integrate Vercel Blob (Issue #209)

[EricLiu2795]

Closes #209

Summary

• Store uploads in Vercel Blob via a typed server helper; persist only blob metadata in Postgres (no new base64/bytes stored).
• Make file_uploads.file_data nullable and add Blob metadata columns + migration so legacy DB-backed rows still work.
• Update file serving: /api/files/:id returns a 307 redirect to the Blob URL when present.
• Adjust uploader UX for the new server-side flow (ZIPs are uploaded as archives for server-side expansion; DOCX preview is now a download CTA to avoid bundling mammoth/jszip in the client).

Schema / Migration (Required)

• file_uploads.file_data is now nullable and new columns were added (storage_provider, storage_url, storage_pathname, blob_checksum).
• Apply drizzle/0002_vercel_blob.sql via pnpm db:push before deploying/running the updated upload path.

Testing (Manual)

• Set BLOB_READ_WRITE_TOKEN=...
• pnpm install && pnpm db:push
• pnpm dev (or deploy on Vercel with the token)
• Upload a PDF via /employer/upload with UploadThing disabled:
  • /api/upload-local returns { provider: "vercel_blob", url: "https://...vercel-storage.com/..." }
• curl -I http://localhost:3000/api/files/<id> returns 307 with Location: <blob-url>
• psql $DATABASE_URL -c "select id, storage_provider, storage_url, storage_pathname, blob_checksum, file_data from file_uploads where id=<id>;" shows metadata populated and file_data is NULL for new rows
• Verify an existing legacy DB-backed file row still downloads/streams via /api/files/:id (no redirect)

Commits

• feat: store local uploads in vercel blob
• chore: load dotenv in scripts
• docs: document vercel blob rollout and verification

Rollout

1. Add BLOB_READ_WRITE_TOKEN (and usual DB + Clerk env vars) in .env or Vercel Project Settings.
2. Install deps and apply migrations: pnpm install && pnpm db:push.
3. Start the app (pnpm dev) or redeploy to Vercel.
4. Upload a file via /employer/upload and confirm:
   • curl -I http://localhost:3000/api/files/<id> returns 307 with Blob URL in Location
   • DB row has Blob metadata populated and file_data is NULL
5. (Optional) Confirm the object exists in the Vercel Blob dashboard and download it directly.

[vercel]

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Project	Deployment	Actions	Updated (UTC)
pdr-ai-v2	Ready	Preview, Comment	Mar 4, 2026 10:23pm