Is it okay to use netlify as an update server

I wonder if I can use netlify as an update server for an android app. It would host the latest APK (arround 10MB) and a file containing the versionCode. The app then calls netlify and checks if it has the latest version and if not downloads it from netlify.
I would not include any other content on that page, but I have many others, even one releated to the app, so I am not using netlify ONLY as a remote storage provider.

Netlify is not a server / cannot provide persistent storage as it is JAMStack. AFAIK, you’d need somewhere to host / store the file you speak of, however, you could then spin up a function on request for the file to carry out logic checks before requesting the file.

Please also see: [Support Guide] Can I run a web server, HTTP listener, and/or database at Netlify?

well i dont really need to have any logic, I would just manually update a git repo with apks and the latestVersion.txt file. I dont see any problem from a technical point of view.

Hey @Niwla23

It sounds like you have both static pages / JAMstack-style pages and APK files you’d like to make available via your Netlify Site. If that’s the case, I don’t think it’s against any rules. The issue comes from users using Netlify only for remote file storage and not actually using the Site for hosting a website. I don’t believe doing both is necessarily an issue.

That said, you likely won’t get incredible performance. The Netlify Edge (CDN) won’t cache your large files and connections won’t be optimized for getting those large files. Netlify is built around, and excels at, service smaller (static) website-related files. That’s where it works best :slightly_smiling_face:

As always YMMV and Netlify Pilots are not Netlify employees or speaking officially on behalf of Netlify, but rather community knowledge silos, so confer with an official Netlify employee if you prefer more clarified information / guidance :slight_smile:

–
J

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Although it’s not your sole purpose, you cannot use Netlify as a remote update service. Your use case is described in the terms of service under chapter 3.1, 3.3 and 3.4 as not allowed, unfortunately: Terms of Use Agreement

It’s much appreciated that you check in advance though, even if it’s not the answer you hoped for. In any case, I wouldn’t recommend going down this road. But like @jonsully said, you might want to reach out to support or wait for an official Netlify staff member to elaborate on your situation in detail.

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what you mean by 3.1 3.3 and 3.4? THey are not structured with numbers and the third header would be the Free Tier (I am on the free one btw)

EDIT: I guess you mean the acceptable use section?

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Yeah, sorry. I thought I was linking to the acceptable use section directly.

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