Automatically Deleting Post Attachments in Django: A Clean and Efficient Approach

Managing file uploads in a Django application can become tricky, especially when dealing with large volumes of data. One common requirement is to automatically delete uploaded files (images, videos, audio) after a certain period, freeing up storage space and ensuring data retention policies are met. This post will walk you through a robust and efficient way to implement this functionality in your Django project.

The Challenge:

Imagine you're building a social media platform where users can upload various media files. Over time, these files can accumulate, consuming significant storage. You might want to delete older files, either to comply with data retention policies or simply to manage storage costs. How can you automate this process in Django?

The Solution: Combining Django Models, Celery Tasks, and Storage Best Practices

We'll use a combination of Django's model capabilities, Celery (a powerful asynchronous task queue), and storage