CapsakeyHow to give each client a private file area on a Wix site
Three ways to do it, what each one actually gives you, and the question that decides between them. Written by someone who builds one of them — the limits of mine are here too.
First, the question that decides it
Not "how do I share a file", but what has to be true when something goes wrong. If a client says they never received a document, do you need to be able to show who opened what and when? If the answer is no, the simplest option below is the right one and the rest is overhead.
1. The built-in File Share app
Wix ships a File Share app. You create folders and set each folder's permissions to specific members, groups, or pricing plans, and the Members Area gives each person somewhere to sign in.
What it gives you: a shared library, per-folder access, no extra cost, nothing to install beyond the app itself.
Where it stops: it is built around a library that members browse, not around one private space per client — so the separation is a permission you set correctly, folder by folder, every time. There is no per-file record of who downloaded what, and no notification tuned to "your accountant sent you something".
2. Custom code
With Velo you can store files yourself, check the signed-in member on the back end, and serve downloads through your own function. This is the most flexible option and the one people underestimate.
What it gives you: exactly what you design, including a real access log.
Where it stops: you are now maintaining an upload path, a permission check on every request, expiring URLs, large-file handling, a retention policy and a deletion route — and each of those is a place where a client can end up seeing another client's document. It is a fortnight of work to a first version and an obligation after that.
3. A dedicated portal app
That is what Capsakey is: one private space per client inside your own site, the client signs in as a member of that site, and every download is recorded with a name and a date.
What it gives you: separation that is checked on the server on every request rather than set folder by folder, a per-file access log you can export, large files that upload directly and resume, and storage restricted to the European Union.
Where it stops: your client needs a member account on your site — an invitation link that anybody can forward is deliberately not offered, and for a photographer sending three PDFs that requirement is a cost with nothing bought. There is no virus scanning and no certification.
So, which one
- A handful of documents to people you know: File Share, or an email.
- A workflow nobody else has and time to maintain it: custom code.
- Documents you are accountable for, and the need to answer "who had this?": a portal with a log.