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A high-performance file saver for Flutter using FFI and JNI. Effortlessly save to gallery (images/videos) or device storage with original quality and custom album support.

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File Saver FFI #

Platform License: MIT Ask DeepWiki

A high-performance file saver for Flutter using FFI and JNI. Effortlessly save to gallery (images/videos) or device storage with original quality and custom album support.

Features #

  • 🖼️ Gallery Saving – Save images and videos to iOS Photos or Android Gallery with custom albums
  • Native Performance – Powered by FFI (iOS) and JNI (Android) for near-zero latency
  • 📁 Universal Storage – Save any file type (PDF, ZIP, DOCX, etc.) to device storage
  • 💾 Original Quality – Files saved bit-for-bit without compression or metadata loss
  • 📊 Progress & Cancellation – Real-time progress tracking with cancellable operations
  • ⚙️ Conflict Resolution – Auto-rename, overwrite, skip, or fail on existing files

If you want to say thank you, star us on GitHub or like us on pub.dev.

🤖 Ask AI About This Library #

Have questions about file_saver_ffi? Get instant AI-powered answers about the library's features, usage, and best practices.

→ Chat with AI Documentation Assistant

Ask anything like:

  • "How do I save a video to the gallery with progress tracking?"
  • "What's the difference between saveBytes and saveFile?"
  • "How to handle permission errors on Android 10+?"
  • "Show me examples of custom file types"

Installation #

First, follow the package installation instructions and add file_saver_ffi to your app.

Quick Start #

Platform Setup #

Android Configuration

Add to android/app/src/main/AndroidManifest.xml:

<!-- Only required for Android 9 (API 28) and below -->
<uses-permission
        android:name="android.permission.WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE"
        android:maxSdkVersion="28"/>

Note: Android 10+ uses scoped storage automatically and does not require this permission.

Supported: API 21+ (Android 5.0+)

iOS Configuration

Add to ios/Runner/Info.plist:

<!-- For Photos Library Access (images/videos) -->
<key>NSPhotoLibraryAddUsageDescription</key>
<string>This app needs permission to save photos and videos to your library</string>

<key>NSPhotoLibraryUsageDescription</key>
<string>This app needs permission to access your photo library</string>

<!-- Prevent automatic "Select More Photos" prompt on iOS 14+ -->
<key>PHPhotoLibraryPreventAutomaticLimitedAccessAlert</key>
<true/>

<!-- Optional: Make files visible in Files app -->
<key>UIFileSharingEnabled</key>
<true/>

<key>LSSupportsOpeningDocumentsInPlace</key>
<true/>

Supported: iOS 13.0+

Basic Usage #

import 'package:file_saver_ffi/file_saver_ffi.dart';

try {
  // Save image bytes
  final uri = await FileSaver.instance.saveAsync(
    fileBytes: SaveBytesInput(imageBytes),
    fileName: 'my_image',
    fileType: ImageType.jpg,
  );

  print('Saved to: $uri');
} on PermissionDeniedException catch (e) {
  print('Permission denied: ${e.message}');
} on FileSaverException catch (e) {
  print('Save failed: ${e.message}');
}

Core Concepts #

Unified API #

The library provides a single, consistent API for all save operations using SaveInput polymorphism:

  • save: Stream-based save to standard location (Downloads, Photos, etc.).
  • saveAsync: Future-based save to standard location.
  • saveAs: Stream-based save to a user-selected location (System Picker).
  • saveAsAsync: Future-based save to a user-selected location.

Input Sources (SaveInput)

Use the appropriate input class for your data source:

Input Type Data Source Use Case
SaveBytesInput Uint8List Small files in memory (images, generated PDFs)
SaveFileInput String (path) Large files from disk (videos, recordings)
SaveNetworkInput String (URL) Download and save directly from internet

Usage Matrix 📊

Standard Location
(Downloads, Photos, etc.)
User-Chosen Location
(System Picker)
Advanced Control
(Stream, Cancel)
save() saveAs()
Simple / Await
(Future)
saveAsync() saveAsAsync()

Standard Location: defined enum (e.g., Downloads, Photos). User-Chosen: via pickDirectory() or auto-prompt.

User-Selected Location (Save As) #

Sometimes you want the user to choose where to save the file.

  • pickDirectory(): Opens the system directory picker (Android SAF / iOS Document Picker) and returns a persistent permission URI (Android) or URL (iOS).
  • saveAs() / saveAsAsync(): Saves a file to a user-selected location. If no location is provided, it automatically prompts the user to pick one.

Note: On Android, this uses the Storage Access Framework (SAF), which allows your app to write to arbitrary locations (SD cards, USB drives, etc.) without standard storage permissions.

File Types #

The library supports 35+ file formats across 4 categories:

Category Formats Count Example Types
Images PNG, JPG, GIF, WebP, BMP, HEIC, HEIF, TIFF, ICO, DNG 12 ImageType.png, ImageType.jpg
Videos MP4, MOV, MKV, WebM, AVI, 3GP, M4V, FLV, WMV, HEVC 12 VideoType.mp4, VideoType.mov
Audio MP3, AAC, WAV, FLAC, OGG, M4A, AMR, Opus, AIFF, CAF 11 AudioType.mp3, AudioType.aac
Custom Any format via extension + MIME type CustomFileType(ext: 'pdf', mimeType: 'application/pdf')

Save Locations #

Control where files are saved using platform-specific enum values:

Android (AndroidSaveLocation)

Value Directory Use Case
.downloads Downloads/ General files (default)
.pictures Pictures/ Images
.movies Movies/ Videos
.music Music/ Audio
.dcim DCIM/ Camera media

iOS (IosSaveLocation)

Value Destination Use Case
.documents Documents Dir General files (default)
.photos Photos Library Images/Videos only

iOS Photos Permission Behavior:

When saving to Photos Library, the permission level requested depends on the subDir parameter:

subDir Permission Requested Dialog Options (iOS 14+) Capabilities
"MyAlbum" .readWrite Full Access / Limited Access / Don't Allow Album creation, conflict resolution
null .addOnly Allow / Don't Allow Basic save only (no album)

If the user denies .readWrite, the save will fail — there is no automatic fallback to .addOnly, as iOS treats a .readWrite denial as a full denial of Photos access.

Conflict Resolution #

Handle existing files with 4 strategies:

Strategy Behavior Use Case
autoRename (default) Appends (1), (2), etc. to filename Safe, prevents data loss
overwrite Replaces existing file* Update existing files
fail Throws FileExistsException Strict validation
skip Returns existing file URI Idempotent saves

* Platform limitations:

  • iOS Photos: Can only overwrite files owned by your app
  • Android 10+: Can only overwrite files owned by your app (scoped storage)

Common Use Cases #

final uri = await FileSaver.instance.saveAsync(
  input: SaveNetworkInput(
    url: 'https://example.com/video.mp4',
    headers: {'Authorization': 'Bearer token'}, // Optional headers
    timeout: Duration(minutes: 5), // Custom timeout
  ),
  fileName: 'downloaded_video',
  fileType: VideoType.mp4,
  saveLocation: Platform.isAndroid
    ? AndroidSaveLocation.movies
    : IosSaveLocation.photos,
);

Progress Tracking #

// Using Unified API
await FileSaver.instance.saveAsync(
  input: SaveNetworkInput(url: '...'),
  fileName: 'video',
  fileType: VideoType.mp4,
  onProgress: (progress) {
    print('Download progress: ${(progress * 100).toInt()}%');
  },
);

Cancellation #

// Stream API allows cancellation
final subscription = FileSaver.instance.save(
  input: SaveNetworkInput(url: '...'), // Works for all inputs
  fileName: 'video',
  fileType: VideoType.mp4,
).listen((event) {
    if (event is SaveProgressCancelled) {
      print('Cancelled!');
    }
});

// Cancel anytime
subscription.cancel();

Save to User-Selected Directory #

// 1. Pick directory (Optional, saveAs handles this automatically if null)
final location = await FileSaver.instance.pickDirectory();

if (location != null) {
  // 2. Save file to that directory
  await FileSaver.instance.saveAsAsync(
    input: SaveBytesInput(pdfBytes),
    fileName: 'invoice',
    fileType: CustomFileType(ext: 'pdf', mimeType: 'application/pdf'),
    saveLocation: location,
  );
}

API Reference #

save

Stream-based API for advanced control (cancellation, detailed events).

Stream<SaveProgress> save({
  required SaveInput input,
  required String fileName,
  required FileType fileType,
  // ... same optional params
})

saveAsync

Future-based API for simple usage.

Future<Uri> saveAsync({
  required SaveInput input,
  required String fileName,
  required FileType fileType,
  SaveLocation? saveLocation,
  String? subDir,
  ConflictResolution conflictResolution,
  Function(double)? onProgress,
})

saveAs

Stream-based interactive save.

Stream<SaveProgress> saveAs({
  required SaveInput input,
  required String fileName,
  required FileType fileType,
  UserSelectedLocation? saveLocation,
  ConflictResolution conflictResolution,
})

saveAsAsync

Interactive save (shows picker) or save to specific UserSelectedLocation.

Future<Uri?> saveAsAsync({
  required SaveInput input,
  required String fileName,
  required FileType fileType,
  UserSelectedLocation? saveLocation, // Null = Show Picker
  ConflictResolution conflictResolution,
  Function(double)? onProgress,
})

pickDirectory

Open system picker to let user choose a folder.

Future<UserSelectedLocation?> pickDirectory({bool shouldPersist = true})

Input Models #

SaveBytesInput

  • fileBytes: Uint8List (Required)

SaveFileInput

  • filePath: String (Required - absolute path)

SaveNetworkInput

  • url: String (Required)
  • headers: Map<String, String>? (Optional)
  • timeout: Duration (Default: 60s)

Direct API #

Specific methods are still available but save/saveAsync is recommended.

  • saveBytes / saveBytesAsync
  • saveFile / saveFileAsync
  • saveNetwork / saveNetworkAsync

SaveProgress Events #

Stream API emits these sealed class events:

Event Properties Description
SaveProgressStarted - Operation began
SaveProgressUpdate progress: double Progress from 0.0 to 1.0
SaveProgressComplete uri: Uri Success with saved file URI
SaveProgressError exception: FileSaverException Error occurred
SaveProgressCancelled - User cancelled operation

Exception Reference #

Exception Description Error Code
PermissionDeniedException Storage access denied PERMISSION_DENIED
FileExistsException File exists with fail strategy FILE_EXISTS
StorageFullException Insufficient device storage STORAGE_FULL
InvalidInputException Empty bytes or invalid input INVALID_INPUT
FileIOException File system error FILE_IO_ERROR
UnsupportedFormatException Format not supported on platform UNSUPPORTED_FORMAT
SourceFileNotFoundException Source file not found (saveFile) FILE_NOT_FOUND
ICloudDownloadException iCloud download failed (iOS) ICLOUD_DOWNLOAD_FAILED
NetworkException Network error occurred during download. NETWORK_ERROR
CancelledException Operation cancelled by user CANCELLED
PlatformException Generic platform error PLATFORM_ERROR

Contributing #

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.

Future Features #

  • File Input Methods
  • Save from Network URL
  • User-Selected Location Android (SAF), iOS (Document Picker)
  • Custom Path Support
  • Progress Tracking
  • Cancellation Support
  • Save from File Path
  • MacOS Support
  • Windows Support
  • Web Support

License #

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details.

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A high-performance file saver for Flutter using FFI and JNI. Effortlessly save to gallery (images/videos) or device storage with original quality and custom album support.

Repository (GitHub)
View/report issues

Topics

#file-saver #gallery-saver #saver #ffi #jni

Documentation

API reference

License

MIT (license)

Dependencies

ffi, flutter, jni

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