Cloudflare R2

S3-compatible storage with zero egress fees.

Cloudflare R2 is S3-compatible object storage with no egress fees — ideal when you restore backups frequently or pull them to different regions.

Configuration

dbdock.config.json

{
  "storage": {
    "provider": "r2",
    "s3": {
      "bucket": "my-dbdock-backups",
      "region": "auto",
      "endpoint": "https://<ACCOUNT_ID>.r2.cloudflarestorage.com"
    }
  }
}

Find your ACCOUNT_ID in the Cloudflare dashboard → R2 sidebar. The region is always auto for R2.

.env

DBDOCK_STORAGE_ACCESS_KEY=your-r2-access-key-id
DBDOCK_STORAGE_SECRET_KEY=your-r2-secret-access-key

Bucket setup

1. Create an R2 bucket

   Cloudflare dashboard → R2 → Create bucket. Pick a name and location hint.

2. Create an API token

   Cloudflare dashboard → R2 → Manage API Tokens → Create API Token.

   Permissions needed: Object Read & Write. Scope to the specific bucket.

   Copy the Access Key ID and Secret Access Key — they’re shown once.

3. Get your account ID

   The endpoint format requires your account ID: https://<ACCOUNT_ID>.r2.cloudflarestorage.com

   Find the account ID on the right sidebar of any Cloudflare dashboard page.

4. Test

   npx dbdock test
   

Why R2 over S3

Zero egress fees

Downloads cost nothing. S3 charges $0.09/GB.

S3-compatible API

Same client, same tools — no lock-in.

Global latency

Cloudflare’s global network caches R2.

Predictable pricing

Storage $0.015/GB/month + operations. No surprise bills.

When to pick R2 vs S3

Pick R2 if…	Pick S3 if…
You restore backups often	You never pull backups out of AWS
You serve backups to multiple regions	Your compute is already in AWS
Cost predictability matters	You need deep AWS integration (KMS, Glacier, IAM roles)
You’re already using Cloudflare	You’re already using AWS

Public URLs

R2 supports public buckets via custom domains (backups.example.com). DBdock does not use this — backups are private and accessed with signed credentials. Keep your R2 bucket private.

Common errors

NoSuchBucket

• Bucket name is misspelled
• Account ID in endpoint is wrong

Forbidden (403)

• API token doesn’t have Object Read & Write
• Token is scoped to a different bucket

Invalid endpoint

• Endpoint must be https://<ACCOUNT_ID>.r2.cloudflarestorage.com (not https://pub-<hash>.r2.dev)
• No trailing slash

Cost comparison

Example: 100 MB daily backup, 30-day retention, 3 restores/month (300 MB egress):

Provider	Storage	Requests	Egress	Total
R2	$0.045	~$0.01	$0.00	~$0.06/mo
S3 Standard	$0.069	~$0.01	$0.027	~$0.11/mo

Small numbers individually, but over many databases and many months the egress difference matters.

See also

AWS S3

The incumbent, more features.

Cloudinary

Another option with a generous free tier.