+                }
+            }
+        }
+
+        sb.append(
+                "\nWARNING: this block contains PII. Set security.oauth2.debugLogging=false once"
+                        + " troubleshooting is complete.\n");
+        sb.append("========== [/OAUTH2 DEBUG] ==========");
+
+        if (failure) {
+            log.error(sb.toString());
+        } else {
+            log.info(sb.toString());
+        }
+    }
+
+    private static void appendClaims(StringBuilder sb, Map<String, Object> claims) {
+        if (claims == null || claims.isEmpty()) {
+            sb.append("  (no claims)\n");
+            return;
+        }
+        // Sort for stable, scannable output
+        new TreeSet<>(claims.keySet())
+                .forEach(
+                        key -> {
+                            Object value = claims.get(key);
+                            sb.append("  ").append(key).append(" = ").append(value).append('\n');
+                        });
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Returns the intersection of the claim keys the provider actually returned and the keys that
+     * {@link UsernameAttribute} accepts — i.e. valid values the operator could put in {@code
+     * security.oauth2.useAsUsername} to make this login work.
+     */
+    private static Set<String> suggestUsernameClaims(Set<String> availableClaimKeys) {
+        Set<String> supported = new TreeSet<>();
+        for (UsernameAttribute attr : UsernameAttribute.values()) {
+            if (availableClaimKeys.contains(attr.getName())) {
+                supported.add(attr.getName());
+            }
+        }
+        return supported;
+    }
 }

app/proprietary/src/main/java/stirling/software/proprietary/storage/config/ClusterStorageGate.java

@@ -0,0 +1,95 @@
+package stirling.software.proprietary.storage.config;
+
+import java.util.Locale;
+import java.util.Optional;
+
+import org.springframework.beans.factory.annotation.Value;
+import org.springframework.context.annotation.Configuration;
+
+import jakarta.annotation.PostConstruct;
+
+import lombok.RequiredArgsConstructor;
+import lombok.extern.slf4j.Slf4j;
+
+import stirling.software.common.model.ApplicationProperties;
+import stirling.software.proprietary.security.configuration.ee.LicenseKeyChecker;
+
+/**
+ * Fails fast at boot if cluster mode is enabled with node-local storage. Validates both {@code
+ * storage.provider} (persistent uploads) and {@code cluster.artifactStore} (transient job-result
+ * files): neither may be {@code local} when {@code cluster.enabled=true}. Additionally enforces
+ * that any S3-backed configuration ({@code storage.provider=s3} or {@code
+ * cluster.artifactStore=s3}) is accompanied by a valid Pro / Enterprise license.
+ */
+@Configuration
+@RequiredArgsConstructor
+@Slf4j
+public class ClusterStorageGate {
+
+    private final ApplicationProperties applicationProperties;
+    private final LicenseKeyChecker licenseKeyChecker;
+
+    @Value("${cluster.enabled:false}")
+    private boolean clusterEnabled;
+
+    @Value("${cluster.artifactStore:local}")
+    private String clusterArtifactStore;
+
+    @PostConstruct
+    void validate() {
+        // License enforcement runs regardless of cluster.enabled: even a single-node setup that
+        // selects a remote backend must hold a Pro or higher license.
+        ApplicationProperties.Storage storage = applicationProperties.getStorage();
+        if (storage != null && storage.isEnabled()) {
+            String provider = normalize(storage.getProvider());
+            if ("s3".equals(provider) || "database".equals(provider)) {
+                licenseKeyChecker.requireProOrEnterprise("storage.provider=" + provider);
+            }
+        }
+        if ("s3".equals(normalize(clusterArtifactStore))) {
+            licenseKeyChecker.requireProOrEnterprise("cluster.artifactStore=s3");
+        }
+
+        if (!clusterEnabled) {
+            return;
+        }
+        if (storage != null && storage.isEnabled()) {
+            validate(
+                    "storage.provider",
+                    storage.getProvider(),
+                    "Local filesystem storage cannot be shared across cluster nodes."
+                            + " Configure storage.provider=s3 (with storage.s3.bucket /"
+                            + " endpoint / credentials) or storage.provider=database before"
+                            + " enabling clustering.");
+        }
+        validate(
+                "cluster.artifactStore",
+                clusterArtifactStore,
+                "Per-node disk cannot back transient job-result files in a multi-node"
+                        + " deployment; downloads would 404 whenever the load balancer routes"
+                        + " a follow-up request to a different node. Configure"
+                        + " cluster.artifactStore=s3 (reuses storage.s3.* config)"
+                        + " before enabling clustering.");
+    }
+
+    private static String normalize(String value) {
+        return Optional.ofNullable(value).orElse("local").trim().toLowerCase(Locale.ROOT);
+    }
+
+    private static void validate(String propertyName, String configuredValue, String remediation) {
+        String normalized =
+                Optional.ofNullable(configuredValue)
+                        .orElse("local")
+                        .trim()
+                        .toLowerCase(Locale.ROOT);
+        if ("local".equals(normalized)) {
+            throw new IllegalStateException(
+                    "Cluster mode (cluster.enabled=true) is incompatible with "
+                            + propertyName
+                            + "=local. "
+                            + remediation);
+        }
+        log.info(
+                "Cluster storage gate: clusterEnabled=true, {}={} -> OK", propertyName, normalized);
+    }
+}

app/proprietary/src/main/java/stirling/software/proprietary/storage/config/StorageProviderConfig.java

@@ -15,8 +15,11 @@ import lombok.extern.slf4j.Slf4j;
 
 import stirling.software.common.configuration.InstallationPathConfig;
 import stirling.software.common.model.ApplicationProperties;
+import stirling.software.proprietary.cluster.s3.S3Clients;
+import stirling.software.proprietary.security.configuration.ee.LicenseKeyChecker;
 import stirling.software.proprietary.storage.provider.DatabaseStorageProvider;
 import stirling.software.proprietary.storage.provider.LocalStorageProvider;
+import stirling.software.proprietary.storage.provider.S3StorageProvider;
 import stirling.software.proprietary.storage.provider.StorageProvider;
 import stirling.software.proprietary.storage.repository.StoredFileBlobRepository;
 
@@ -27,8 +30,9 @@ public class StorageProviderConfig {
 
     private final ApplicationProperties applicationProperties;
     private final StoredFileBlobRepository storedFileBlobRepository;
+    private final LicenseKeyChecker licenseKeyChecker;
 
-    @Bean
+    @Bean(destroyMethod = "close")
     public StorageProvider storageProvider() {
         boolean storageEnabled = applicationProperties.getStorage().isEnabled();
         String providerName =
@@ -37,8 +41,13 @@ public class StorageProviderConfig {
                         .trim()
                         .toLowerCase(Locale.ROOT);
         if ("database".equals(providerName)) {
+            licenseKeyChecker.requireProOrEnterprise("storage.provider=database");
             return new DatabaseStorageProvider(storedFileBlobRepository);
         }
+        if ("s3".equals(providerName)) {
+            licenseKeyChecker.requireProOrEnterprise("storage.provider=s3");
+            return buildS3Provider(applicationProperties.getStorage().getS3());
+        }
         if (!"local".equals(providerName)) {
             throw new IllegalStateException("Storage provider not supported: " + providerName);
         }
@@ -71,4 +80,9 @@ public class StorageProviderConfig {
         }
         return new LocalStorageProvider(basePath);
     }
+
+    private S3StorageProvider buildS3Provider(ApplicationProperties.Storage.S3 cfg) {
+        S3Clients.Bundle bundle = S3Clients.build(cfg, "storage provider");
+        return new S3StorageProvider(bundle.client(), bundle.presigner(), cfg.getBucket());
+    }
 }

app/proprietary/src/main/java/stirling/software/proprietary/storage/controller/FileFolderPlacementController.java

@@ -0,0 +1,91 @@
+package stirling.software.proprietary.storage.controller;
+
+import java.util.List;
+import java.util.UUID;
+
+import org.springframework.http.HttpStatus;
+import org.springframework.http.ResponseEntity;
+import org.springframework.web.bind.annotation.PatchMapping;
+import org.springframework.web.bind.annotation.PathVariable;
+import org.springframework.web.bind.annotation.RequestBody;
+import org.springframework.web.bind.annotation.RequestMapping;
+import org.springframework.web.bind.annotation.RestController;
+
+import jakarta.validation.Valid;
+import jakarta.validation.constraints.NotNull;
+import jakarta.validation.constraints.Size;
+
+import lombok.AllArgsConstructor;
+import lombok.Data;
+import lombok.NoArgsConstructor;
+import lombok.RequiredArgsConstructor;
+
+import stirling.software.proprietary.storage.service.FolderService;
+
+/**
+ * Folder placement endpoints for existing stored files. Thin adapter: validates the request shape,
+ * delegates the transaction to {@link FolderService}, then maps the result onto the HTTP status.
+ * Authentication, storage-gate, ownership checks, and the bulk cap all live on the service (where
+ * {@code @Transactional} also lives) so the JDBC connection isn't held through JSON serialization.
+ */
+@RestController
+@RequestMapping("/api/v1/storage/files")
+@RequiredArgsConstructor
+public class FileFolderPlacementController {
+
+    private static final int BULK_MOVE_MAX_FILES = 1000;
+
+    private final FolderService folderService;
+
+    /** Move a single file to a folder (or to root when folderId is null). */
+    @PatchMapping("/{fileId}/folder")
+    public ResponseEntity<Void> moveFileToFolder(
+            @PathVariable Long fileId, @Valid @RequestBody FolderPlacement body) {
+        folderService.moveFileToFolder(fileId, body.getFolderId());
+        return ResponseEntity.noContent().build();
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Bulk move - fewer round-trips than calling the single endpoint N times. Returns 200 on full
+     * success, 207 (Multi-Status) when some files were skipped (typically because they don't belong
+     * to the caller).
+     */
+    @PatchMapping("/folder")
+    public ResponseEntity<BulkMoveResponse> bulkMove(@Valid @RequestBody BulkMoveRequest body) {
+        FolderService.BulkMoveResult result =
+                folderService.bulkMoveFilesToFolder(body.getFolderId(), body.getFileIds());
+        HttpStatus status =
+                result.skippedFileIds().isEmpty() ? HttpStatus.OK : HttpStatus.MULTI_STATUS;
+        return ResponseEntity.status(status)
+                .body(new BulkMoveResponse(result.movedFileIds(), result.skippedFileIds()));
+    }
+
+    @Data
+    @NoArgsConstructor
+    @AllArgsConstructor
+    public static class FolderPlacement {
+        private UUID folderId;
+    }
+
+    @Data
+    @NoArgsConstructor
+    @AllArgsConstructor
+    public static class BulkMoveRequest {
+        private UUID folderId;
+
+        @NotNull
+        @Size(
+                min = 1,
+                max = BULK_MOVE_MAX_FILES,
+                message = "fileIds must contain between 1 and 1000 entries")
+        private List<Long> fileIds;
+    }
+
+    @Data
+    @NoArgsConstructor
+    @AllArgsConstructor
+    public static class BulkMoveResponse {
+        private List<Long> movedFileIds;
+        private List<Long> skippedFileIds;
+    }
+}

app/proprietary/src/main/java/stirling/software/proprietary/storage/controller/FileStorageController.java

@@ -1,7 +1,11 @@
 package stirling.software.proprietary.storage.controller;
 
+import java.io.IOException;
+import java.net.URI;
+import java.time.Duration;
 import java.util.List;
 import java.util.Locale;
+import java.util.Optional;
 
 import org.springframework.http.ContentDisposition;
 import org.springframework.http.HttpHeaders;
@@ -25,6 +29,7 @@ import org.springframework.web.server.ResponseStatusException;
 import io.swagger.v3.oas.annotations.tags.Tag;
 
 import lombok.RequiredArgsConstructor;
+import lombok.extern.slf4j.Slf4j;
 
 import stirling.software.proprietary.security.model.User;
 import stirling.software.proprietary.storage.model.FileShare;
@@ -35,17 +40,22 @@ import stirling.software.proprietary.storage.model.api.ShareLinkMetadataResponse
 import stirling.software.proprietary.storage.model.api.ShareLinkResponse;
 import stirling.software.proprietary.storage.model.api.ShareWithUserRequest;
 import stirling.software.proprietary.storage.model.api.StoredFileResponse;
+import stirling.software.proprietary.storage.provider.StorageProvider;
 import stirling.software.proprietary.storage.service.FileStorageService;
 
 @RestController
 @RequestMapping("/api/v1/storage")
 @RequiredArgsConstructor
+@Slf4j
 @Tag(
         name = "File Storage",
         description = "Stored file management, sharing, and share link operations")
 public class FileStorageController {
 
+    private static final Duration SIGNED_URL_TTL = Duration.ofMinutes(5);
+
     private final FileStorageService fileStorageService;
+    private final StorageProvider storageProvider;
 
     @PostMapping(
             value = "/files",
@@ -91,7 +101,9 @@ public class FileStorageController {
         User user = fileStorageService.requireAuthenticatedUser();
         StoredFile file = fileStorageService.getAccessibleFile(user, fileId);
         fileStorageService.requireReadAccess(user, file);
-        return buildFileResponse(file, inline);
+        Optional<ResponseEntity<org.springframework.core.io.Resource>> redirect =
+                tryRedirectToSignedUrl(file, inline);
+        return redirect.orElseGet(() -> buildFileResponse(file, inline));
     }
 
     @DeleteMapping("/files/{fileId}")
@@ -189,7 +201,9 @@ public class FileStorageController {
         fileStorageService.requireReadAccess(share);
         fileStorageService.recordShareAccess(share, authentication, inline);
         StoredFile file = share.getFile();
-        return buildFileResponse(file, inline);
+        Optional<ResponseEntity<org.springframework.core.io.Resource>> redirect =
+                tryRedirectToSignedUrl(file, inline);
+        return redirect.orElseGet(() -> buildFileResponse(file, inline));
     }
 
     @GetMapping("/share-links/{token}/metadata")
@@ -272,4 +286,34 @@ public class FileStorageController {
                 && authentication.isAuthenticated()
                 && !"anonymousUser".equals(authentication.getPrincipal());
     }
+
+    private Optional<ResponseEntity<org.springframework.core.io.Resource>> tryRedirectToSignedUrl(
+            StoredFile file, boolean inline) {
+        if (file == null || file.getStorageKey() == null || file.getStorageKey().isBlank()) {
+            return Optional.empty();
+        }
+        try {
+            Optional<URI> signed =
+                    storageProvider.signedDownloadUrl(
+                            file.getStorageKey(),
+                            SIGNED_URL_TTL,
+                            inline,
+                            file.getOriginalFilename());
+            if (signed.isEmpty()) {
+                return Optional.empty();
+            }
+            HttpHeaders headers = new HttpHeaders();
+            headers.setLocation(signed.get());
+            ResponseEntity<org.springframework.core.io.Resource> response =
+                    ResponseEntity.status(HttpStatus.FOUND).headers(headers).build();
+            return Optional.of(response);
+        } catch (IOException e) {
+            log.warn(
+                    "Failed to create signed download URL for file {} (key: {}), falling back to streaming",
+                    file.getId(),
+                    file.getStorageKey(),
+                    e);
+            return Optional.empty();
+        }
+    }
 }

app/proprietary/src/main/java/stirling/software/proprietary/storage/controller/FolderController.java

@@ -0,0 +1,70 @@
+package stirling.software.proprietary.storage.controller;
+
+import java.net.URI;
+import java.util.List;
+import java.util.UUID;
+
+import org.springframework.http.HttpStatus;
+import org.springframework.http.ResponseEntity;
+import org.springframework.web.bind.annotation.DeleteMapping;
+import org.springframework.web.bind.annotation.GetMapping;
+import org.springframework.web.bind.annotation.PatchMapping;
+import org.springframework.web.bind.annotation.PathVariable;
+import org.springframework.web.bind.annotation.PostMapping;
+import org.springframework.web.bind.annotation.RequestBody;
+import org.springframework.web.bind.annotation.RequestMapping;
+import org.springframework.web.bind.annotation.RestController;
+
+import jakarta.validation.Valid;
+
+import lombok.RequiredArgsConstructor;
+
+import stirling.software.proprietary.storage.model.api.CreateFolderRequest;
+import stirling.software.proprietary.storage.model.api.FolderResponse;
+import stirling.software.proprietary.storage.model.api.UpdateFolderRequest;
+import stirling.software.proprietary.storage.service.FolderService;
+
+/**
+ * REST endpoints for user-owned folders. Phase A - no folder-level sharing yet (Phase 3).
+ *
+ * <p>All operations are scoped to the authenticated user; existing single-file storage endpoints in
+ * {@link FileStorageController} are left alone so the cert-signing and standard upload flows are
+ * unaffected.
+ */
+@RestController
+@RequestMapping("/api/v1/storage/folders")
+@RequiredArgsConstructor
+public class FolderController {
+
+    private final FolderService folderService;
+
+    @GetMapping
+    public List<FolderResponse> listFolders() {
+        return folderService.listFolders();
+    }
+
+    @PostMapping
+    public ResponseEntity<FolderResponse> createFolder(
+            @Valid @RequestBody CreateFolderRequest request) {
+        FolderResponse response = folderService.createFolder(request);
+        // 201 Created with Location header - conventional REST. The idempotent re-return path
+        // (same id resubmitted) also lands here; treating it as 201 keeps wire semantics simple.
+        return ResponseEntity.status(HttpStatus.CREATED)
+                .location(URI.create("/api/v1/storage/folders/" + response.id()))
+                .body(response);
+    }
+
+    @PatchMapping("/{folderId}")
+    public ResponseEntity<FolderResponse> updateFolder(
+            @PathVariable UUID folderId, @Valid @RequestBody UpdateFolderRequest request) {
+        return ResponseEntity.ok(folderService.updateFolder(folderId, request));
+    }
+
+    @DeleteMapping("/{folderId}")
+    public ResponseEntity<DeleteFolderResponse> deleteFolder(@PathVariable UUID folderId) {
+        List<UUID> removed = folderService.deleteFolder(folderId);
+        return ResponseEntity.ok(new DeleteFolderResponse(removed));
+    }
+
+    public record DeleteFolderResponse(List<UUID> removedFolderIds) {}
+}

app/proprietary/src/main/java/stirling/software/proprietary/storage/model/Folder.java

@@ -0,0 +1,104 @@
+package stirling.software.proprietary.storage.model;
+
+import java.io.Serializable;
+import java.time.LocalDateTime;
+import java.util.UUID;
+
+import org.hibernate.annotations.CreationTimestamp;
+import org.hibernate.annotations.OnDelete;
+import org.hibernate.annotations.OnDeleteAction;
+import org.hibernate.annotations.UpdateTimestamp;
+
+import jakarta.persistence.Column;
+import jakarta.persistence.Entity;
+import jakarta.persistence.FetchType;
+import jakarta.persistence.Id;
+import jakarta.persistence.Index;
+import jakarta.persistence.JoinColumn;
+import jakarta.persistence.ManyToOne;
+import jakarta.persistence.Table;
+import jakarta.persistence.Version;
+
+import lombok.Getter;
+import lombok.NoArgsConstructor;
+import lombok.Setter;
+
+import stirling.software.proprietary.security.model.User;
+
+/**
+ * A user-owned folder used by the file manager UI to organise stored files. Phase A entity - no
+ * folder-level sharing yet (Phase 3).
+ *
+ * <p>The id is a UUID rather than a numeric auto-increment so it round-trips with the
+ * client-generated {@code FolderId} and survives cross-device sync without re-keying.
+ */
+@Entity
+@Table(
+        name = "folders",
+        indexes = {
+            @Index(name = "idx_folders_owner", columnList = "owner_id"),
+            @Index(name = "idx_folders_parent", columnList = "parent_folder_id"),
+            @Index(name = "idx_folders_owner_parent", columnList = "owner_id, parent_folder_id")
+        })
+@NoArgsConstructor
+@Getter
+@Setter
+public class Folder implements Serializable {
+
+    private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
+
+    /**
+     * Dialect-portable UUID column. The previous {@code columnDefinition = "uuid"} was
+     * Postgres-specific and broke on H2/MariaDB. Hibernate's {@code UUID} mapping picks the right
+     * native type per dialect (BINARY(16) on H2/MariaDB, uuid on Postgres) when no explicit
+     * columnDefinition is set.
+     */
+    @Id
+    @Column(name = "folder_id", nullable = false)
+    private UUID id;
+
+    /**
+     * {@code OnDeleteAction.CASCADE} so deleting the owning {@code User} cascades to this row at
+     * the DB level - UserService.deleteUserRelatedData doesn't enumerate folders today, and leaving
+     * the FK without an action throws a constraint violation on user delete.
+     */
+    @ManyToOne(fetch = FetchType.LAZY)
+    @JoinColumn(name = "owner_id", nullable = false)
+    @OnDelete(action = OnDeleteAction.CASCADE)
+    private User owner;
+
+    /**
+     * Parent folder; null = root. {@code OnDeleteAction.CASCADE} so a backend-side parent delete
+     * cleans children automatically, matching the service-layer recursive-delete contract.
+     */
+    @ManyToOne(fetch = FetchType.LAZY)
+    @JoinColumn(name = "parent_folder_id")
+    @OnDelete(action = OnDeleteAction.CASCADE)
+    private Folder parent;
+
+    @Column(name = "name", nullable = false, length = 255)
+    private String name;
+
+    @Column(name = "color", length = 32)
+    private String color;
+
+    @Column(name = "icon", length = 64)
+    private String icon;
+
+    /**
+     * Optimistic-locking version. Cross-PC sync without this lets last-write-win silently. The
+     * column is nullable so existing rows from a pre-version deployment can be backfilled by
+     * Hibernate's update-on-write rather than failing the ddl-auto upgrade.
+     */
+    @Version
+    @Column(name = "version")
+    private Long version;
+
+    @CreationTimestamp
+    @Column(name = "created_at", updatable = false)
+    private LocalDateTime createdAt;
+
+    @UpdateTimestamp
+    @Column(name = "updated_at")
+    private LocalDateTime updatedAt;
+}

app/proprietary/src/main/java/stirling/software/proprietary/storage/model/StoredFile.java

@@ -6,6 +6,8 @@ import java.util.HashSet;
 import java.util.Set;
 
 import org.hibernate.annotations.CreationTimestamp;
+import org.hibernate.annotations.OnDelete;
+import org.hibernate.annotations.OnDeleteAction;
 import org.hibernate.annotations.UpdateTimestamp;
 
 import jakarta.persistence.CascadeType;
@@ -35,7 +37,8 @@ import stirling.software.proprietary.workflow.model.WorkflowSession;
         name = "stored_files",
         indexes = {
             @Index(name = "idx_stored_files_owner", columnList = "owner_id"),
-            @Index(name = "idx_stored_files_workflow", columnList = "workflow_session_id")
+            @Index(name = "idx_stored_files_workflow", columnList = "workflow_session_id"),
+            @Index(name = "idx_stored_files_folder", columnList = "folder_id")
         })
 @NoArgsConstructor
 @Getter
@@ -106,6 +109,20 @@ public class StoredFile implements Serializable {
             orphanRemoval = true)
     private Set<FileShare> shares = new HashSet<>();
 
+    /**
+     * Optional folder placement for the file manager UI. Null = root. Hibernate ddl-auto will add
+     * this as a nullable column on upgrade so existing records continue to work untouched.
+     *
+     * <p>{@code OnDeleteAction.SET_NULL} so any backend that drops a folder row (admin script,
+     * future cleanup job, cascading user delete) cleanly orphans files to root rather than leaving
+     * dangling FK references. The application path ({@code FolderRepository.clearFolderForFiles})
+     * still runs first as a belt-and-braces.
+     */
+    @ManyToOne(fetch = FetchType.LAZY)
+    @JoinColumn(name = "folder_id")
+    @OnDelete(action = OnDeleteAction.SET_NULL)
+    private Folder folder;
+
     @CreationTimestamp
     @Column(name = "created_at", updatable = false)
     private LocalDateTime createdAt;

app/proprietary/src/main/java/stirling/software/proprietary/storage/model/api/CreateFolderRequest.java

@@ -0,0 +1,43 @@
+package stirling.software.proprietary.storage.model.api;
+
+import java.util.UUID;
+
+import jakarta.validation.constraints.NotBlank;
+import jakarta.validation.constraints.Pattern;
+import jakarta.validation.constraints.Size;
+
+import lombok.AllArgsConstructor;
+import lombok.Data;
+import lombok.NoArgsConstructor;
+
+@Data
+@NoArgsConstructor
+@AllArgsConstructor
+public class CreateFolderRequest {
+
+    /**
+     * Client-generated UUID - lets the caller round-trip the same id it stored locally. Optional;
+     * the server generates one when missing.
+     */
+    private UUID id;
+
+    @NotBlank
+    @Size(max = 255)
+    private String name;
+
+    private UUID parentFolderId;
+
+    /** Hex colour string (#rrggbb or #rrggbbaa) - matches the frontend palette format. */
+    @Size(max = 32)
+    @Pattern(
+            regexp = "^#[0-9a-fA-F]{6}([0-9a-fA-F]{2})?$",
+            message = "color must be a #RRGGBB or #RRGGBBAA hex value")
+    private String color;
+
+    /** Icon identifier - lowercase alphanumerics, hyphens, underscores only. */
+    @Size(max = 64)
+    @Pattern(
+            regexp = "^[a-z0-9_-]+$",
+            message = "icon must be a lowercase id (a-z, 0-9, '-' or '_')")
+    private String icon;
+}

app/proprietary/src/main/java/stirling/software/proprietary/storage/model/api/FolderResponse.java

@@ -0,0 +1,38 @@
+package stirling.software.proprietary.storage.model.api;
+
+import java.time.LocalDateTime;
+import java.util.UUID;
+
+import stirling.software.proprietary.storage.model.Folder;
+
+/**
+ * Outbound DTO for folder responses. Records are immutable, value-equality-based, and far less
+ * accident-prone than a {@code @Data} class with public setters.
+ */
+public record FolderResponse(
+        UUID id,
+        String name,
+        UUID parentFolderId,
+        String color,
+        String icon,
+        Long version,
+        LocalDateTime createdAt,
+        LocalDateTime updatedAt) {
+
+    public static FolderResponse from(Folder folder) {
+        // {@code folder.getParent().getId()} on a lazy proxy returns the FK value cached at the
+        // join column WITHOUT initialising the proxy under standard Hibernate, so this does
+        // not N+1. If a future Hibernate update changes that, switch the JPQL list query to a
+        // constructor projection.
+        UUID parentId = folder.getParent() == null ? null : folder.getParent().getId();
+        return new FolderResponse(
+                folder.getId(),
+                folder.getName(),
+                parentId,
+                folder.getColor(),
+                folder.getIcon(),
+                folder.getVersion(),
+                folder.getCreatedAt(),
+                folder.getUpdatedAt());
+    }
+}

app/proprietary/src/main/java/stirling/software/proprietary/storage/model/api/StoredFileResponse.java

@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ package stirling.software.proprietary.storage.model.api;
 
 import java.time.LocalDateTime;
 import java.util.List;
+import java.util.UUID;
 
 import lombok.Builder;
 import lombok.Getter;
@@ -22,4 +23,10 @@ public class StoredFileResponse {
     private final List<SharedUserResponse> sharedUsers;
     private final List<ShareLinkResponse> shareLinks;
     private final String filePurpose;
+
+    /**
+     * Optional folder placement (Phase A). Null when the file lives at the root or when the server
+     * build doesn't have the folders feature enabled - existing clients should treat null as root.
+     */
+    private final UUID folderId;
 }

app/proprietary/src/main/java/stirling/software/proprietary/storage/model/api/UpdateFolderRequest.java

@@ -0,0 +1,58 @@
+package stirling.software.proprietary.storage.model.api;
+
+import java.util.UUID;
+
+import jakarta.validation.constraints.Pattern;
+import jakarta.validation.constraints.Size;
+
+import lombok.AllArgsConstructor;
+import lombok.Data;
+import lombok.NoArgsConstructor;
+
+/**
+ * PATCH-style update - every field is optional. Send only the fields you want to change.
+ *
+ * <p>The {@code reparent} flag distinguishes "do not change parent" from "move to root" since
+ * {@code parentFolderId == null} alone is ambiguous in a sparse body. We use a boxed {@link
+ * Boolean} so a missing field deserialises to {@code null} (= "do not reparent") rather than to
+ * primitive {@code false}, removing a class of "I PATCHed only the name but the server reset my
+ * parent" footguns.
+ *
+ * <p>When the trimmed name is empty (e.g. {@code " "}) the service rejects the request with HTTP
+ * 400 - silent drops are too easy to mistake for a successful rename.
+ */
+@Data
+@NoArgsConstructor
+@AllArgsConstructor
+public class UpdateFolderRequest {
+
+    /** When provided, must contain at least one non-whitespace character. */
+    @Size(max = 255)
+    @Pattern(regexp = "\\S.*", message = "name must not be blank")
+    private String name;
+
+    private Boolean reparent;
+    private UUID parentFolderId;
+
+    @Size(max = 32)
+    @Pattern(
+            regexp = "^(|#[0-9a-fA-F]{6}([0-9a-fA-F]{2})?)$",
+            message = "color must be empty or a #RRGGBB / #RRGGBBAA hex value")
+    private String color;
+
+    @Size(max = 64)
+    @Pattern(
+            regexp = "^([a-z0-9_-]+)?$",
+            message = "icon must be a lowercase id (a-z, 0-9, '-' or '_') or empty")
+    private String icon;
+
+    /**
+     * Convenience accessor - treats null as "do not reparent". Named differently from the
+     * Lombok-generated {@code getReparent()} so callers don't accidentally use one for the other
+     * (the getter is nullable {@code Boolean}; this method collapses to primitive).
+     */
+    @com.fasterxml.jackson.annotation.JsonIgnore
+    public boolean shouldReparent() {
+        return Boolean.TRUE.equals(reparent);
+    }
+}

app/proprietary/src/main/java/stirling/software/proprietary/storage/provider/LocalStorageProvider.java

@@ -24,6 +24,9 @@ public class LocalStorageProvider implements StorageProvider {
 
     @Override
     public StoredObject store(User owner, MultipartFile file) throws IOException {
+        if (owner == null || owner.getId() == null) {
+            throw new IllegalArgumentException("owner.id is required for local storage key");
+        }
         String originalFilename = sanitizeFilename(file.getOriginalFilename());
         String storageKey =
                 owner.getId()
@@ -77,6 +80,7 @@ public class LocalStorageProvider implements StorageProvider {
         if (filename == null || filename.isBlank()) {
             return "file";
         }
-        return Paths.get(filename).getFileName().toString();
+        String stripped = Paths.get(filename).getFileName().toString().replaceAll("\\p{Cntrl}", "");
+        return stripped.isBlank() ? "file" : stripped;
     }
 }

app/proprietary/src/main/java/stirling/software/proprietary/storage/provider/S3StorageProvider.java

@@ -0,0 +1,190 @@
+package stirling.software.proprietary.storage.provider;
+
+import java.io.IOException;
+import java.io.InputStream;
+import java.net.URI;
+import java.net.URISyntaxException;
+import java.nio.file.Paths;
+import java.time.Duration;
+import java.util.Optional;
+import java.util.UUID;
+
+import org.springframework.core.io.InputStreamResource;
+import org.springframework.core.io.Resource;
+import org.springframework.web.multipart.MultipartFile;
+
+import lombok.extern.slf4j.Slf4j;
+
+import stirling.software.proprietary.security.model.User;
+
+import software.amazon.awssdk.core.ResponseInputStream;
+import software.amazon.awssdk.core.exception.SdkException;
+import software.amazon.awssdk.core.sync.RequestBody;
+import software.amazon.awssdk.services.s3.S3Client;
+import software.amazon.awssdk.services.s3.model.DeleteObjectRequest;
+import software.amazon.awssdk.services.s3.model.GetObjectRequest;
+import software.amazon.awssdk.services.s3.model.GetObjectResponse;
+import software.amazon.awssdk.services.s3.model.NoSuchKeyException;
+import software.amazon.awssdk.services.s3.model.PutObjectRequest;
+import software.amazon.awssdk.services.s3.presigner.S3Presigner;
+import software.amazon.awssdk.services.s3.presigner.model.GetObjectPresignRequest;
+import software.amazon.awssdk.services.s3.presigner.model.PresignedGetObjectRequest;
+
+/** {@link StorageProvider} backed by an S3-compatible object store. */
+@Slf4j
+public class S3StorageProvider implements StorageProvider, AutoCloseable {
+
+    private final S3Client s3Client;
+    private final S3Presigner s3Presigner;
+    private final String bucket;
+
+    public S3StorageProvider(S3Client s3Client, S3Presigner s3Presigner, String bucket) {
+        if (bucket == null || bucket.isBlank()) {
+            throw new IllegalArgumentException("S3 bucket must be configured");
+        }
+        this.s3Client = s3Client;
+        this.s3Presigner = s3Presigner;
+        this.bucket = bucket;
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public StoredObject store(User owner, MultipartFile file) throws IOException {
+        if (owner == null || owner.getId() == null) {
+            throw new IllegalArgumentException("owner.id is required for S3 storage key");
+        }
+        String originalFilename = sanitizeFilename(file.getOriginalFilename());
+        // Key is opaque ({ownerId}/{uuid}) so non-ASCII filenames don't break vendors that
+        // restrict key charset (e.g. Supabase Storage returns 400 Invalid key on unicode).
+        // The display name is preserved in StoredObject.originalFilename and the DB row.
+        String storageKey = owner.getId() + "/" + UUID.randomUUID();
+
+        PutObjectRequest.Builder request =
+                PutObjectRequest.builder().bucket(bucket).key(storageKey);
+        if (file.getContentType() != null && !file.getContentType().isBlank()) {
+            request.contentType(file.getContentType());
+        }
+        try (InputStream inputStream = file.getInputStream()) {
+            s3Client.putObject(
+                    request.build(), RequestBody.fromInputStream(inputStream, file.getSize()));
+        } catch (SdkException e) {
+            throw new IOException("Failed to upload object to S3", e);
+        }
+
+        return StoredObject.builder()
+                .storageKey(storageKey)
+                .originalFilename(originalFilename)
+                .contentType(file.getContentType())
+                .sizeBytes(file.getSize())
+                .build();
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public Resource load(String storageKey) throws IOException {
+        GetObjectRequest request =
+                GetObjectRequest.builder().bucket(bucket).key(storageKey).build();
+        try {
+            ResponseInputStream<GetObjectResponse> stream = s3Client.getObject(request);
+            long contentLength =
+                    stream.response().contentLength() != null
+                            ? stream.response().contentLength()
+                            : -1;
+            return new InputStreamResource(stream) {
+                @Override
+                public long contentLength() {
+                    return contentLength;
+                }
+            };
+        } catch (NoSuchKeyException e) {
+            throw new IOException("File not found", e);
+        } catch (SdkException e) {
+            throw new IOException("Failed to load object from S3", e);
+        }
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public void delete(String storageKey) throws IOException {
+        try {
+            s3Client.deleteObject(
+                    DeleteObjectRequest.builder().bucket(bucket).key(storageKey).build());
+        } catch (SdkException e) {
+            throw new IOException("Failed to delete object from S3", e);
+        }
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public Optional<URI> signedDownloadUrl(String storageKey, Duration ttl) throws IOException {
+        return signedDownloadUrl(storageKey, ttl, false, null);
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public Optional<URI> signedDownloadUrl(
+            String storageKey, Duration ttl, boolean inline, String originalFilename)
+            throws IOException {
+        if (storageKey == null || storageKey.isBlank()) {
+            return Optional.empty();
+        }
+        Duration effectiveTtl =
+                ttl == null || ttl.isZero() || ttl.isNegative() ? Duration.ofMinutes(5) : ttl;
+        try {
+            GetObjectRequest.Builder getBuilder =
+                    GetObjectRequest.builder().bucket(bucket).key(storageKey);
+            String disposition = buildContentDisposition(inline, originalFilename);
+            if (disposition != null) {
+                getBuilder.responseContentDisposition(disposition);
+            }
+            GetObjectPresignRequest presignRequest =
+                    GetObjectPresignRequest.builder()
+                            .signatureDuration(effectiveTtl)
+                            .getObjectRequest(getBuilder.build())
+                            .build();
+            PresignedGetObjectRequest presigned = s3Presigner.presignGetObject(presignRequest);
+            return Optional.of(presigned.url().toURI());
+        } catch (SdkException | URISyntaxException e) {
+            log.warn("Failed to create presigned S3 GET URL for key {}", storageKey, e);
+            return Optional.empty();
+        }
+    }
+
+    // Returns null when originalFilename is blank; S3 falls back to its own default in that case.
+    static String buildContentDisposition(boolean inline, String originalFilename) {
+        if (originalFilename == null || originalFilename.isBlank()) {
+            return null;
+        }
+        // Strip CR/LF and other control chars before path parsing (Paths.get throws on them on
+        // Windows, and they defeat header parsers).
+        String stripped = originalFilename.replaceAll("\\p{Cntrl}", "");
+        // Use only the basename to avoid leaking directory structure into the header.
+        int lastSeparator = Math.max(stripped.lastIndexOf('/'), stripped.lastIndexOf('\\'));
+        if (lastSeparator >= 0) {
+            stripped = stripped.substring(lastSeparator + 1);
+        }
+        if (stripped.isBlank()) {
+            return null;
+        }
+        // Escape per RFC 6266 quoted-string rules.
+        String escaped = stripped.replace("\\", "\\\\").replace("\"", "\\\"");
+        return (inline ? "inline" : "attachment") + "; filename=\"" + escaped + "\"";
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public void close() {
+        try {
+            s3Presigner.close();
+        } catch (Exception e) {
+            log.warn("Error closing S3 presigner", e);
+        }
+        try {
+            s3Client.close();
+        } catch (Exception e) {
+            log.warn("Error closing S3 client", e);
+        }
+    }
+
+    private String sanitizeFilename(String filename) {
+        if (filename == null || filename.isBlank()) {
+            return "file";
+        }
+        String stripped = Paths.get(filename).getFileName().toString().replaceAll("\\p{Cntrl}", "");
+        return stripped.isBlank() ? "file" : stripped;
+    }
+}

app/proprietary/src/main/java/stirling/software/proprietary/storage/provider/StorageProvider.java

@@ -1,16 +1,45 @@
 package stirling.software.proprietary.storage.provider;
 
 import java.io.IOException;
+import java.net.URI;
+import java.time.Duration;
+import java.util.Optional;
 
 import org.springframework.core.io.Resource;
 import org.springframework.web.multipart.MultipartFile;
 
 import stirling.software.proprietary.security.model.User;
 
-public interface StorageProvider {
+public interface StorageProvider extends AutoCloseable {
     StoredObject store(User owner, MultipartFile file) throws IOException;
 
     Resource load(String storageKey) throws IOException;
 
     void delete(String storageKey) throws IOException;
+
+    /**
+     * Releases any backend-specific resources. Default no-op so {@link LocalStorageProvider} and
+     * {@link DatabaseStorageProvider} (which hold no closeable handles) satisfy Spring's
+     * {@code @Bean(destroyMethod = "close")} signature requirement without ceremony. {@code
+     * S3StorageProvider} overrides this to close the underlying SDK client + presigner.
+     */
+    @Override
+    default void close() {}
+
+    /**
+     * Returns a presigned download URL valid for {@code ttl}, or {@link Optional#empty()} if the
+     * provider does not support signed URLs (callers fall back to {@link #load(String)}).
+     */
+    default Optional<URI> signedDownloadUrl(String storageKey, Duration ttl) throws IOException {
+        return signedDownloadUrl(storageKey, ttl, false, null);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Like {@link #signedDownloadUrl(String, Duration)} with explicit Content-Disposition control.
+     */
+    default Optional<URI> signedDownloadUrl(
+            String storageKey, Duration ttl, boolean inline, String originalFilename)
+            throws IOException {
+        return Optional.empty();
+    }
 }

app/proprietary/src/main/java/stirling/software/proprietary/storage/repository/FolderRepository.java

@@ -0,0 +1,35 @@
+package stirling.software.proprietary.storage.repository;
+
+import java.util.List;
+import java.util.Optional;
+import java.util.UUID;
+
+import org.springframework.data.jpa.repository.JpaRepository;
+import org.springframework.data.jpa.repository.Modifying;
+import org.springframework.data.jpa.repository.Query;
+import org.springframework.data.repository.query.Param;
+
+import stirling.software.proprietary.security.model.User;
+import stirling.software.proprietary.storage.model.Folder;
+
+public interface FolderRepository extends JpaRepository<Folder, UUID> {
+
+    Optional<Folder> findByIdAndOwner(UUID id, User owner);
+
+    List<Folder> findAllByOwnerOrderByName(User owner);
+
+    long countByOwner(User owner);
+
+    /**
+     * Clear the folder reference on every file currently inside any of the given folders. Used when
+     * a folder subtree is deleted - files fall back to the root rather than dangling.
+     *
+     * <p>{@code flushAutomatically + clearAutomatically} forces Hibernate to flush any cached dirty
+     * {@code StoredFile} entities before the bulk UPDATE runs, and clears the persistence context
+     * afterwards so a subsequent {@code deleteAllByIdInBatch} on the parent folders doesn't see
+     * stale entity state referencing the about-to-be-deleted folder.
+     */
+    @Modifying(flushAutomatically = true, clearAutomatically = true)
+    @Query("UPDATE StoredFile sf SET sf.folder = null WHERE sf.folder.id IN :folderIds")
+    void clearFolderForFiles(@Param("folderIds") List<UUID> folderIds);
+}

app/proprietary/src/main/java/stirling/software/proprietary/storage/repository/StoredFileRepository.java

@@ -59,6 +59,13 @@ public interface StoredFileRepository extends JpaRepository<StoredFile, Long> {
 
     List<StoredFile> findAllByOwner(User owner);
 
+    /**
+     * Bulk lookup used by the folder-placement controller. Returns only files owned by {@code
+     * owner}; ids that don't exist or that belong to another user are silently dropped so the
+     * caller can compute the "skipped" set by subtraction.
+     */
+    List<StoredFile> findAllByIdInAndOwner(List<Long> ids, User owner);
+
     @Modifying
     @Transactional
     @Query(

app/proprietary/src/main/java/stirling/software/proprietary/storage/service/FileStorageService.java

@@ -459,6 +459,7 @@ public class FileStorageService {
                         file.getPurpose() != null
                                 ? file.getPurpose().name().toLowerCase(Locale.ROOT)
                                 : null)
+                .folderId(file.getFolder() != null ? file.getFolder().getId() : null)
                 .build();
     }
 

app/proprietary/src/main/java/stirling/software/proprietary/storage/service/FolderService.java

@@ -0,0 +1,417 @@
+package stirling.software.proprietary.storage.service;
+
+import java.util.ArrayDeque;
+import java.util.ArrayList;
+import java.util.Deque;
+import java.util.HashMap;
+import java.util.HashSet;
+import java.util.List;
+import java.util.Map;
+import java.util.Set;
+import java.util.UUID;
+
+import org.springframework.dao.DataIntegrityViolationException;
+import org.springframework.http.HttpStatus;
+import org.springframework.security.core.Authentication;
+import org.springframework.security.core.context.SecurityContextHolder;
+import org.springframework.stereotype.Service;
+import org.springframework.transaction.annotation.Transactional;
+import org.springframework.web.server.ResponseStatusException;
+
+import lombok.RequiredArgsConstructor;
+import lombok.extern.slf4j.Slf4j;
+
+import stirling.software.common.model.ApplicationProperties;
+import stirling.software.proprietary.security.model.User;
+import stirling.software.proprietary.storage.model.Folder;
+import stirling.software.proprietary.storage.model.StoredFile;
+import stirling.software.proprietary.storage.model.api.CreateFolderRequest;
+import stirling.software.proprietary.storage.model.api.FolderResponse;
+import stirling.software.proprietary.storage.model.api.UpdateFolderRequest;
+import stirling.software.proprietary.storage.repository.FolderRepository;
+import stirling.software.proprietary.storage.repository.StoredFileRepository;
+
+/**
+ * Phase A folder operations. Each call is scoped to the authenticated user - folders are private to
+ * their owner. Folder-level sharing is a Phase 3 feature.
+ */
+@Service
+@RequiredArgsConstructor
+@Slf4j
+public class FolderService {
+
+    /**
+     * Hard cap on folders per user. Beyond this {@link #createFolder} rejects with 409 - guards
+     * against per-account folder-explosion DoS and bounds the in-memory subtree walk in {@link
+     * #deleteFolder}.
+     */
+    private static final long MAX_FOLDERS_PER_USER = 5_000L;
+
+    /**
+     * Hard cap on chain depth from the root to any folder. Bounds the lazy-proxy walk in {@link
+     * #enforceDepthAndCycle} - otherwise a user could build a chain up to MAX_FOLDERS_PER_USER deep
+     * and force one Hibernate SELECT per ancestor on every reparent (5,000+ SELECTs == seconds of
+     * DB time per request, per-account weaponizable as DoS).
+     */
+    private static final int MAX_FOLDER_DEPTH = 64;
+
+    /**
+     * Hard cap on bulk-move payload size, mirroring the request-validation cap on {@code
+     * FileFolderPlacementController.BulkMoveRequest.fileIds}. Re-asserted at the service layer
+     * because controller-level @Valid bounds aren't enforced when the service is called directly
+     * (e.g. by future internal callers or tests).
+     */
+    private static final int BULK_MOVE_MAX_FILES = 1000;
+
+    private final FolderRepository folderRepository;
+    private final StoredFileRepository storedFileRepository;
+    private final ApplicationProperties applicationProperties;
+
+    /**
+     * Gate every public method on storage being enabled, mirroring {@code
+     * FileStorageService.ensureStorageEnabled}. Without this, folder CRUD still works when {@code
+     * storage.enabled=false} or {@code security.enableLogin=false}, defeating the operator's intent
+     * to disable storage end-to-end.
+     */
+    private void ensureStorageEnabled() {
+        if (!applicationProperties.getSecurity().isEnableLogin()) {
+            throw new ResponseStatusException(
+                    HttpStatus.FORBIDDEN, "Storage requires login to be enabled");
+        }
+        if (!applicationProperties.getStorage().isEnabled()) {
+            throw new ResponseStatusException(HttpStatus.FORBIDDEN, "Storage is disabled");
+        }
+    }
+
+    /** List every folder owned by the current user, alphabetical. */
+    @Transactional(readOnly = true)
+    public List<FolderResponse> listFolders() {
+        ensureStorageEnabled();
+        User user = requireAuthenticatedUser();
+        return folderRepository.findAllByOwnerOrderByName(user).stream()
+                .map(FolderResponse::from)
+                .toList();
+    }
+
+    @Transactional
+    public FolderResponse createFolder(CreateFolderRequest request) {
+        ensureStorageEnabled();
+        User user = requireAuthenticatedUser();
+        // Reject self-parenting up-front. Without this, a client posting
+        // {id: X, parentFolderId: X} for a folder X they already own would silently
+        // get the existing folder back (idempotent path) and never learn that the
+        // parentFolderId they sent was ignored. For new ids the parent lookup would
+        // 404, but the message is misleading.
+        if (request.getId() != null && request.getId().equals(request.getParentFolderId())) {
+            throw new ResponseStatusException(
+                    HttpStatus.BAD_REQUEST, "A folder cannot be its own parent");
+        }
+        Folder parent = resolveParent(request.getParentFolderId(), user, null);
+
+        UUID id = request.getId() != null ? request.getId() : UUID.randomUUID();
+
+        // Idempotent: if this user already owns a folder with the supplied id, return it
+        // unchanged. Single fetch (the previous code did findByIdAndOwner twice with a race
+        // window between the two lookups).
+        java.util.Optional<Folder> existing = folderRepository.findByIdAndOwner(id, user);
+        if (existing.isPresent()) {
+            return FolderResponse.from(existing.get());
+        }
+
+        // The id is a global primary key. If the id exists for a *different* user, surfacing 500
+        // with a constraint-violation stack trace leaks far too much; convert to 409 Conflict so
+        // the caller can pick a fresh id.
+        if (folderRepository.existsById(id)) {
+            throw new ResponseStatusException(
+                    HttpStatus.CONFLICT,
+                    "A folder with this id already exists; choose a different id");
+        }
+
+        if (folderRepository.countByOwner(user) >= MAX_FOLDERS_PER_USER) {
+            throw new ResponseStatusException(
+                    HttpStatus.CONFLICT,
+                    "Folder limit reached (max " + MAX_FOLDERS_PER_USER + " per user)");
+        }
+
+        Folder folder = new Folder();
+        folder.setId(id);
+        folder.setOwner(user);
+        folder.setParent(parent);
+        folder.setName(request.getName().trim());
+        folder.setColor(request.getColor());
+        folder.setIcon(request.getIcon());
+
+        // saveAndFlush forces the INSERT now so @CreationTimestamp populates
+        // createdAt/updatedAt before we build the response. Plain save defers
+        // the SQL until @Transactional commit, and the response would carry
+        // null timestamps that the frontend trust-boundary parser then rejects.
+        Folder saved = folderRepository.saveAndFlush(folder);
+        log.info(
+                "Folder created: user={} id={} parent={}",
+                user.getId(),
+                saved.getId(),
+                parent == null ? "root" : parent.getId());
+        return FolderResponse.from(saved);
+    }
+
+    @Transactional
+    public FolderResponse updateFolder(UUID id, UpdateFolderRequest request) {
+        ensureStorageEnabled();
+        User user = requireAuthenticatedUser();
+        Folder folder = requireOwnedFolder(id, user);
+
+        if (request.getName() != null) {
+            String trimmed = request.getName().trim();
+            if (trimmed.isEmpty()) {
+                // Bean validation should already catch this via @Pattern, but be explicit so
+                // an empty-after-trim payload reaches the user as a 400 instead of being
+                // silently dropped.
+                throw new ResponseStatusException(
+                        HttpStatus.BAD_REQUEST, "Folder name cannot be blank");
+            }
+            folder.setName(trimmed);
+        }
+
+        if (request.shouldReparent()) {
+            Folder newParent = resolveParent(request.getParentFolderId(), user, folder.getId());
+            folder.setParent(newParent);
+        }
+
+        if (request.getColor() != null) {
+            folder.setColor(request.getColor().isEmpty() ? null : request.getColor());
+        }
+
+        if (request.getIcon() != null) {
+            folder.setIcon(request.getIcon().isEmpty() ? null : request.getIcon());
+        }
+
+        // saveAndFlush so @UpdateTimestamp populates updatedAt before the
+        // response is serialized (same reason as createFolder).
+        return FolderResponse.from(folderRepository.saveAndFlush(folder));
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Recursive delete. Returns the ids of every folder that was removed so the caller can purge
+     * them from its local cache. Files inside those folders are detached (folder_id set to null) -
+     * never deleted.
+     */
+    @Transactional
+    public List<UUID> deleteFolder(UUID id) {
+        ensureStorageEnabled();
+        User user = requireAuthenticatedUser();
+        Folder folder = requireOwnedFolder(id, user);
+
+        // Build the parent → children map once. Project to id-only via the
+        // existing entity list (Hibernate already has the column loaded -
+        // we only access f.getParent().getId() on a managed proxy, which
+        // does NOT initialize the proxy because Hibernate has the FK
+        // value cached at the join column).
+        Map<UUID, List<UUID>> childIdsByParent = new HashMap<>();
+        for (Folder f : folderRepository.findAllByOwnerOrderByName(user)) {
+            UUID parentId = f.getParent() == null ? null : f.getParent().getId();
+            childIdsByParent.computeIfAbsent(parentId, k -> new ArrayList<>()).add(f.getId());
+        }
+
+        // Iterative subtree collection - prior recursive form blew the JVM
+        // stack on deeply nested chains a malicious caller could create.
+        List<UUID> removed = new ArrayList<>();
+        Set<UUID> seen = new HashSet<>();
+        Deque<UUID> stack = new ArrayDeque<>();
+        stack.push(folder.getId());
+        while (!stack.isEmpty()) {
+            UUID cur = stack.pop();
+            if (!seen.add(cur)) continue;
+            removed.add(cur);
+            List<UUID> children = childIdsByParent.get(cur);
+            if (children != null) {
+                for (UUID childId : children) stack.push(childId);
+            }
+        }
+
+        if (!removed.isEmpty()) {
+            folderRepository.clearFolderForFiles(removed);
+            folderRepository.deleteAllByIdInBatch(removed);
+            log.info(
+                    "Folder subtree deleted: user={} root={} count={}",
+                    user.getId(),
+                    folder.getId(),
+                    removed.size());
+        }
+
+        return removed;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Move a single owned file to a folder (or root when {@code folderId} is null). Owns its
+     * own @Transactional rather than relying on the caller so the JDBC connection is released as
+     * soon as the writes commit, not held through controller-side JSON serialization.
+     */
+    @Transactional
+    public void moveFileToFolder(Long fileId, UUID folderId) {
+        ensureStorageEnabled();
+        User user = requireAuthenticatedUser();
+        StoredFile file =
+                storedFileRepository
+                        .findByIdAndOwner(fileId, user)
+                        .orElseThrow(
+                                () ->
+                                        new ResponseStatusException(
+                                                HttpStatus.NOT_FOUND,
+                                                "File not found or not owned by current user"));
+        file.setFolder(resolveOwnedFolder(folderId, user));
+        storedFileRepository.save(file);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Bulk move that returns the moved + skipped split. Skipped == file ids the caller doesn't own
+     * (or that no longer exist); the controller surfaces this as 207 Multi-Status.
+     */
+    @Transactional
+    public BulkMoveResult bulkMoveFilesToFolder(UUID folderId, List<Long> fileIds) {
+        ensureStorageEnabled();
+        if (fileIds == null || fileIds.isEmpty()) {
+            return new BulkMoveResult(List.of(), List.of());
+        }
+        if (fileIds.size() > BULK_MOVE_MAX_FILES) {
+            throw new ResponseStatusException(
+                    HttpStatus.BAD_REQUEST,
+                    "fileIds must contain between 1 and " + BULK_MOVE_MAX_FILES + " entries");
+        }
+        User user = requireAuthenticatedUser();
+        Folder target = resolveOwnedFolder(folderId, user);
+
+        List<StoredFile> owned = storedFileRepository.findAllByIdInAndOwner(fileIds, user);
+        Set<Long> ownedIds = new HashSet<>(owned.size());
+        for (StoredFile f : owned) {
+            f.setFolder(target);
+            ownedIds.add(f.getId());
+        }
+        // If the target folder was deleted concurrently between resolveOwnedFolder and the
+        // flush, the FK constraint fires as DataIntegrityViolationException. Surface that as
+        // 409 Conflict so the caller sees an actionable error instead of a 500 stack.
+        try {
+            storedFileRepository.saveAll(owned);
+            storedFileRepository.flush();
+        } catch (DataIntegrityViolationException ex) {
+            throw new ResponseStatusException(
+                    HttpStatus.CONFLICT,
+                    "Target folder no longer exists; refresh and try again",
+                    ex);
+        }
+
+        List<Long> moved = owned.stream().map(StoredFile::getId).toList();
+        List<Long> skipped = fileIds.stream().filter(id -> !ownedIds.contains(id)).toList();
+        if (!skipped.isEmpty()) {
+            log.warn(
+                    "bulkMove: user {} skipped {} of {} files (not owned or missing)",
+                    user.getId(),
+                    skipped.size(),
+                    fileIds.size());
+        }
+        return new BulkMoveResult(moved, skipped);
+    }
+
+    /** Result of {@link #bulkMoveFilesToFolder}. Records are immutable + auto-serializable. */
+    public record BulkMoveResult(List<Long> movedFileIds, List<Long> skippedFileIds) {}
+
+    // ─── helpers ────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+    /**
+     * Resolve a placement-target folder. Distinct from {@link #resolveParent} because move targets
+     * don't carry the parent-cycle semantics - we only need the folder to exist AND belong to the
+     * caller. Returns null for null input (root).
+     */
+    private Folder resolveOwnedFolder(UUID folderId, User user) {
+        if (folderId == null) return null;
+        return folderRepository
+                .findByIdAndOwner(folderId, user)
+                .orElseThrow(
+                        () ->
+                                new ResponseStatusException(
+                                        HttpStatus.BAD_REQUEST,
+                                        "Folder does not exist or is not owned by you"));
+    }
+
+    private Folder requireOwnedFolder(UUID id, User user) {
+        return folderRepository
+                .findByIdAndOwner(id, user)
+                .orElseThrow(
+                        () ->
+                                new ResponseStatusException(
+                                        HttpStatus.NOT_FOUND,
+                                        "Folder not found or not owned by current user"));
+    }
+
+    private Folder resolveParent(UUID parentId, User user, UUID forbidId) {
+        if (parentId == null) return null;
+        if (forbidId != null && parentId.equals(forbidId)) {
+            throw new ResponseStatusException(
+                    HttpStatus.BAD_REQUEST, "A folder cannot be its own parent");
+        }
+        Folder parent =
+                folderRepository
+                        .findByIdAndOwner(parentId, user)
+                        .orElseThrow(
+                                () ->
+                                        new ResponseStatusException(
+                                                HttpStatus.BAD_REQUEST,
+                                                "Parent folder does not exist or is not owned by you"));
+        // Reject before the child is created/moved if attaching it would push the chain past the
+        // depth cap. Done in one pass that also returns the cycle answer so we don't walk the
+        // lazy-proxy chain twice.
+        enforceDepthAndCycle(parent, user, forbidId);
+        return parent;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Single pass that walks the parent chain to root and (a) rejects if attaching a child here
+     * would exceed MAX_FOLDER_DEPTH, (b) rejects if {@code forbidId} appears in the chain (cycle on
+     * reparent), (c) rejects on a broken graph, and (d) rejects if any ancestor is owned by a
+     * different user (defense-in-depth: callers always pass a parent already ownership-checked, but
+     * the parent chain is followed via lazy proxy without re-checking ownership at each hop, so any
+     * stray cross-owner edge in the database would otherwise leak ancestor folder ids through the
+     * cycle error message). The walk is hard-bounded at MAX_FOLDER_DEPTH so a corrupted database
+     * (chain longer than the API would allow) can never produce an unbounded SELECT loop.
+     */
+    private void enforceDepthAndCycle(Folder candidateParent, User user, UUID forbidId) {
+        Folder cursor = candidateParent;
+        Set<UUID> seen = new HashSet<>();
+        int depth = 0;
+        while (cursor != null) {
+            if (cursor.getOwner() == null || !cursor.getOwner().getId().equals(user.getId())) {
+                throw new ResponseStatusException(
+                        HttpStatus.BAD_REQUEST, "Folder hierarchy is corrupted; contact support");
+            }
+            if (forbidId != null && cursor.getId().equals(forbidId)) {
+                throw new ResponseStatusException(
+                        HttpStatus.BAD_REQUEST,
+                        "Cannot move a folder inside one of its descendants");
+            }
+            if (!seen.add(cursor.getId())) {
+                // broken graph (cycle in stored data)
+                throw new ResponseStatusException(
+                        HttpStatus.BAD_REQUEST, "Folder hierarchy is corrupted; contact support");
+            }
+            depth += 1;
+            // candidateParent is at depth 1 from the new child's perspective. After the walk,
+            // `depth` equals the number of ancestors including candidateParent, which is the
+            // depth at which the new child would live. Reject before exceeding the cap.
+            if (depth >= MAX_FOLDER_DEPTH) {
+                throw new ResponseStatusException(
+                        HttpStatus.BAD_REQUEST,
+                        "Folder nesting limit reached (max " + MAX_FOLDER_DEPTH + " levels)");
+            }
+            cursor = cursor.getParent();
+        }
+    }
+
+    private User requireAuthenticatedUser() {
+        Authentication authentication = SecurityContextHolder.getContext().getAuthentication();
+        if (authentication == null
+                || !authentication.isAuthenticated()
+                || !(authentication.getPrincipal() instanceof User user)) {
+            throw new ResponseStatusException(HttpStatus.UNAUTHORIZED, "Authentication required");
+        }
+        return user;
+    }
+}

app/proprietary/src/test/java/stirling/software/proprietary/cluster/s3/S3ClientsTest.java

@@ -0,0 +1,147 @@
+package stirling.software.proprietary.cluster.s3;
+
+import static org.assertj.core.api.Assertions.assertThat;
+import static org.assertj.core.api.Assertions.assertThatCode;
+import static org.assertj.core.api.Assertions.assertThatThrownBy;
+
+import java.net.URI;
+
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
+
+import software.amazon.awssdk.core.checksums.RequestChecksumCalculation;
+import software.amazon.awssdk.core.checksums.ResponseChecksumValidation;
+
+class S3ClientsTest {
+
+    @Test
+    void validateEndpointHost_publicAwsHost_passes() {
+        assertThatCode(
+                        () ->
+                                S3Clients.validateEndpointHost(
+                                        URI.create("https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com"), false))
+                .doesNotThrowAnyException();
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void validateEndpointHost_metadataServiceIp_rejected() {
+        assertThatThrownBy(
+                        () ->
+                                S3Clients.validateEndpointHost(
+                                        URI.create("http://169.254.169.254/"), false))
+                .isInstanceOf(IllegalStateException.class)
+                .hasMessageContaining("allow-private-endpoints");
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void validateEndpointHost_loopback_rejected() {
+        assertThatThrownBy(
+                        () ->
+                                S3Clients.validateEndpointHost(
+                                        URI.create("http://127.0.0.1:9000/"), false))
+                .isInstanceOf(IllegalStateException.class);
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void validateEndpointHost_rfc1918Private_rejected() {
+        assertThatThrownBy(
+                        () ->
+                                S3Clients.validateEndpointHost(
+                                        URI.create("http://10.0.0.5:9000/"), false))
+                .isInstanceOf(IllegalStateException.class);
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void validateEndpointHost_allowPrivateOptIn_bypassesCheck() {
+        assertThatCode(
+                        () ->
+                                S3Clients.validateEndpointHost(
+                                        URI.create("http://169.254.169.254/"), true))
+                .doesNotThrowAnyException();
+        assertThatCode(
+                        () ->
+                                S3Clients.validateEndpointHost(
+                                        URI.create("http://127.0.0.1:9000/"), true))
+                .doesNotThrowAnyException();
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void validateEndpointHost_missingHost_rejected() {
+        assertThatThrownBy(
+                        () ->
+                                S3Clients.validateEndpointHost(
+                                        URI.create("file:///etc/passwd"), false))
+                .isInstanceOf(IllegalStateException.class)
+                .hasMessageContaining("must include a host");
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void validateEndpointHost_errorMessageNamesTheFlag() {
+        assertThat(
+                        catchMessage(
+                                () ->
+                                        S3Clients.validateEndpointHost(
+                                                URI.create("http://192.168.1.10:9000/"), false)))
+                .contains("storage.s3.allow-private-endpoints");
+    }
+
+    // ----- requestChecksumCalculation parsing -----
+
+    @Test
+    void parseRequestChecksum_nullOrBlank_defaultsToWhenSupported() {
+        assertThat(S3Clients.parseRequestChecksum(null))
+                .isEqualTo(RequestChecksumCalculation.WHEN_SUPPORTED);
+        assertThat(S3Clients.parseRequestChecksum(""))
+                .isEqualTo(RequestChecksumCalculation.WHEN_SUPPORTED);
+        assertThat(S3Clients.parseRequestChecksum("   "))
+                .isEqualTo(RequestChecksumCalculation.WHEN_SUPPORTED);
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void parseRequestChecksum_caseInsensitive_andTrimmed() {
+        assertThat(S3Clients.parseRequestChecksum("when_required"))
+                .isEqualTo(RequestChecksumCalculation.WHEN_REQUIRED);
+        assertThat(S3Clients.parseRequestChecksum("  WHEN_REQUIRED  "))
+                .isEqualTo(RequestChecksumCalculation.WHEN_REQUIRED);
+        assertThat(S3Clients.parseRequestChecksum("When_Supported"))
+                .isEqualTo(RequestChecksumCalculation.WHEN_SUPPORTED);
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void parseRequestChecksum_unknownValue_fallsBackToDefault() {
+        assertThat(S3Clients.parseRequestChecksum("yes-please"))
+                .isEqualTo(RequestChecksumCalculation.WHEN_SUPPORTED);
+        assertThat(S3Clients.parseRequestChecksum("disabled-completely"))
+                .isEqualTo(RequestChecksumCalculation.WHEN_SUPPORTED);
+    }
+
+    // ----- responseChecksumValidation parsing -----
+
+    @Test
+    void parseResponseChecksum_nullOrBlank_defaultsToWhenSupported() {
+        assertThat(S3Clients.parseResponseChecksum(null))
+                .isEqualTo(ResponseChecksumValidation.WHEN_SUPPORTED);
+        assertThat(S3Clients.parseResponseChecksum(""))
+                .isEqualTo(ResponseChecksumValidation.WHEN_SUPPORTED);
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void parseResponseChecksum_explicitWhenRequired_returnedAsEnum() {
+        assertThat(S3Clients.parseResponseChecksum("WHEN_REQUIRED"))
+                .isEqualTo(ResponseChecksumValidation.WHEN_REQUIRED);
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void parseResponseChecksum_unknownValue_fallsBackToDefault() {
+        assertThat(S3Clients.parseResponseChecksum("nope"))
+                .isEqualTo(ResponseChecksumValidation.WHEN_SUPPORTED);
+    }
+
+    private static String catchMessage(Runnable r) {
+        try {
+            r.run();
+            return "";
+        } catch (RuntimeException e) {
+            return e.getMessage() == null ? "" : e.getMessage();
+        }
+    }
+}

app/proprietary/src/test/java/stirling/software/proprietary/cluster/s3/S3FileStoreTest.java

@@ -0,0 +1,253 @@
+package stirling.software.proprietary.cluster.s3;
+
+import static org.assertj.core.api.Assertions.assertThat;
+import static org.assertj.core.api.Assertions.assertThatThrownBy;
+
+import java.io.ByteArrayInputStream;
+import java.io.IOException;
+import java.io.InputStream;
+import java.net.URI;
+import java.nio.charset.StandardCharsets;
+import java.nio.file.Files;
+import java.nio.file.Path;
+import java.util.stream.Stream;
+
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.AfterAll;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.BeforeAll;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
+import org.testcontainers.containers.MinIOContainer;
+import org.testcontainers.junit.jupiter.Container;
+import org.testcontainers.junit.jupiter.Testcontainers;
+
+import stirling.software.common.cluster.FileStore;
+
+import software.amazon.awssdk.auth.credentials.AwsBasicCredentials;
+import software.amazon.awssdk.auth.credentials.StaticCredentialsProvider;
+import software.amazon.awssdk.http.urlconnection.UrlConnectionHttpClient;
+import software.amazon.awssdk.regions.Region;
+import software.amazon.awssdk.services.s3.S3Client;
+import software.amazon.awssdk.services.s3.S3Configuration;
+import software.amazon.awssdk.services.s3.model.CreateBucketRequest;
+import software.amazon.awssdk.services.s3.model.HeadObjectRequest;
+import software.amazon.awssdk.services.s3.model.NoSuchKeyException;
+
+@Testcontainers(disabledWithoutDocker = true)
+class S3FileStoreTest {
+
+    private static final String BUCKET = "stirling-test-filestore";
+    private static final String ACCESS_KEY = "minioadmin";
+    private static final String SECRET_KEY = "minioadmin";
+
+    @Container
+    static MinIOContainer minio =
+            new MinIOContainer("minio/minio:latest")
+                    .withUserName(ACCESS_KEY)
+                    .withPassword(SECRET_KEY);
+
+    private static S3Client s3Client;
+    private static S3FileStore store;
+
+    @BeforeAll
+    static void setUp() {
+        URI endpoint = URI.create(minio.getS3URL());
+        AwsBasicCredentials creds = AwsBasicCredentials.create(ACCESS_KEY, SECRET_KEY);
+        S3Configuration s3Config = S3Configuration.builder().pathStyleAccessEnabled(true).build();
+
+        s3Client =
+                S3Client.builder()
+                        .endpointOverride(endpoint)
+                        .httpClient(UrlConnectionHttpClient.create())
+                        .region(Region.US_EAST_1)
+                        .credentialsProvider(StaticCredentialsProvider.create(creds))
+                        .serviceConfiguration(s3Config)
+                        .build();
+
+        s3Client.createBucket(CreateBucketRequest.builder().bucket(BUCKET).build());
+        store = new S3FileStore(s3Client, BUCKET, "transient/", false);
+    }
+
+    @AfterAll
+    static void tearDown() {
+        if (store != null) {
+            store.close();
+        }
+        if (s3Client != null) {
+            s3Client.close();
+        }
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void blankBucket_constructorRejects() {
+        assertThatThrownBy(() -> new S3FileStore(s3Client, ""))
+                .isInstanceOf(IllegalArgumentException.class);
+        assertThatThrownBy(() -> new S3FileStore(s3Client, null))
+                .isInstanceOf(IllegalArgumentException.class);
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void store_thenRetrieve_roundTripsContent() throws IOException {
+        byte[] payload = "hello cluster s3".getBytes(StandardCharsets.UTF_8);
+        FileStore.Stored stored = store.store(new ByteArrayInputStream(payload), "foo.txt");
+
+        assertThat(stored.fileId()).isNotBlank();
+        assertThat(stored.size()).isEqualTo(payload.length);
+
+        assertThat(store.exists(stored.fileId())).isTrue();
+        assertThat(store.size(stored.fileId())).isEqualTo(payload.length);
+        assertThat(store.retrieveBytes(stored.fileId())).isEqualTo(payload);
+
+        try (InputStream in = store.retrieve(stored.fileId())) {
+            assertThat(in.readAllBytes()).isEqualTo(payload);
+        }
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void store_keysUseConfiguredPrefix() throws IOException {
+        byte[] payload = "prefixed".getBytes(StandardCharsets.UTF_8);
+        FileStore.Stored stored = store.store(new ByteArrayInputStream(payload), "p.txt");
+
+        String prefixed = store.resolveKey(stored.fileId());
+        assertThat(prefixed).startsWith("transient/");
+        s3Client.headObject(HeadObjectRequest.builder().bucket(BUCKET).key(prefixed).build());
+
+        assertThatThrownBy(
+                        () ->
+                                s3Client.headObject(
+                                        HeadObjectRequest.builder()
+                                                .bucket(BUCKET)
+                                                .key(stored.fileId())
+                                                .build()))
+                .isInstanceOfAny(
+                        NoSuchKeyException.class,
+                        software.amazon.awssdk.services.s3.model.S3Exception.class);
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void emptyPrefix_writesAtBucketRoot() throws IOException {
+        S3FileStore rootStore = new S3FileStore(s3Client, BUCKET, "", false);
+        byte[] payload = "no-prefix".getBytes(StandardCharsets.UTF_8);
+        FileStore.Stored stored = rootStore.store(new ByteArrayInputStream(payload), "r.txt");
+        assertThat(rootStore.resolveKey(stored.fileId())).isEqualTo(stored.fileId());
+        assertThat(rootStore.retrieveBytes(stored.fileId())).isEqualTo(payload);
+        assertThat(rootStore.delete(stored.fileId())).isTrue();
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void delete_removesObject_andReturnsTrue() throws IOException {
+        FileStore.Stored stored =
+                store.store(new ByteArrayInputStream(new byte[] {1, 2, 3}), "d.bin");
+        assertThat(store.delete(stored.fileId())).isTrue();
+        assertThat(store.exists(stored.fileId())).isFalse();
+        assertThatThrownBy(() -> store.retrieveBytes(stored.fileId()))
+                .isInstanceOf(IOException.class);
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void delete_unknownKey_isIdempotentReturnsTrue() {
+        // S3 DeleteObject is idempotent (returns 204 whether or not the object existed).
+        // The store reflects S3's behaviour rather than racing a HEAD before each DELETE.
+        assertThat(store.delete("00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000")).isTrue();
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void retrieve_missingKey_throwsIOException() {
+        assertThatThrownBy(() -> store.retrieveBytes("does-not-exist"))
+                .isInstanceOf(IOException.class);
+        assertThatThrownBy(() -> store.retrieve("does-not-exist")).isInstanceOf(IOException.class);
+        assertThatThrownBy(() -> store.size("does-not-exist")).isInstanceOf(IOException.class);
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void exists_returnsFalseForBlankOrTraversalIds() {
+        assertThat(store.exists(null)).isFalse();
+        assertThat(store.exists("")).isFalse();
+        assertThat(store.exists("..")).isFalse();
+        assertThat(store.exists("a/b")).isFalse();
+        assertThat(store.exists("a\\b")).isFalse();
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void delete_traversalId_returnsFalseWithoutCall() {
+        assertThat(store.delete("../etc/passwd")).isFalse();
+        assertThat(store.delete("foo/bar")).isFalse();
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void store_largePayload_streamsViaTempFileWithoutBufferingInMemory() throws IOException {
+        long payloadSize = 16L * 1024 * 1024;
+        Path tempDir = Path.of(System.getProperty("java.io.tmpdir"));
+        long uploadTempsBefore = countS3UploadTemps(tempDir);
+
+        FileStore.Stored stored;
+        try (InputStream large = new RepeatingInputStream((byte) 0x42, payloadSize)) {
+            stored = store.store(large, "big.bin");
+        }
+
+        assertThat(stored.size()).isEqualTo(payloadSize);
+        assertThat(store.size(stored.fileId())).isEqualTo(payloadSize);
+        assertThat(countS3UploadTemps(tempDir)).isEqualTo(uploadTempsBefore);
+        store.delete(stored.fileId());
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void store_uploadFailure_stillDeletesTempFile() {
+        Path tempDir = Path.of(System.getProperty("java.io.tmpdir"));
+        long uploadTempsBefore = countS3UploadTemps(tempDir);
+
+        // Non-existent bucket causes putObject to fail after the temp file is written, exercising
+        // the failure-path cleanup in the finally block.
+        S3FileStore brokenStore =
+                new S3FileStore(s3Client, "bucket-that-does-not-exist", "transient/", false);
+
+        assertThatThrownBy(
+                        () ->
+                                brokenStore.store(
+                                        new ByteArrayInputStream(
+                                                "payload".getBytes(StandardCharsets.UTF_8)),
+                                        "x.bin"))
+                .isInstanceOf(IOException.class);
+
+        assertThat(countS3UploadTemps(tempDir)).isEqualTo(uploadTempsBefore);
+    }
+
+    private static long countS3UploadTemps(Path tempDir) {
+        try (Stream<Path> entries = Files.list(tempDir)) {
+            return entries.filter(p -> p.getFileName().toString().startsWith("s3-upload-")).count();
+        } catch (IOException e) {
+            return 0L;
+        }
+    }
+
+    /** Generates {@code length} bytes of a single value without buffering them in memory. */
+    private static final class RepeatingInputStream extends InputStream {
+        private final byte value;
+        private long remaining;
+
+        RepeatingInputStream(byte value, long length) {
+            this.value = value;
+            this.remaining = length;
+        }
+
+        @Override
+        public int read() {
+            if (remaining <= 0) {
+                return -1;
+            }
+            remaining--;
+            return value & 0xFF;
+        }
+
+        @Override
+        public int read(byte[] b, int off, int len) {
+            if (remaining <= 0) {
+                return -1;
+            }
+            int toWrite = (int) Math.min(len, remaining);
+            for (int i = 0; i < toWrite; i++) {
+                b[off + i] = value;
+            }
+            remaining -= toWrite;
+            return toWrite;
+        }
+    }
+}

app/proprietary/src/test/java/stirling/software/proprietary/cluster/s3/S3VendorComprehensiveTest.java

@@ -0,0 +1,779 @@
+package stirling.software.proprietary.cluster.s3;
+
+import static org.assertj.core.api.Assertions.assertThat;
+import static org.assertj.core.api.Assertions.assertThatThrownBy;
+
+import java.io.ByteArrayInputStream;
+import java.io.IOException;
+import java.net.http.HttpClient;
+import java.net.http.HttpRequest;
+import java.net.http.HttpResponse;
+import java.nio.charset.StandardCharsets;
+import java.time.Duration;
+import java.util.ArrayList;
+import java.util.Collections;
+import java.util.List;
+import java.util.UUID;
+
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.AfterAll;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.BeforeAll;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.condition.EnabledIfEnvironmentVariable;
+import org.springframework.mock.web.MockMultipartFile;
+
+import stirling.software.common.cluster.FileStore;
+import stirling.software.common.model.ApplicationProperties;
+import stirling.software.proprietary.security.model.User;
+import stirling.software.proprietary.storage.provider.S3StorageProvider;
+import stirling.software.proprietary.storage.provider.StoredObject;
+
+import software.amazon.awssdk.core.sync.RequestBody;
+import software.amazon.awssdk.services.s3.model.NoSuchBucketException;
+import software.amazon.awssdk.services.s3.model.NoSuchKeyException;
+import software.amazon.awssdk.services.s3.model.S3Exception;
+import software.amazon.awssdk.services.s3.presigner.model.GetObjectPresignRequest;
+import software.amazon.awssdk.services.s3.presigner.model.PresignedGetObjectRequest;
+
+/**
+ * Comprehensive live-vendor test against a real S3-compatible endpoint specified via {@code
+ * S3_SMOKE_*} env vars. Skipped automatically when {@code S3_SMOKE_ENDPOINT} is not set, so CI is
+ * not affected. Covers:
+ *
+ * <ul>
+ *   <li>{@code S3StorageProvider} CRUD: store / load / delete / presigned URL
+ *   <li>{@code S3FileStore} CRUD (cluster artifact path)
+ *   <li>Folder semantics simulated via key prefixes (matches production usage)
+ *   <li>Negative paths: wrong secret, missing bucket, missing key, traversal IDs
+ *   <li>Edge cases: zero-byte, unicode filename, multi-megabyte streaming
+ *   <li>Configuration guards: SSRF endpoint rejection, bucket validation
+ * </ul>
+ *
+ * Every uploaded key is tracked and removed in {@link #cleanUp} so re-running against the same
+ * bucket leaves no residue.
+ */
+@EnabledIfEnvironmentVariable(named = "S3_SMOKE_ENDPOINT", matches = ".+")
+class S3VendorComprehensiveTest {
+
+    private static final String PREFIX = "stirling-comprehensive/" + UUID.randomUUID() + "/";
+
+    private static ApplicationProperties.Storage.S3 cfg;
+    private static S3Clients.Bundle bundle;
+    private static S3StorageProvider provider;
+    private static String bucket;
+    private static String vendorLabel;
+    private static User owner;
+
+    private static final List<String> keysToCleanup =
+            Collections.synchronizedList(new ArrayList<>());
+
+    @BeforeAll
+    static void setUp() {
+        cfg = configFromEnv();
+        bucket = cfg.getBucket();
+        vendorLabel = System.getenv().getOrDefault("S3_SMOKE_LABEL", "external");
+        bundle = S3Clients.build(cfg, "comprehensive[" + vendorLabel + "]");
+        provider = new S3StorageProvider(bundle.client(), bundle.presigner(), bucket);
+
+        owner = new User();
+        owner.setId(7L);
+        owner.setUsername("comprehensive-tester");
+    }
+
+    @AfterAll
+    static void cleanUp() {
+        if (bundle != null) {
+            for (String key : keysToCleanup) {
+                try {
+                    bundle.client().deleteObject(d -> d.bucket(bucket).key(key));
+                } catch (Exception e) {
+                    // Best-effort cleanup; ignore.
+                }
+            }
+            try {
+                provider.close();
+            } catch (Exception ignored) {
+            }
+            bundle.close();
+        }
+    }
+
+    private static String track(String key) {
+        keysToCleanup.add(key);
+        return key;
+    }
+
+    private static ApplicationProperties.Storage.S3 configFromEnv() {
+        ApplicationProperties.Storage.S3 c = new ApplicationProperties.Storage.S3();
+        c.setEndpoint(System.getenv("S3_SMOKE_ENDPOINT"));
+        c.setBucket(requireEnv("S3_SMOKE_BUCKET"));
+        c.setRegion(System.getenv().getOrDefault("S3_SMOKE_REGION", "us-east-1"));
+        c.setAccessKey(requireEnv("S3_SMOKE_KEY"));
+        c.setSecretKey(requireEnv("S3_SMOKE_SECRET"));
+        c.setPathStyleAccess(
+                Boolean.parseBoolean(System.getenv().getOrDefault("S3_SMOKE_PATHSTYLE", "false")));
+        c.setAllowPrivateEndpoints(false);
+        return c;
+    }
+
+    private static String requireEnv(String name) {
+        String value = System.getenv(name);
+        if (value == null || value.isBlank()) {
+            throw new IllegalStateException(name + " env var must be set");
+        }
+        return value;
+    }
+
+    // ==========================================================================================
+    // FILE CRUD via S3StorageProvider (user-uploaded files)
+    // ==========================================================================================
+
+    @Test
+    void provider_store_thenLoad_matchesBytes() throws IOException {
+        byte[] payload = ("provider-roundtrip-" + vendorLabel).getBytes(StandardCharsets.UTF_8);
+        MockMultipartFile file = new MockMultipartFile("file", "doc.txt", "text/plain", payload);
+
+        StoredObject obj = provider.store(owner, file);
+        track(obj.getStorageKey());
+
+        assertThat(obj.getStorageKey()).isNotBlank();
+        assertThat(obj.getSizeBytes()).isEqualTo(payload.length);
+        assertThat(provider.load(obj.getStorageKey()).getInputStream().readAllBytes())
+                .isEqualTo(payload);
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void provider_delete_removesObject() throws IOException {
+        byte[] payload = "delete-me".getBytes(StandardCharsets.UTF_8);
+        MockMultipartFile file = new MockMultipartFile("file", "x.txt", "text/plain", payload);
+        StoredObject obj = provider.store(owner, file);
+        track(obj.getStorageKey());
+
+        provider.delete(obj.getStorageKey());
+
+        assertThatThrownBy(() -> provider.load(obj.getStorageKey()))
+                .isInstanceOf(IOException.class);
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void provider_load_missingKey_throws() {
+        assertThatThrownBy(() -> provider.load(PREFIX + "does-not-exist"))
+                .isInstanceOf(IOException.class);
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void provider_presignedDownload_returnsBytesOverHttp() throws Exception {
+        byte[] payload = "presign me".getBytes(StandardCharsets.UTF_8);
+        MockMultipartFile file = new MockMultipartFile("file", "p.txt", "text/plain", payload);
+        StoredObject obj = provider.store(owner, file);
+        track(obj.getStorageKey());
+
+        java.util.Optional<java.net.URI> url =
+                provider.signedDownloadUrl(obj.getStorageKey(), Duration.ofMinutes(5));
+        assertThat(url).isPresent();
+
+        HttpResponse<byte[]> resp =
+                HttpClient.newHttpClient()
+                        .send(
+                                HttpRequest.newBuilder(url.get()).GET().build(),
+                                HttpResponse.BodyHandlers.ofByteArray());
+
+        assertThat(resp.statusCode()).isEqualTo(200);
+        assertThat(resp.body()).isEqualTo(payload);
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void provider_store_zeroBytes_isAccepted() throws IOException {
+        MockMultipartFile empty =
+                new MockMultipartFile("file", "empty.txt", "text/plain", new byte[0]);
+        StoredObject obj = provider.store(owner, empty);
+        track(obj.getStorageKey());
+
+        assertThat(obj.getSizeBytes()).isZero();
+        assertThat(provider.load(obj.getStorageKey()).getInputStream().readAllBytes())
+                .isEqualTo(new byte[0]);
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void provider_store_unicodeFilename_yieldsOpaqueAsciiKey_andPreservesNameForDisplay()
+            throws IOException {
+        // Regression: pre-fix, the storage key embedded the filename verbatim, which Supabase
+        // rejected with 400 Invalid key. Post-fix, the key is {ownerId}/{uuid} (ASCII-only)
+        // and the original unicode name lives on StoredObject.originalFilename.
+        String unicodeName = "résumé-日本語-é.pdf";
+        byte[] payload = "u".getBytes(StandardCharsets.UTF_8);
+        MockMultipartFile file =
+                new MockMultipartFile("file", unicodeName, "application/pdf", payload);
+
+        StoredObject obj = provider.store(owner, file);
+        track(obj.getStorageKey());
+
+        assertThat(obj.getStorageKey()).matches("[0-9]+/[0-9a-fA-F-]+");
+        assertThat(obj.getStorageKey())
+                .isEqualTo(
+                        new String(
+                                obj.getStorageKey().getBytes(StandardCharsets.US_ASCII),
+                                StandardCharsets.US_ASCII));
+        assertThat(obj.getOriginalFilename()).isEqualTo(unicodeName);
+        assertThat(provider.load(obj.getStorageKey()).getInputStream().readAllBytes())
+                .isEqualTo(payload);
+    }
+
+    // ==========================================================================================
+    // Concurrency, overwrite, TTL expiry (added after initial run surfaced the unicode bug)
+    // ==========================================================================================
+
+    @Test
+    void provider_concurrent10Uploads_allSucceedWithDistinctKeys() throws Exception {
+        int n = 10;
+        java.util.concurrent.ExecutorService pool =
+                java.util.concurrent.Executors.newFixedThreadPool(n);
+        try {
+            List<java.util.concurrent.Future<StoredObject>> futures = new ArrayList<>();
+            for (int i = 0; i < n; i++) {
+                final int idx = i;
+                futures.add(
+                        pool.submit(
+                                () -> {
+                                    byte[] payload =
+                                            ("concurrent-" + idx).getBytes(StandardCharsets.UTF_8);
+                                    MockMultipartFile f =
+                                            new MockMultipartFile(
+                                                    "file",
+                                                    "c-" + idx + ".txt",
+                                                    "text/plain",
+                                                    payload);
+                                    StoredObject obj = provider.store(owner, f);
+                                    track(obj.getStorageKey());
+                                    return obj;
+                                }));
+            }
+
+            java.util.Set<String> keys = new java.util.HashSet<>();
+            for (java.util.concurrent.Future<StoredObject> fut : futures) {
+                StoredObject obj = fut.get(30, java.util.concurrent.TimeUnit.SECONDS);
+                assertThat(keys.add(obj.getStorageKey()))
+                        .as("distinct key for each parallel upload")
+                        .isTrue();
+                assertThat(provider.load(obj.getStorageKey()).getInputStream().readAllBytes())
+                        .isNotEmpty();
+            }
+        } finally {
+            pool.shutdownNow();
+        }
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void sameKey_overwrite_returnsLatestPayload() {
+        String key = PREFIX + "overwrite-" + UUID.randomUUID() + ".txt";
+        track(key);
+
+        byte[] first = "FIRST".getBytes(StandardCharsets.UTF_8);
+        byte[] second = "SECOND".getBytes(StandardCharsets.UTF_8);
+
+        bundle.client().putObject(p -> p.bucket(bucket).key(key), RequestBody.fromBytes(first));
+        bundle.client().putObject(p -> p.bucket(bucket).key(key), RequestBody.fromBytes(second));
+
+        assertThat(getRaw(key)).isEqualTo(second);
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void presignedDownload_afterTtlExpiry_returns403() throws Exception {
+        String key = PREFIX + "presign-expiry-" + UUID.randomUUID() + ".txt";
+        byte[] payload = "presign expiry".getBytes(StandardCharsets.UTF_8);
+        track(putRaw(key, "presign expiry"));
+
+        // 2-second TTL, then wait long enough that any vendor clock skew tolerance is also past.
+        PresignedGetObjectRequest presigned =
+                bundle.presigner()
+                        .presignGetObject(
+                                GetObjectPresignRequest.builder()
+                                        .signatureDuration(Duration.ofSeconds(2))
+                                        .getObjectRequest(g -> g.bucket(bucket).key(key))
+                                        .build());
+
+        // Confirm it works while valid - rules out unrelated failures.
+        HttpResponse<byte[]> ok =
+                HttpClient.newHttpClient()
+                        .send(
+                                HttpRequest.newBuilder(presigned.url().toURI()).GET().build(),
+                                HttpResponse.BodyHandlers.ofByteArray());
+        assertThat(ok.statusCode()).isEqualTo(200);
+        assertThat(ok.body()).isEqualTo(payload);
+
+        Thread.sleep(5_000);
+
+        HttpResponse<byte[]> expired =
+                HttpClient.newHttpClient()
+                        .send(
+                                HttpRequest.newBuilder(presigned.url().toURI()).GET().build(),
+                                HttpResponse.BodyHandlers.ofByteArray());
+        assertThat(expired.statusCode())
+                .as("presigned URL must be rejected after TTL expires")
+                .isIn(400, 403);
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void provider_store_4MBPayload_streams() throws IOException {
+        byte[] payload = new byte[4 * 1024 * 1024];
+        java.util.Arrays.fill(payload, (byte) 0x42);
+        MockMultipartFile file =
+                new MockMultipartFile("file", "big.bin", "application/octet-stream", payload);
+
+        StoredObject obj = provider.store(owner, file);
+        track(obj.getStorageKey());
+
+        assertThat(obj.getSizeBytes()).isEqualTo(payload.length);
+        assertThat(provider.load(obj.getStorageKey()).getInputStream().readAllBytes())
+                .isEqualTo(payload);
+    }
+
+    // ==========================================================================================
+    // FILE CRUD via S3FileStore (cluster artifact path)
+    // ==========================================================================================
+
+    @Test
+    void fileStore_storeAndRetrieve_roundTrip() throws IOException {
+        S3FileStore store = new S3FileStore(bundle.client(), bucket, PREFIX + "fs/", false);
+        byte[] payload = "filestore round trip".getBytes(StandardCharsets.UTF_8);
+
+        FileStore.Stored stored = store.store(new ByteArrayInputStream(payload), "rt.txt");
+        track(store.resolveKey(stored.fileId()));
+
+        assertThat(store.size(stored.fileId())).isEqualTo(payload.length);
+        assertThat(store.retrieveBytes(stored.fileId())).isEqualTo(payload);
+        assertThat(store.exists(stored.fileId())).isTrue();
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void fileStore_delete_returnsTrue_andExistsFalseAfter() throws IOException {
+        S3FileStore store = new S3FileStore(bundle.client(), bucket, PREFIX + "fs/", false);
+        FileStore.Stored stored = store.store(new ByteArrayInputStream("x".getBytes()), "del.txt");
+
+        assertThat(store.delete(stored.fileId())).isTrue();
+        assertThat(store.exists(stored.fileId())).isFalse();
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void fileStore_retrieveBytes_missingKey_throws() {
+        S3FileStore store = new S3FileStore(bundle.client(), bucket, PREFIX + "fs/", false);
+        assertThatThrownBy(() -> store.retrieveBytes("does-not-exist"))
+                .isInstanceOf(IOException.class);
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void fileStore_rejectsTraversalId() {
+        S3FileStore store = new S3FileStore(bundle.client(), bucket, PREFIX + "fs/", false);
+        assertThat(store.exists("..")).isFalse();
+        assertThat(store.delete("../etc/passwd")).isFalse();
+        assertThat(store.exists("a/b")).isFalse();
+        assertThat(store.exists("a\\b")).isFalse();
+    }
+
+    // ==========================================================================================
+    // Folder semantics simulated via key prefixes
+    // ==========================================================================================
+
+    @Test
+    void folderPrefix_isolatesObjects_andDeleteByPrefixDoesNotTouchRoot() throws IOException {
+        // Two "folders" + a root object - all reuse the test PREFIX so cleanup catches them.
+        String folderA = PREFIX + "folder-A/";
+        String folderB = PREFIX + "folder-B/";
+        String rootObj = PREFIX + "root-" + UUID.randomUUID() + ".txt";
+
+        track(putRaw(folderA + "file-1.txt", "in-A"));
+        track(putRaw(folderA + "file-2.txt", "in-A2"));
+        track(putRaw(folderB + "file-1.txt", "in-B"));
+        track(putRaw(rootObj, "at-root"));
+
+        // "Delete folder A": delete every key under folderA prefix
+        deleteAllUnderPrefix(folderA);
+
+        // Verify A is empty, B and root untouched
+        assertThat(headOrNull(folderA + "file-1.txt")).isNull();
+        assertThat(headOrNull(folderB + "file-1.txt")).isNotNull();
+        assertThat(headOrNull(rootObj)).isNotNull();
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void moveBetweenFolders_viaCopyAndDelete_preservesContent() throws Exception {
+        String oldKey = PREFIX + "move-old/" + UUID.randomUUID() + ".txt";
+        String newKey = PREFIX + "move-new/" + UUID.randomUUID() + ".txt";
+        byte[] payload = "moveable".getBytes(StandardCharsets.UTF_8);
+
+        track(oldKey);
+        track(newKey);
+        bundle.client()
+                .putObject(p -> p.bucket(bucket).key(oldKey), RequestBody.fromBytes(payload));
+
+        // Simulate move: server-side copy + delete original.
+        bundle.client()
+                .copyObject(
+                        c ->
+                                c.sourceBucket(bucket)
+                                        .sourceKey(oldKey)
+                                        .destinationBucket(bucket)
+                                        .destinationKey(newKey));
+        bundle.client().deleteObject(d -> d.bucket(bucket).key(oldKey));
+
+        assertThat(headOrNull(oldKey)).isNull();
+        assertThat(getRaw(newKey)).isEqualTo(payload);
+    }
+
+    // ==========================================================================================
+    // Negative: wrong settings / wrong creds
+    // ==========================================================================================
+
+    @Test
+    void wrongSecret_throwsOnFirstOperation() {
+        ApplicationProperties.Storage.S3 bad = configFromEnv();
+        bad.setSecretKey("definitely-not-the-real-secret-" + UUID.randomUUID());
+
+        try (S3Clients.Bundle badBundle = S3Clients.build(bad, "wrong-secret")) {
+            assertThatThrownBy(() -> badBundle.client().headBucket(h -> h.bucket(bucket)))
+                    .isInstanceOf(S3Exception.class)
+                    .satisfies(e -> assertThat(((S3Exception) e).statusCode()).isIn(401, 403, 400));
+        }
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void nonExistentBucket_throwsOnHeadOrPut() {
+        String fakeBucket = "stirling-no-such-bucket-" + UUID.randomUUID();
+        assertThatThrownBy(() -> bundle.client().headBucket(h -> h.bucket(fakeBucket)))
+                .isInstanceOfAny(NoSuchBucketException.class, S3Exception.class);
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void blankBucket_atBuildTime_throwsIllegalState() {
+        ApplicationProperties.Storage.S3 bad = configFromEnv();
+        bad.setBucket("");
+        assertThatThrownBy(() -> S3Clients.build(bad, "blank-bucket"))
+                .isInstanceOf(IllegalStateException.class)
+                .hasMessageContaining("bucket");
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void invalidEndpointUri_atBuildTime_throwsIllegalState() {
+        ApplicationProperties.Storage.S3 bad = configFromEnv();
+        bad.setEndpoint("not a valid uri ::::");
+        assertThatThrownBy(() -> S3Clients.build(bad, "bad-uri"))
+                .isInstanceOf(IllegalStateException.class);
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void privateEndpoint_withoutOptIn_atBuildTime_throwsIllegalState() {
+        ApplicationProperties.Storage.S3 bad = configFromEnv();
+        bad.setEndpoint("http://127.0.0.1:9000");
+        bad.setAllowPrivateEndpoints(false);
+        assertThatThrownBy(() -> S3Clients.build(bad, "loopback"))
+                .isInstanceOf(IllegalStateException.class)
+                .hasMessageContaining("private");
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void getMissingKey_returnsNoSuchKey() {
+        String missing = PREFIX + "missing-" + UUID.randomUUID();
+        assertThatThrownBy(() -> bundle.client().getObject(g -> g.bucket(bucket).key(missing)))
+                .isInstanceOfAny(NoSuchKeyException.class, S3Exception.class);
+    }
+
+    // ==========================================================================================
+    // Bundle lifecycle
+    // ==========================================================================================
+
+    @Test
+    void bundleClose_isIdempotent() {
+        ApplicationProperties.Storage.S3 c = configFromEnv();
+        S3Clients.Bundle b = S3Clients.build(c, "lifecycle");
+        b.close();
+        b.close(); // should not throw
+    }
+
+    // ==========================================================================================
+    // Internal helpers (using the bundle directly for prefix/folder simulation)
+    // ==========================================================================================
+
+    private String putRaw(String key, String body) {
+        bundle.client()
+                .putObject(
+                        p -> p.bucket(bucket).key(key),
+                        RequestBody.fromBytes(body.getBytes(StandardCharsets.UTF_8)));
+        return key;
+    }
+
+    private byte[] getRaw(String key) {
+        return bundle.client().getObjectAsBytes(g -> g.bucket(bucket).key(key)).asByteArray();
+    }
+
+    private Object headOrNull(String key) {
+        try {
+            return bundle.client().headObject(h -> h.bucket(bucket).key(key));
+        } catch (Exception e) {
+            return null;
+        }
+    }
+
+    private byte[] tryGetBytes(String key) {
+        try {
+            return bundle.client().getObjectAsBytes(g -> g.bucket(bucket).key(key)).asByteArray();
+        } catch (Exception e) {
+            return null;
+        }
+    }
+
+    private void deleteAllUnderPrefix(String prefix) {
+        var listing = bundle.client().listObjectsV2(l -> l.bucket(bucket).prefix(prefix));
+        for (var obj : listing.contents()) {
+            bundle.client().deleteObject(d -> d.bucket(bucket).key(obj.key()));
+        }
+    }
+
+    // ==========================================================================================
+    // Key edge cases: leading/trailing/double slash, length, URL-special chars
+    // ==========================================================================================
+
+    @Test
+    void key_trailingSlash_storesAsZeroByteFolderMarker() {
+        String key = PREFIX + "folder-marker-" + UUID.randomUUID() + "/";
+        track(key);
+
+        // S3 spec: trailing slash is legal and creates a 0-byte "folder marker" object.
+        // Some vendors normalize it away; capture either behavior.
+        bundle.client()
+                .putObject(p -> p.bucket(bucket).key(key), RequestBody.fromBytes(new byte[0]));
+        Object head = headOrNull(key);
+        // Either: vendor accepts the marker (head is non-null) or normalizes to bare key.
+        assertThat(head != null || headOrNull(key.substring(0, key.length() - 1)) != null)
+                .as("vendor should either accept trailing-slash marker or normalize to bare key")
+                .isTrue();
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void key_doubleSlash_normalizedOrStoredVerbatim() {
+        String key = PREFIX + "double//slash-" + UUID.randomUUID() + ".txt";
+        track(key);
+        bundle.client()
+                .putObject(
+                        p -> p.bucket(bucket).key(key),
+                        RequestBody.fromBytes("ds".getBytes(StandardCharsets.UTF_8)));
+
+        // Either GET-with-the-exact-key works, or vendor normalized -> single-slash form works.
+        String alt = key.replace("//", "/");
+        track(alt);
+        byte[] viaExact = tryGetBytes(key);
+        byte[] viaNormalized = tryGetBytes(alt);
+        assertThat(viaExact != null || viaNormalized != null)
+                .as("either exact double-slash key or normalized single-slash form must return")
+                .isTrue();
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void key_200Chars_isStoredAndRetrievable() {
+        // Stirling production keys are ~45 chars ({ownerId}/{uuid}). 200 chars exceeds that by
+        // ~5x but stays inside every vendor's documented limit. The S3 spec max is 1024 bytes
+        // but some vendors (Supabase) impose stricter caps (~250-byte total path including
+        // bucket prefix - 1000 chars fails with KeyTooLongError).
+        StringBuilder sb = new StringBuilder(PREFIX + "long/");
+        while (sb.length() < 200) {
+            sb.append("abcdefghij");
+        }
+        String longKey = sb.substring(0, 200);
+        track(longKey);
+
+        byte[] payload = "long-key".getBytes(StandardCharsets.UTF_8);
+        bundle.client()
+                .putObject(p -> p.bucket(bucket).key(longKey), RequestBody.fromBytes(payload));
+        assertThat(getRaw(longKey)).isEqualTo(payload);
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void key_safeSpecialChars_areSignedAndRetrievableViaSdk() {
+        // Restrict to chars every S3-compatible vendor accepts: dot, dash, underscore.
+        // Stirling's production key format ({ownerId}/{uuid}) is even narrower; this test
+        // confirms the SDK SigV4 signer copes with slightly more exotic ASCII-safe keys.
+        // Note: Supabase rejects keys containing space / + / ? / & / # ("400 Invalid key"),
+        // see documentsVendorKeyRestrictions_tolerantTest for that documentation.
+        String key =
+                PREFIX
+                        + "safe-special/"
+                        + UUID.randomUUID()
+                        + "_segment.with-dots.and_underscores.txt";
+        track(key);
+
+        bundle.client()
+                .putObject(
+                        p -> p.bucket(bucket).key(key),
+                        RequestBody.fromBytes("safe".getBytes(StandardCharsets.UTF_8)));
+        assertThat(getRaw(key)).isEqualTo("safe".getBytes(StandardCharsets.UTF_8));
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void documentsVendorKeyRestrictions_tolerantTest() {
+        // Documents - rather than enforces - which key characters cause vendor rejection.
+        // Stirling production code is safe because S3StorageProvider always emits an
+        // ASCII-safe UUID-only key. If you ever change that, this test becomes a canary.
+        // AWS S3 and MinIO accept all of these; Supabase rejects all of them with 400.
+        String[] suspiciousKeys = {
+            PREFIX + "with space.txt",
+            PREFIX + "with+plus.txt",
+            PREFIX + "with#hash.txt",
+            PREFIX + "with?question.txt",
+            PREFIX + "with&amp.txt",
+        };
+        int accepted = 0;
+        int rejected = 0;
+        for (String k : suspiciousKeys) {
+            track(k);
+            try {
+                bundle.client()
+                        .putObject(
+                                p -> p.bucket(bucket).key(k),
+                                RequestBody.fromBytes("x".getBytes(StandardCharsets.UTF_8)));
+                accepted++;
+            } catch (S3Exception e) {
+                assertThat(e.statusCode())
+                        .as("vendor rejection must be a clean 4xx, not a signature mismatch")
+                        .isBetween(400, 499);
+                rejected++;
+            }
+        }
+        assertThat(accepted + rejected).isEqualTo(suspiciousKeys.length);
+    }
+
+    // ==========================================================================================
+    // Presigned-URL: TTL bounds + Content-Disposition behavior (Stirling uses this for shares)
+    // ==========================================================================================
+
+    @Test
+    void presignedGet_ttlExceeding7Days_isRejectedAtSigningTime() {
+        String key = PREFIX + "ttl-overflow-" + UUID.randomUUID() + ".txt";
+        track(putRaw(key, "x"));
+
+        // SigV4 caps presigned URL TTL at 7 days. SDK should refuse to sign anything larger.
+        assertThatThrownBy(
+                        () ->
+                                bundle.presigner()
+                                        .presignGetObject(
+                                                GetObjectPresignRequest.builder()
+                                                        .signatureDuration(Duration.ofDays(8))
+                                                        .getObjectRequest(
+                                                                g -> g.bucket(bucket).key(key))
+                                                        .build()))
+                .isInstanceOfAny(IllegalArgumentException.class, RuntimeException.class);
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void provider_signedDownloadUrl_attachmentDisposition_endsWithAttachmentHeader()
+            throws Exception {
+        byte[] payload = "attach me".getBytes(StandardCharsets.UTF_8);
+        MockMultipartFile file =
+                new MockMultipartFile("file", "report.pdf", "application/pdf", payload);
+        StoredObject obj = provider.store(owner, file);
+        track(obj.getStorageKey());
+
+        java.util.Optional<java.net.URI> url =
+                provider.signedDownloadUrl(
+                        obj.getStorageKey(), Duration.ofMinutes(2), false, "report.pdf");
+        assertThat(url).isPresent();
+
+        HttpResponse<byte[]> resp =
+                HttpClient.newHttpClient()
+                        .send(
+                                HttpRequest.newBuilder(url.get()).GET().build(),
+                                HttpResponse.BodyHandlers.ofByteArray());
+
+        assertThat(resp.statusCode()).isEqualTo(200);
+        // Supabase + AWS both honor response-content-disposition query param.
+        assertThat(resp.headers().firstValue("content-disposition").orElse(""))
+                .as("vendor must honor response-content-disposition override in presigned URL")
+                .startsWith("attachment");
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void provider_signedDownloadUrl_inlineDisposition_endsWithInlineHeader() throws Exception {
+        byte[] payload = "inline".getBytes(StandardCharsets.UTF_8);
+        MockMultipartFile file =
+                new MockMultipartFile("file", "preview.pdf", "application/pdf", payload);
+        StoredObject obj = provider.store(owner, file);
+        track(obj.getStorageKey());
+
+        java.util.Optional<java.net.URI> url =
+                provider.signedDownloadUrl(
+                        obj.getStorageKey(), Duration.ofMinutes(2), true, "preview.pdf");
+        assertThat(url).isPresent();
+
+        HttpResponse<byte[]> resp =
+                HttpClient.newHttpClient()
+                        .send(
+                                HttpRequest.newBuilder(url.get()).GET().build(),
+                                HttpResponse.BodyHandlers.ofByteArray());
+
+        assertThat(resp.statusCode()).isEqualTo(200);
+        assertThat(resp.headers().firstValue("content-disposition").orElse(""))
+                .as("inline=true must set 'inline' disposition")
+                .startsWith("inline");
+    }
+
+    // ==========================================================================================
+    // List pagination + HEAD missing semantics
+    // ==========================================================================================
+
+    @Test
+    void listObjectsV2_paginationWithMaxKeys_returnsContinuationToken() {
+        // Stage 3 objects under a unique sub-prefix.
+        String prefix = PREFIX + "page-" + UUID.randomUUID() + "/";
+        for (int i = 0; i < 3; i++) {
+            track(putRaw(prefix + "obj-" + i, "p" + i));
+        }
+
+        var first = bundle.client().listObjectsV2(l -> l.bucket(bucket).prefix(prefix).maxKeys(1));
+        assertThat(first.contents()).hasSize(1);
+        assertThat(first.isTruncated()).isTrue();
+        assertThat(first.nextContinuationToken()).isNotBlank();
+
+        var second =
+                bundle.client()
+                        .listObjectsV2(
+                                l ->
+                                        l.bucket(bucket)
+                                                .prefix(prefix)
+                                                .maxKeys(2)
+                                                .continuationToken(first.nextContinuationToken()));
+        assertThat(second.contents()).hasSize(2);
+        assertThat(second.isTruncated()).isFalse();
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void headObject_missingKey_throwsNoSuchKeyOr404() {
+        String missing = PREFIX + "head-missing-" + UUID.randomUUID();
+        assertThatThrownBy(() -> bundle.client().headObject(h -> h.bucket(bucket).key(missing)))
+                .isInstanceOf(S3Exception.class)
+                .satisfies(e -> assertThat(((S3Exception) e).statusCode()).isEqualTo(404));
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Presigned-URL test scaffolding for parity with the smoke test (covers the SDK presign path).
+     */
+    @Test
+    void presignGetObject_independentOfProvider_returnsBytes() throws Exception {
+        String key = PREFIX + "presign-direct-" + UUID.randomUUID() + ".txt";
+        byte[] payload = "direct presign".getBytes(StandardCharsets.UTF_8);
+        track(putRaw(key, "direct presign"));
+
+        PresignedGetObjectRequest presigned =
+                bundle.presigner()
+                        .presignGetObject(
+                                GetObjectPresignRequest.builder()
+                                        .signatureDuration(Duration.ofMinutes(2))
+                                        .getObjectRequest(g -> g.bucket(bucket).key(key))
+                                        .build());
+
+        HttpResponse<byte[]> resp =
+                HttpClient.newHttpClient()
+                        .send(
+                                HttpRequest.newBuilder(presigned.url().toURI()).GET().build(),
+                                HttpResponse.BodyHandlers.ofByteArray());
+
+        assertThat(resp.statusCode()).isEqualTo(200);
+        assertThat(resp.body()).isEqualTo(payload);
+    }
+}

app/proprietary/src/test/java/stirling/software/proprietary/cluster/s3/S3VendorSmokeTest.java

@@ -0,0 +1,161 @@
+package stirling.software.proprietary.cluster.s3;
+
+import static org.assertj.core.api.Assertions.assertThat;
+
+import java.io.ByteArrayInputStream;
+import java.net.http.HttpClient;
+import java.net.http.HttpRequest;
+import java.net.http.HttpResponse;
+import java.nio.charset.StandardCharsets;
+import java.time.Duration;
+
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.AfterAll;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.BeforeAll;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
+import org.testcontainers.containers.localstack.LocalStackContainer;
+import org.testcontainers.junit.jupiter.Testcontainers;
+import org.testcontainers.utility.DockerImageName;
+
+import stirling.software.common.cluster.FileStore;
+import stirling.software.common.model.ApplicationProperties;
+
+import software.amazon.awssdk.core.sync.RequestBody;
+import software.amazon.awssdk.services.s3.model.S3Exception;
+import software.amazon.awssdk.services.s3.presigner.model.GetObjectPresignRequest;
+import software.amazon.awssdk.services.s3.presigner.model.PresignedGetObjectRequest;
+
+/**
+ * End-to-end smoke against the full {@link S3Clients#build} path. Defaults to a LocalStack
+ * container so it runs in CI; if {@code S3_SMOKE_ENDPOINT} is set, swaps in a real vendor (AWS /
+ * Supabase / R2 / MinIO over network) to validate live signing + DNS.
+ */
+@Testcontainers(disabledWithoutDocker = true)
+class S3VendorSmokeTest {
+
+    private static LocalStackContainer localstack;
+    private static S3Clients.Bundle bundle;
+    private static String bucket;
+    private static String vendorLabel;
+
+    @BeforeAll
+    static void setUp() {
+        ApplicationProperties.Storage.S3 cfg = new ApplicationProperties.Storage.S3();
+        String envEndpoint = System.getenv("S3_SMOKE_ENDPOINT");
+
+        if (envEndpoint != null && !envEndpoint.isBlank()) {
+            vendorLabel = System.getenv().getOrDefault("S3_SMOKE_LABEL", "external");
+            cfg.setEndpoint(envEndpoint);
+            cfg.setBucket(requireEnv("S3_SMOKE_BUCKET"));
+            cfg.setRegion(System.getenv().getOrDefault("S3_SMOKE_REGION", "us-east-1"));
+            cfg.setAccessKey(requireEnv("S3_SMOKE_KEY"));
+            cfg.setSecretKey(requireEnv("S3_SMOKE_SECRET"));
+            cfg.setPathStyleAccess(
+                    Boolean.parseBoolean(
+                            System.getenv().getOrDefault("S3_SMOKE_PATHSTYLE", "false")));
+            cfg.setAllowPrivateEndpoints(
+                    Boolean.parseBoolean(
+                            System.getenv().getOrDefault("S3_SMOKE_ALLOWPRIVATE", "false")));
+        } else {
+            vendorLabel = "localstack";
+            localstack =
+                    new LocalStackContainer(DockerImageName.parse("localstack/localstack:3.8"))
+                            .withServices(LocalStackContainer.Service.S3);
+            localstack.start();
+            cfg.setEndpoint(
+                    localstack.getEndpointOverride(LocalStackContainer.Service.S3).toString());
+            cfg.setBucket("stirling-smoke");
+            cfg.setRegion(localstack.getRegion());
+            cfg.setAccessKey(localstack.getAccessKey());
+            cfg.setSecretKey(localstack.getSecretKey());
+            // Exercise virtual-hosted addressing where possible. LocalStack supports both;
+            // path-style remains covered by the MinIO suite.
+            cfg.setPathStyleAccess(false);
+            // Required: localhost is a loopback address and would otherwise be rejected.
+            cfg.setAllowPrivateEndpoints(true);
+        }
+
+        bundle = S3Clients.build(cfg, "vendor-smoke[" + vendorLabel + "]");
+        bucket = cfg.getBucket();
+        ensureBucketExists(bucket);
+    }
+
+    @AfterAll
+    static void tearDown() {
+        if (bundle != null) {
+            bundle.close();
+        }
+        if (localstack != null) {
+            localstack.stop();
+        }
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void s3FileStore_roundTripsContentAgainstVendor() throws Exception {
+        S3FileStore store = new S3FileStore(bundle.client(), bucket, "smoke/", false);
+        byte[] payload = ("hello from " + vendorLabel).getBytes(StandardCharsets.UTF_8);
+
+        FileStore.Stored stored =
+                store.store(new ByteArrayInputStream(payload), "smoke-payload.txt");
+        try {
+            assertThat(stored.size()).isEqualTo(payload.length);
+            assertThat(store.exists(stored.fileId())).isTrue();
+            assertThat(store.size(stored.fileId())).isEqualTo(payload.length);
+            assertThat(store.retrieveBytes(stored.fileId())).isEqualTo(payload);
+        } finally {
+            assertThat(store.delete(stored.fileId())).isTrue();
+            assertThat(store.exists(stored.fileId())).isFalse();
+        }
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void presignedGet_downloadsContentOverHttp() throws Exception {
+        String key = "smoke/presign-" + System.currentTimeMillis() + ".txt";
+        byte[] payload = ("presigned by " + vendorLabel).getBytes(StandardCharsets.UTF_8);
+
+        bundle.client().putObject(p -> p.bucket(bucket).key(key), RequestBody.fromBytes(payload));
+        try {
+            PresignedGetObjectRequest presigned =
+                    bundle.presigner()
+                            .presignGetObject(
+                                    GetObjectPresignRequest.builder()
+                                            .signatureDuration(Duration.ofMinutes(5))
+                                            .getObjectRequest(g -> g.bucket(bucket).key(key))
+                                            .build());
+
+            HttpResponse<byte[]> resp =
+                    HttpClient.newHttpClient()
+                            .send(
+                                    HttpRequest.newBuilder(presigned.url().toURI()).GET().build(),
+                                    HttpResponse.BodyHandlers.ofByteArray());
+
+            assertThat(resp.statusCode()).isEqualTo(200);
+            assertThat(resp.body()).isEqualTo(payload);
+        } finally {
+            bundle.client().deleteObject(d -> d.bucket(bucket).key(key));
+        }
+    }
+
+    private static String requireEnv(String name) {
+        String value = System.getenv(name);
+        if (value == null || value.isBlank()) {
+            throw new IllegalStateException(
+                    name + " env var must be set when S3_SMOKE_ENDPOINT is set");
+        }
+        return value;
+    }
+
+    private static void ensureBucketExists(String b) {
+        try {
+            bundle.client().headBucket(h -> h.bucket(b));
+        } catch (S3Exception e) {
+            if (e.statusCode() == 404 || e.statusCode() == 301 || e.statusCode() == 400) {
+                try {
+                    bundle.client().createBucket(c -> c.bucket(b));
+                } catch (S3Exception ignored) {
+                    // Bucket already exists or vendor disallows runtime create (Supabase/R2 often
+                    // require pre-create). Caller is expected to have pre-created it in that case.
+                }
+            }
+        }
+    }
+}

app/proprietary/src/test/java/stirling/software/proprietary/security/configuration/ee/EEAppConfigTest.java

@@ -0,0 +1,59 @@
+package stirling.software.proprietary.security.configuration.ee;
+
+import static org.assertj.core.api.Assertions.assertThat;
+import static org.assertj.core.api.Assertions.assertThatThrownBy;
+import static org.mockito.Mockito.mock;
+import static org.mockito.Mockito.verifyNoInteractions;
+import static org.mockito.Mockito.when;
+
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
+
+import stirling.software.common.model.ApplicationProperties;
+
+class EEAppConfigTest {
+
+    @Test
+    void ssoAutoLogin_disabled_returnsFalse_andDoesNotConsultLicense() {
+        ApplicationProperties props = new ApplicationProperties();
+        props.getPremium().getProFeatures().setSsoAutoLogin(false);
+        LicenseKeyChecker checker = mock(LicenseKeyChecker.class);
+
+        EEAppConfig cfg = new EEAppConfig(props, checker);
+
+        assertThat(cfg.ssoAutoLogin()).isFalse();
+        verifyNoInteractions(checker);
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void ssoAutoLogin_enabled_withProLicense_returnsTrue() {
+        ApplicationProperties props = new ApplicationProperties();
+        props.getPremium().getProFeatures().setSsoAutoLogin(true);
+        LicenseKeyChecker checker = mock(LicenseKeyChecker.class);
+        when(checker.getPremiumLicenseEnabledResult())
+                .thenReturn(KeygenLicenseVerifier.License.SERVER);
+
+        EEAppConfig cfg = new EEAppConfig(props, checker);
+
+        assertThat(cfg.ssoAutoLogin()).isTrue();
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void ssoAutoLogin_enabled_withoutLicense_throwsAtBootTime() {
+        ApplicationProperties props = new ApplicationProperties();
+        props.getPremium().getProFeatures().setSsoAutoLogin(true);
+        LicenseKeyChecker checker = mock(LicenseKeyChecker.class);
+        // Real LicenseKeyChecker.requireProOrEnterprise throws on NORMAL; mock that behavior here.
+        org.mockito.Mockito.doThrow(
+                        new IllegalStateException(
+                                "premium.proFeatures.ssoAutoLogin=true requires a Pro or Enterprise license"))
+                .when(checker)
+                .requireProOrEnterprise("premium.proFeatures.ssoAutoLogin=true");
+
+        EEAppConfig cfg = new EEAppConfig(props, checker);
+
+        assertThatThrownBy(cfg::ssoAutoLogin)
+                .isInstanceOf(IllegalStateException.class)
+                .hasMessageContaining(
+                        "premium.proFeatures.ssoAutoLogin=true requires a Pro or Enterprise license");
+    }
+}

app/proprietary/src/test/java/stirling/software/proprietary/security/configuration/ee/LicenseKeyCheckerTest.java

@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
 package stirling.software.proprietary.security.configuration.ee;
 
+import static org.assertj.core.api.Assertions.assertThatCode;
+import static org.assertj.core.api.Assertions.assertThatThrownBy;
 import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertEquals;
 import static org.mockito.Mockito.verify;
 import static org.mockito.Mockito.verifyNoInteractions;
@@ -86,4 +88,43 @@ class LicenseKeyCheckerTest {
         assertEquals(License.NORMAL, checker.getPremiumLicenseEnabledResult());
         verifyNoInteractions(verifier);
     }
+
+    // ----- requireProOrEnterprise: shared boot-time gate for premium features -----
+
+    @Test
+    void requireProOrEnterprise_normalLicense_throwsWithFeatureName() {
+        LicenseKeyChecker checker = checkerWithLicense(License.NORMAL);
+        assertThatThrownBy(() -> checker.requireProOrEnterprise("storage.provider=s3"))
+                .isInstanceOf(IllegalStateException.class)
+                .hasMessageContaining("storage.provider=s3 requires a Pro or Enterprise license");
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void requireProOrEnterprise_serverLicense_passes() {
+        LicenseKeyChecker checker = checkerWithLicense(License.SERVER);
+        assertThatCode(() -> checker.requireProOrEnterprise("any.feature=true"))
+                .doesNotThrowAnyException();
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void requireProOrEnterprise_enterpriseLicense_passes() {
+        LicenseKeyChecker checker = checkerWithLicense(License.ENTERPRISE);
+        assertThatCode(() -> checker.requireProOrEnterprise("any.feature=true"))
+                .doesNotThrowAnyException();
+    }
+
+    private LicenseKeyChecker checkerWithLicense(License level) {
+        ApplicationProperties props = new ApplicationProperties();
+        if (level == License.NORMAL) {
+            props.getPremium().setEnabled(false);
+        } else {
+            props.getPremium().setEnabled(true);
+            props.getPremium().setKey("any");
+            when(verifier.verifyLicense("any")).thenReturn(level);
+        }
+        LicenseKeyChecker checker =
+                new LicenseKeyChecker(verifier, props, userLicenseSettingsService);
+        checker.init();
+        return checker;
+    }
 }

app/proprietary/src/test/java/stirling/software/proprietary/security/service/CustomOAuth2UserServiceDebugLoggingTest.java

@@ -0,0 +1,221 @@
+package stirling.software.proprietary.security.service;
+
+import static org.assertj.core.api.Assertions.assertThat;
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertThrows;
+import static org.mockito.ArgumentMatchers.any;
+import static org.mockito.Mockito.lenient;
+import static org.mockito.Mockito.when;
+
+import java.lang.reflect.Field;
+import java.time.Instant;
+import java.util.Collections;
+import java.util.HashMap;
+import java.util.LinkedHashMap;
+import java.util.List;
+import java.util.Map;
+
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.AfterEach;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.BeforeEach;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.extension.ExtendWith;
+import org.mockito.Mock;
+import org.mockito.junit.jupiter.MockitoExtension;
+import org.slf4j.LoggerFactory;
+import org.springframework.security.oauth2.client.oidc.userinfo.OidcUserRequest;
+import org.springframework.security.oauth2.client.oidc.userinfo.OidcUserService;
+import org.springframework.security.oauth2.client.registration.ClientRegistration;
+import org.springframework.security.oauth2.core.AuthorizationGrantType;
+import org.springframework.security.oauth2.core.OAuth2AuthenticationException;
+import org.springframework.security.oauth2.core.oidc.IdTokenClaimNames;
+import org.springframework.security.oauth2.core.oidc.OidcIdToken;
+import org.springframework.security.oauth2.core.oidc.user.DefaultOidcUser;
+
+import stirling.software.common.model.ApplicationProperties;
+
+import ch.qos.logback.classic.Level;
+import ch.qos.logback.classic.Logger;
+import ch.qos.logback.classic.spi.ILoggingEvent;
+import ch.qos.logback.core.read.ListAppender;
+
+/**
+ * Verifies the opt-in OAuth2/OIDC claim-dump diagnostic logging added to {@link
+ * CustomOAuth2UserService} for troubleshooting provider misconfiguration (e.g. ADFS not emitting an
+ * {@code email} claim).
+ */
+@ExtendWith(MockitoExtension.class)
+class CustomOAuth2UserServiceDebugLoggingTest {
+
+    @Mock private UserService userService;
+    @Mock private LoginAttemptService loginAttemptService;
+    @Mock private OidcUserRequest userRequest;
+
+    private ListAppender<ILoggingEvent> appender;
+    private Logger serviceLogger;
+
+    @BeforeEach
+    void attachLogCapture() {
+        serviceLogger = (Logger) LoggerFactory.getLogger(CustomOAuth2UserService.class);
+        appender = new ListAppender<>();
+        appender.start();
+        serviceLogger.addAppender(appender);
+        // Make sure INFO-level dumps reach the appender even if the default config is WARN+.
+        serviceLogger.setLevel(Level.DEBUG);
+    }
+
+    @AfterEach
+    void detachLogCapture() {
+        serviceLogger.detachAppender(appender);
+        appender.stop();
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void whenDebugLoggingOff_failureProducesNoClaimDump() throws Exception {
+        ApplicationProperties.Security.OAUTH2 props = oauthProps("email", false);
+        CustomOAuth2UserService service =
+                new CustomOAuth2UserService(props, userService, loginAttemptService);
+        // Provider gave us claims, but no "email" — same shape as the ADFS bug report.
+        Map<String, Object> claims = baseClaims();
+        claims.put("upn", "jdoe@demarest.com.br");
+        replaceDelegateWithStub(service, claims);
+        lenient()
+                .when(userRequest.getIdToken())
+                .thenReturn(new OidcIdToken("token", Instant.now(), Instant.MAX, claims));
+        lenient().when(userRequest.getClientRegistration()).thenReturn(stubRegistration());
+
+        assertThrows(OAuth2AuthenticationException.class, () -> service.loadUser(userRequest));
+
+        assertThat(appender.list)
+                .as("no debug dump should appear when debugLogging=false")
+                .noneMatch(e -> e.getFormattedMessage().contains("[OAUTH2 DEBUG]"));
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void whenDebugLoggingOn_failureDumpsClaimsAndSuggestsAlternative() throws Exception {
+        ApplicationProperties.Security.OAUTH2 props = oauthProps("email", true);
+        CustomOAuth2UserService service =
+                new CustomOAuth2UserService(props, userService, loginAttemptService);
+        Map<String, Object> claims = adfsStyleClaims();
+        // ADFS-style: no `email`, but `preferred_username` IS a valid UsernameAttribute value.
+        claims.put("preferred_username", "jdoe@demarest.com.br");
+        // `upn` is NOT in UsernameAttribute, so it must NOT appear in the suggestion hint.
+        claims.put("upn", "jdoe@demarest.com.br");
+        replaceDelegateWithStub(service, claims);
+        lenient()
+                .when(userRequest.getIdToken())
+                .thenReturn(new OidcIdToken("token", Instant.now(), Instant.MAX, claims));
+        lenient().when(userRequest.getClientRegistration()).thenReturn(stubRegistration());
+
+        assertThrows(OAuth2AuthenticationException.class, () -> service.loadUser(userRequest));
+
+        List<ILoggingEvent> dumps =
+                appender.list.stream()
+                        .filter(e -> e.getFormattedMessage().contains("[OAUTH2 DEBUG]"))
+                        .toList();
+        assertThat(dumps).as("expected at least one debug-dump log line").isNotEmpty();
+
+        String combined =
+                String.join("\n", dumps.stream().map(ILoggingEvent::getFormattedMessage).toList());
+        assertThat(combined)
+                .contains("Provider registrationId : demarest")
+                .contains("Configured useAsUsername: email")
+                .contains("preferred_username")
+                .contains("upn = jdoe@demarest.com.br")
+                .contains("<NULL — this is why login fails>");
+        // The hint must include 'preferred_username' (a valid UsernameAttribute value present
+        // in the claims) and MUST NOT include 'upn' (not in the UsernameAttribute enum).
+        String hintLine =
+                combined.lines()
+                        .filter(l -> l.contains("Hint:"))
+                        .findFirst()
+                        .orElseThrow(() -> new AssertionError("no Hint: line in dump"));
+        assertThat(hintLine).contains("preferred_username").doesNotContain("upn");
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void invalidUseAsUsername_isWrappedAsOAuth2AuthenticationException() {
+        // Regression: an earlier draft moved UsernameAttribute.valueOf(...) outside the try/catch,
+        // so a typo'd or null useAsUsername leaked as a raw IllegalArgumentException instead of
+        // being wrapped, breaking Spring's authentication exception handling. This test pins the
+        // post-fix behaviour: valueOf() failures stay inside the guarded section.
+        ApplicationProperties.Security.OAUTH2 props = oauthProps("not_a_real_attribute", true);
+        CustomOAuth2UserService service =
+                new CustomOAuth2UserService(props, userService, loginAttemptService);
+        lenient().when(userRequest.getClientRegistration()).thenReturn(stubRegistration());
+        // No need to stub the OIDC delegate — control flow shouldn't reach it.
+
+        OAuth2AuthenticationException thrown =
+                assertThrows(
+                        OAuth2AuthenticationException.class, () -> service.loadUser(userRequest));
+        assertThat(thrown.getCause()).isInstanceOf(IllegalArgumentException.class);
+        // We deliberately do NOT emit the claim dump in this case (we have no resolved
+        // usernameAttributeKey to compare against, and the IllegalArgumentException message
+        // already explains the misconfiguration).
+        assertThat(appender.list)
+                .as("no claim dump when useAsUsername itself is invalid")
+                .noneMatch(e -> e.getFormattedMessage().contains("[OAUTH2 DEBUG]"));
+    }
+
+    // ---------- helpers ----------
+
+    private static ApplicationProperties.Security.OAUTH2 oauthProps(
+            String useAsUsername, boolean debugLogging) {
+        ApplicationProperties.Security.OAUTH2 p = new ApplicationProperties.Security.OAUTH2();
+        p.setEnabled(true);
+        p.setUseAsUsername(useAsUsername);
+        p.setDebugLogging(debugLogging);
+        return p;
+    }
+
+    private static Map<String, Object> baseClaims() {
+        Map<String, Object> claims = new LinkedHashMap<>();
+        claims.put(IdTokenClaimNames.SUB, "abc-123");
+        claims.put(IdTokenClaimNames.ISS, "https://sts.example.com/adfs");
+        claims.put(IdTokenClaimNames.AUD, Collections.singletonList("client-id"));
+        claims.put(IdTokenClaimNames.IAT, Instant.now());
+        claims.put(IdTokenClaimNames.EXP, Instant.now().plusSeconds(3600));
+        claims.put("given_name", "Jane");
+        claims.put("family_name", "Doe");
+        return claims;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * ADFS-style claim set with {@code given_name}/{@code family_name} removed, so the suggestion
+     * hint test isolates a single expected UsernameAttribute value.
+     */
+    private static Map<String, Object> adfsStyleClaims() {
+        Map<String, Object> claims = baseClaims();
+        claims.remove("given_name");
+        claims.remove("family_name");
+        return claims;
+    }
+
+    private static ClientRegistration stubRegistration() {
+        return ClientRegistration.withRegistrationId("demarest")
+                .clientId("client-id")
+                .clientSecret("client-secret")
+                .authorizationGrantType(AuthorizationGrantType.AUTHORIZATION_CODE)
+                .redirectUri("https://app.example.com/login/oauth2/code/demarest")
+                .authorizationUri("https://sts.example.com/adfs/oauth2/authorize")
+                .tokenUri("https://sts.example.com/adfs/oauth2/token")
+                .jwkSetUri("https://sts.example.com/adfs/discovery/keys")
+                .build();
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Swap the private {@code delegate} field on {@link CustomOAuth2UserService} for a stub that
+     * returns a {@link DefaultOidcUser} built from the supplied claims. Lets us drive the test
+     * without standing up a real OIDC provider.
+     */
+    private void replaceDelegateWithStub(
+            CustomOAuth2UserService service, Map<String, Object> claims) throws Exception {
+        OidcIdToken idToken =
+                new OidcIdToken("raw-token", Instant.now(), Instant.MAX, new HashMap<>(claims));
+        DefaultOidcUser delegateUser =
+                new DefaultOidcUser(Collections.emptyList(), idToken, IdTokenClaimNames.SUB);
+        OidcUserService delegateMock = org.mockito.Mockito.mock(OidcUserService.class);
+        when(delegateMock.loadUser(any())).thenReturn(delegateUser);
+        Field f = CustomOAuth2UserService.class.getDeclaredField("delegate");
+        f.setAccessible(true);
+        f.set(service, delegateMock);
+    }
+}

app/proprietary/src/test/java/stirling/software/proprietary/storage/config/ClusterStorageGateTest.java

@@ -0,0 +1,250 @@
+package stirling.software.proprietary.storage.config;
+
+import static org.assertj.core.api.Assertions.assertThat;
+import static org.assertj.core.api.Assertions.assertThatCode;
+import static org.assertj.core.api.Assertions.assertThatThrownBy;
+import static org.mockito.ArgumentMatchers.anyString;
+import static org.mockito.Mockito.doNothing;
+import static org.mockito.Mockito.mock;
+import static org.mockito.Mockito.when;
+
+import java.lang.reflect.Field;
+
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
+
+import stirling.software.common.model.ApplicationProperties;
+import stirling.software.proprietary.security.configuration.ee.KeygenLicenseVerifier.License;
+import stirling.software.proprietary.security.configuration.ee.LicenseKeyChecker;
+
+class ClusterStorageGateTest {
+
+    @Test
+    void clusterDisabled_localStorage_passes() {
+        ClusterStorageGate gate = newGate(false, true, "local", "local");
+        assertThatCode(gate::validate).doesNotThrowAnyException();
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void clusterDisabled_s3Storage_passes() {
+        ClusterStorageGate gate = newGate(false, true, "s3", "local");
+        assertThatCode(gate::validate).doesNotThrowAnyException();
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void clusterEnabled_storageDisabled_butArtifactStoreLocal_fails() {
+        ClusterStorageGate gate = newGate(true, false, "local", "local");
+        assertThatThrownBy(gate::validate)
+                .isInstanceOf(IllegalStateException.class)
+                .hasMessageContaining("cluster.artifactStore=local");
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void clusterEnabled_storageDisabled_artifactStoreS3_passes() {
+        ClusterStorageGate gate = newGate(true, false, "local", "s3");
+        assertThatCode(gate::validate).doesNotThrowAnyException();
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void clusterEnabled_localStorage_fails() {
+        ClusterStorageGate gate = newGate(true, true, "local", "s3");
+        assertThatThrownBy(gate::validate)
+                .isInstanceOf(IllegalStateException.class)
+                .hasMessageContaining("storage.provider=local")
+                .hasMessageContaining("storage.provider=s3")
+                .hasMessageContaining("storage.provider=database");
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void clusterEnabled_localStorage_caseInsensitive_fails() {
+        ClusterStorageGate gate = newGate(true, true, "LOCAL", "s3");
+        assertThatThrownBy(gate::validate).isInstanceOf(IllegalStateException.class);
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void clusterEnabled_nullProvider_treatedAsLocal_fails() {
+        ClusterStorageGate gate = newGate(true, true, null, "s3");
+        assertThatThrownBy(gate::validate)
+                .isInstanceOf(IllegalStateException.class)
+                .hasMessageContaining("storage.provider=local");
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void clusterEnabled_s3Storage_andArtifactStoreS3_passes() {
+        ClusterStorageGate gate = newGate(true, true, "s3", "s3");
+        assertThatCode(gate::validate).doesNotThrowAnyException();
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void clusterEnabled_databaseStorage_andArtifactStoreS3_passes() {
+        ClusterStorageGate gate = newGate(true, true, "database", "s3");
+        assertThatCode(gate::validate).doesNotThrowAnyException();
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void clusterEnabled_s3Storage_butLocalArtifactStore_fails() {
+        ClusterStorageGate gate = newGate(true, true, "s3", "local");
+        assertThatThrownBy(gate::validate)
+                .isInstanceOf(IllegalStateException.class)
+                .hasMessageContaining("cluster.artifactStore=local");
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void clusterEnabled_localArtifactStore_caseInsensitive_fails() {
+        ClusterStorageGate gate = newGate(true, true, "s3", "LOCAL");
+        assertThatThrownBy(gate::validate).isInstanceOf(IllegalStateException.class);
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void clusterEnabled_nullArtifactStore_treatedAsLocal_fails() {
+        ClusterStorageGate gate = newGate(true, true, "s3", null);
+        assertThatThrownBy(gate::validate)
+                .isInstanceOf(IllegalStateException.class)
+                .hasMessageContaining("cluster.artifactStore=local");
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void clusterEnabled_nullStorageObject_passesProviderCheck_butArtifactStoreStillEvaluated() {
+        ApplicationProperties props = new ApplicationProperties();
+        props.setStorage(null);
+        ClusterStorageGate gate = new ClusterStorageGate(props, mockLicenseChecker(License.SERVER));
+        setClusterEnabled(gate, true);
+        setClusterArtifactStore(gate, "s3");
+        assertThatCode(gate::validate).doesNotThrowAnyException();
+    }
+
+    // ----- License gating for premium storage backends -----
+
+    @Test
+    void storageProviderS3_withoutProLicense_throws() {
+        ClusterStorageGate gate = newGate(false, true, "s3", "local", License.NORMAL);
+        assertThatThrownBy(gate::validate)
+                .isInstanceOf(IllegalStateException.class)
+                .hasMessageContaining("storage.provider=s3 requires a Pro or Enterprise license");
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void storageProviderDatabase_withoutProLicense_throws() {
+        ClusterStorageGate gate = newGate(false, true, "database", "local", License.NORMAL);
+        assertThatThrownBy(gate::validate)
+                .isInstanceOf(IllegalStateException.class)
+                .hasMessageContaining(
+                        "storage.provider=database requires a Pro or Enterprise license");
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void storageProviderS3_withServerLicense_passes() {
+        ClusterStorageGate gate = newGate(false, true, "s3", "local", License.SERVER);
+        assertThatCode(gate::validate).doesNotThrowAnyException();
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void storageProviderS3_withEnterpriseLicense_passes() {
+        ClusterStorageGate gate = newGate(false, true, "s3", "local", License.ENTERPRISE);
+        assertThatCode(gate::validate).doesNotThrowAnyException();
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void storageProviderDatabase_withServerLicense_passes() {
+        ClusterStorageGate gate = newGate(false, true, "database", "local", License.SERVER);
+        assertThatCode(gate::validate).doesNotThrowAnyException();
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void clusterArtifactStoreS3_withoutProLicense_throws() {
+        ClusterStorageGate gate = newGate(false, false, "local", "s3", License.NORMAL);
+        assertThatThrownBy(gate::validate)
+                .isInstanceOf(IllegalStateException.class)
+                .hasMessageContaining(
+                        "cluster.artifactStore=s3 requires a Pro or Enterprise license");
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void clusterArtifactStoreS3_withServerLicense_passes() {
+        ClusterStorageGate gate = newGate(false, false, "local", "s3", License.SERVER);
+        assertThatCode(gate::validate).doesNotThrowAnyException();
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void localOnly_normalLicense_passes_licenseNotChecked() {
+        ClusterStorageGate gate = newGate(false, true, "local", "local", License.NORMAL);
+        assertThatCode(gate::validate).doesNotThrowAnyException();
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void storageDisabled_butArtifactStoreS3_withoutLicense_stillThrows() {
+        ClusterStorageGate gate = newGate(false, false, "local", "s3", License.NORMAL);
+        assertThatThrownBy(gate::validate)
+                .isInstanceOf(IllegalStateException.class)
+                .hasMessageContaining("cluster.artifactStore=s3");
+    }
+
+    private static ClusterStorageGate newGate(
+            boolean clusterEnabled,
+            boolean storageEnabled,
+            String provider,
+            String clusterArtifactStore) {
+        // Default to a SERVER license so existing tests (which assert clustering / artifact-store
+        // rules independently of license) continue to pass. License-specific tests below build
+        // gates with explicit license tiers.
+        return newGate(
+                clusterEnabled, storageEnabled, provider, clusterArtifactStore, License.SERVER);
+    }
+
+    private static ClusterStorageGate newGate(
+            boolean clusterEnabled,
+            boolean storageEnabled,
+            String provider,
+            String clusterArtifactStore,
+            License license) {
+        ApplicationProperties props = new ApplicationProperties();
+        ApplicationProperties.Storage storage = new ApplicationProperties.Storage();
+        storage.setEnabled(storageEnabled);
+        storage.setProvider(provider);
+        props.setStorage(storage);
+        LicenseKeyChecker checker = mockLicenseChecker(license);
+        ClusterStorageGate gate = new ClusterStorageGate(props, checker);
+        setClusterEnabled(gate, clusterEnabled);
+        setClusterArtifactStore(gate, clusterArtifactStore);
+        return gate;
+    }
+
+    private static LicenseKeyChecker mockLicenseChecker(License license) {
+        LicenseKeyChecker checker = mock(LicenseKeyChecker.class);
+        when(checker.getPremiumLicenseEnabledResult()).thenReturn(license);
+        if (license == License.SERVER || license == License.ENTERPRISE) {
+            doNothing().when(checker).requireProOrEnterprise(anyString());
+        } else {
+            // Mirror real LicenseKeyChecker.requireProOrEnterprise so message assertions match.
+            org.mockito.Mockito.doAnswer(
+                            inv -> {
+                                throw new IllegalStateException(
+                                        inv.getArgument(0)
+                                                + " requires a Pro or Enterprise license");
+                            })
+                    .when(checker)
+                    .requireProOrEnterprise(anyString());
+        }
+        return checker;
+    }
+
+    private static void setClusterEnabled(ClusterStorageGate gate, boolean enabled) {
+        try {
+            Field f = ClusterStorageGate.class.getDeclaredField("clusterEnabled");
+            f.setAccessible(true);
+            f.setBoolean(gate, enabled);
+            assertThat(f.getBoolean(gate)).isEqualTo(enabled);
+        } catch (ReflectiveOperationException e) {
+            throw new AssertionError("Failed to set clusterEnabled via reflection", e);
+        }
+    }
+
+    private static void setClusterArtifactStore(ClusterStorageGate gate, String value) {
+        try {
+            Field f = ClusterStorageGate.class.getDeclaredField("clusterArtifactStore");
+            f.setAccessible(true);
+            f.set(gate, value);
+        } catch (ReflectiveOperationException e) {
+            throw new AssertionError("Failed to set clusterArtifactStore via reflection", e);
+        }
+    }
+}

app/proprietary/src/test/java/stirling/software/proprietary/storage/config/StorageProviderConfigTest.java

@@ -0,0 +1,116 @@
+package stirling.software.proprietary.storage.config;
+
+import static org.assertj.core.api.Assertions.assertThat;
+import static org.assertj.core.api.Assertions.assertThatCode;
+import static org.assertj.core.api.Assertions.assertThatThrownBy;
+import static org.mockito.ArgumentMatchers.anyString;
+import static org.mockito.Mockito.doAnswer;
+import static org.mockito.Mockito.doNothing;
+import static org.mockito.Mockito.mock;
+import static org.mockito.Mockito.when;
+
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
+
+import stirling.software.common.model.ApplicationProperties;
+import stirling.software.proprietary.security.configuration.ee.KeygenLicenseVerifier.License;
+import stirling.software.proprietary.security.configuration.ee.LicenseKeyChecker;
+import stirling.software.proprietary.storage.provider.LocalStorageProvider;
+import stirling.software.proprietary.storage.provider.StorageProvider;
+import stirling.software.proprietary.storage.repository.StoredFileBlobRepository;
+
+/**
+ * Verifies the Pro/Enterprise license gate on the S3 storage backend without touching real S3
+ * clients (and without needing Docker). Provider-specific construction is delegated to the existing
+ * provider tests.
+ */
+class StorageProviderConfigTest {
+
+    @Test
+    void provider_local_normalLicense_buildsLocalProviderWithoutLicenseCheck() {
+        StorageProviderConfig cfg = newConfig("local", License.NORMAL);
+
+        StorageProvider provider = cfg.storageProvider();
+        assertThat(provider).isInstanceOf(LocalStorageProvider.class);
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void provider_s3_normalLicense_throwsBeforeBuildingClient() {
+        StorageProviderConfig cfg = newConfig("s3", License.NORMAL);
+
+        // License check must throw BEFORE S3Clients.build tries to validate endpoint / bucket.
+        // Otherwise an empty config would surface as a confusing "bucket must be set" error.
+        assertThatThrownBy(cfg::storageProvider)
+                .isInstanceOf(IllegalStateException.class)
+                .hasMessageContaining("storage.provider=s3 requires a Pro or Enterprise license");
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void provider_database_normalLicense_throws() {
+        StorageProviderConfig cfg = newConfig("database", License.NORMAL);
+
+        assertThatThrownBy(cfg::storageProvider)
+                .isInstanceOf(IllegalStateException.class)
+                .hasMessageContaining(
+                        "storage.provider=database requires a Pro or Enterprise license");
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void provider_database_serverLicense_buildsDatabaseProvider() {
+        StorageProviderConfig cfg = newConfig("database", License.SERVER);
+        assertThatCode(cfg::storageProvider).doesNotThrowAnyException();
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void provider_s3_serverLicense_passesLicenseCheck_thenFailsOnEmptyConfig() {
+        StorageProviderConfig cfg = newConfig("s3", License.SERVER);
+
+        // Valid license, but no bucket/endpoint configured - so we expect a CONFIG error,
+        // not a license error. The error message must not mention the license.
+        assertThatThrownBy(cfg::storageProvider)
+                .isInstanceOf(IllegalStateException.class)
+                .hasMessageNotContaining("Pro or Enterprise license");
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void provider_s3_enterpriseLicense_passesLicenseCheck_thenFailsOnEmptyConfig() {
+        StorageProviderConfig cfg = newConfig("s3", License.ENTERPRISE);
+
+        assertThatThrownBy(cfg::storageProvider)
+                .isInstanceOf(IllegalStateException.class)
+                .hasMessageNotContaining("Pro or Enterprise license");
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void provider_unknown_normalLicense_throwsUnsupportedProvider_notLicense() {
+        StorageProviderConfig cfg = newConfig("magic", License.NORMAL);
+
+        assertThatThrownBy(cfg::storageProvider)
+                .isInstanceOf(IllegalStateException.class)
+                .hasMessageContaining("Storage provider not supported: magic")
+                .hasMessageNotContaining("license");
+    }
+
+    private static StorageProviderConfig newConfig(String provider, License license) {
+        ApplicationProperties props = new ApplicationProperties();
+        props.getStorage().setProvider(provider);
+        props.getStorage()
+                .setEnabled(false); // local-fallback path skips dir creation when disabled
+        StoredFileBlobRepository repo = mock(StoredFileBlobRepository.class);
+        LicenseKeyChecker checker = mock(LicenseKeyChecker.class);
+        when(checker.getPremiumLicenseEnabledResult()).thenReturn(license);
+        if (license == License.SERVER || license == License.ENTERPRISE) {
+            doNothing().when(checker).requireProOrEnterprise(anyString());
+        } else {
+            // Mirror real LicenseKeyChecker.requireProOrEnterprise so message assertions match.
+            doAnswer(
+                            inv -> {
+                                throw new IllegalStateException(
+                                        inv.getArgument(0)
+                                                + " requires a Pro or Enterprise license");
+                            })
+                    .when(checker)
+                    .requireProOrEnterprise(anyString());
+        }
+        return new StorageProviderConfig(props, repo, checker);
+    }
+}

app/proprietary/src/test/java/stirling/software/proprietary/storage/controller/FileStorageControllerTest.java

@@ -0,0 +1,130 @@
+package stirling.software.proprietary.storage.controller;
+
+import static org.assertj.core.api.Assertions.assertThat;
+import static org.mockito.ArgumentMatchers.any;
+import static org.mockito.ArgumentMatchers.anyBoolean;
+import static org.mockito.ArgumentMatchers.anyString;
+import static org.mockito.ArgumentMatchers.eq;
+import static org.mockito.Mockito.verify;
+import static org.mockito.Mockito.when;
+import static org.springframework.test.web.servlet.request.MockMvcRequestBuilders.get;
+import static org.springframework.test.web.servlet.result.MockMvcResultMatchers.header;
+import static org.springframework.test.web.servlet.result.MockMvcResultMatchers.redirectedUrl;
+import static org.springframework.test.web.servlet.result.MockMvcResultMatchers.status;
+
+import java.net.URI;
+import java.time.Duration;
+import java.util.Optional;
+
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.BeforeEach;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.extension.ExtendWith;
+import org.mockito.Mock;
+import org.mockito.junit.jupiter.MockitoExtension;
+import org.springframework.http.HttpHeaders;
+import org.springframework.http.HttpStatus;
+import org.springframework.test.web.servlet.MockMvc;
+import org.springframework.test.web.servlet.MvcResult;
+import org.springframework.test.web.servlet.setup.MockMvcBuilders;
+
+import stirling.software.proprietary.security.model.User;
+import stirling.software.proprietary.storage.model.StoredFile;
+import stirling.software.proprietary.storage.provider.StorageProvider;
+import stirling.software.proprietary.storage.service.FileStorageService;
+
+@ExtendWith(MockitoExtension.class)
+class FileStorageControllerTest {
+
+    private static final String SIGNED_URL =
+            "https://test-bucket.s3.example.com/signed-blob?X-Amz-Signature=abc";
+
+    @Mock private FileStorageService fileStorageService;
+    @Mock private StorageProvider storageProvider;
+
+    private MockMvc mockMvc;
+
+    @BeforeEach
+    void setUp() {
+        FileStorageController controller =
+                new FileStorageController(fileStorageService, storageProvider);
+        mockMvc = MockMvcBuilders.standaloneSetup(controller).build();
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void downloadFile_whenProviderReturnsSignedUrl_returns302RedirectWithoutSessionCredentials()
+            throws Exception {
+        StoredFile file = newStoredFile();
+
+        when(fileStorageService.requireAuthenticatedUser()).thenReturn(file.getOwner());
+        when(fileStorageService.getAccessibleFile(file.getOwner(), 77L)).thenReturn(file);
+        when(storageProvider.signedDownloadUrl(
+                        eq("11/abc-doc.pdf"), any(Duration.class), anyBoolean(), anyString()))
+                .thenReturn(Optional.of(URI.create(SIGNED_URL)));
+
+        MvcResult result =
+                mockMvc.perform(get("/api/v1/storage/files/{fileId}/download", 77L))
+                        .andExpect(status().is(HttpStatus.FOUND.value()))
+                        .andExpect(header().string(HttpHeaders.LOCATION, SIGNED_URL))
+                        .andExpect(redirectedUrl(SIGNED_URL))
+                        .andReturn();
+
+        // Regression fence: signed URLs delegate auth to the URL itself, so the redirect
+        // response must NOT carry any session credentials forward.
+        assertThat(result.getResponse().getHeader(HttpHeaders.AUTHORIZATION)).isNull();
+        assertThat(result.getResponse().getHeader(HttpHeaders.COOKIE)).isNull();
+        assertThat(result.getResponse().getHeader(HttpHeaders.SET_COOKIE)).isNull();
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void downloadFile_inlineFalse_forwardsAttachmentDispositionToSignedUrl() throws Exception {
+        StoredFile file = newStoredFile();
+
+        when(fileStorageService.requireAuthenticatedUser()).thenReturn(file.getOwner());
+        when(fileStorageService.getAccessibleFile(file.getOwner(), 77L)).thenReturn(file);
+        when(storageProvider.signedDownloadUrl(
+                        eq("11/abc-doc.pdf"), any(Duration.class), eq(false), eq("doc.pdf")))
+                .thenReturn(Optional.of(URI.create(SIGNED_URL)));
+
+        mockMvc.perform(get("/api/v1/storage/files/{fileId}/download", 77L))
+                .andExpect(status().is(HttpStatus.FOUND.value()))
+                .andExpect(header().string(HttpHeaders.LOCATION, SIGNED_URL));
+
+        verify(storageProvider)
+                .signedDownloadUrl(
+                        eq("11/abc-doc.pdf"), any(Duration.class), eq(false), eq("doc.pdf"));
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void downloadFile_inlineTrue_forwardsInlineDispositionToSignedUrl() throws Exception {
+        StoredFile file = newStoredFile();
+
+        when(fileStorageService.requireAuthenticatedUser()).thenReturn(file.getOwner());
+        when(fileStorageService.getAccessibleFile(file.getOwner(), 77L)).thenReturn(file);
+        when(storageProvider.signedDownloadUrl(
+                        eq("11/abc-doc.pdf"), any(Duration.class), eq(true), eq("doc.pdf")))
+                .thenReturn(Optional.of(URI.create(SIGNED_URL)));
+
+        mockMvc.perform(get("/api/v1/storage/files/{fileId}/download", 77L).param("inline", "true"))
+                .andExpect(status().is(HttpStatus.FOUND.value()))
+                .andExpect(header().string(HttpHeaders.LOCATION, SIGNED_URL));
+
+        verify(storageProvider)
+                .signedDownloadUrl(
+                        eq("11/abc-doc.pdf"), any(Duration.class), eq(true), eq("doc.pdf"));
+    }
+
+    private static StoredFile newStoredFile() {
+        User user = new User();
+        user.setId(11L);
+        user.setUsername("alice");
+
+        StoredFile file = new StoredFile();
+        file.setId(77L);
+        file.setOwner(user);
+        file.setOriginalFilename("doc.pdf");
+        file.setContentType("application/pdf");
+        file.setSizeBytes(123L);
+        file.setStorageKey("11/abc-doc.pdf");
+        return file;
+    }
+}