Hosting Files on External CDNs for Your Resource Library

The Resource Library space in SureDash lets you share files with your members in two ways: upload them directly to your site, or link to files already hosted on an external service. The External Link option is great when you want to save server bandwidth, link to large files like videos, or use files you already have on a CDN or cloud storage service.

Applies to: SureDash 1.8.0 and above.

Before You Begin

• You need a Resource Library space already set up in SureDash.
• Your external file must be hosted on a publicly reachable URL (starting with http:// or https://).
• If you want files to download directly instead of opening in a new tab, make sure your CDN has CORS enabled for your site’s domain.

Adding an External Link Resource

1. Go to SureDash > Spaces > your Resource Library space.
2. Click Add Resource.
3. Select External Link as the resource type.

4. Paste your external file URL into the URL field.
5. Click Save.

How Downloads Work

Once a member clicks the resource, SureDash checks the file extension at the end of the URL and decides what to do automatically.

Files That Download Directly

If your URL ends in a recognised file extension, the file downloads straight to the member’s device. The button shows a Download icon.

Supported extensions include:

• Documents: .pdf, .doc, .docx, .xls, .xlsx, .ppt, .pptx, .odt, .ods, .odp, .rtf, .txt, .csv
• Archives: .zip, .rar, .7z, .tar, .gz
• Audio / Video: .mp3, .mp4, .avi, .mov, .wav, .ogg, .webm
• Images: .jpg, .jpeg, .png, .gif, .svg, .webp

Links That Open in a New Tab

If the URL has no file extension, or points to a web page or viewer (like a Google Drive preview link), it opens in a new browser tab. The button shows an External Link icon.

URL Example	What Happens
https://cdn.example.com/guide.pdf	Downloads
https://cdn.example.com/video.mp4	Downloads
https://cdn.example.com/archive.zip	Downloads
https://docs.google.com/document/d/...	Opens in new tab
https://drive.google.com/file/d/.../view	Opens in new tab
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=...	Opens in new tab

Supported External Hosts

You can use any external service or CDN. No special integration is needed. Supported hosts include:

• AWS S3 (public or pre-signed URLs)
• Cloudflare R2 / Cloudflare CDN
• BunnyCDN
• Google Cloud Storage
• Microsoft Azure Blob Storage
• Google Drive / Dropbox
• Your own custom CDN or web server

Note: Google Drive and Dropbox share links usually open a preview page, not a direct download. Use a direct download link from those services if you want the file to download instead.

CORS and the New Tab Fallback

For a clean, silent download, your CDN should allow cross-origin downloads. This is a setting called CORS.

• If CORS is enabled: The file downloads directly and the member stays on the page.
• If CORS is blocked: The file still works, but it opens in a new browser tab instead. The member can then save it manually from there.

This fallback is automatic. Either way, your members can get the file.

Tip: If you are using AWS S3, Cloudflare R2, BunnyCDN, Google Cloud Storage, or Azure, enable CORS in your bucket or zone settings to allow downloads from your site’s domain. For BunnyCDN specifically, enable the Add CORS Headers option in your pull zone settings.

URL and Filename Rules

URL rules:

• Must start with http:// or https://
• Must be a valid, working link
• Other protocols like ftp:// are not accepted

How filenames are saved:

• https://cdn.example.com/files/q3-report.pdf saves as q3-report.pdf
• https://cdn.example.com/files/q3-report.pdf?token=abc123 still saves as q3-report.pdf (the query string is ignored)
• If no filename is detected, the file saves as download

Upload File vs External Link

	Upload File	External Link
Where the file is stored	On your site	On an external service
Uses your site’s bandwidth	Yes	No
Access control (login, membership)	Yes	No
Best for	Private, members-only files	Large files, public files, CDN-hosted assets

Use Upload File when the file is private and should only be available to logged-in members.

Use External Link when the file is large, already hosted on a CDN, or does not need access control.

Important: External URLs are not access-controlled. Anyone with the URL can open or download the file directly, even if they are not a logged-in member. If the file must stay private, use Upload File instead.

Troubleshooting

Issue	Likely Cause	Fix
Link opens in new tab instead of downloading	URL has no file extension, or the extension is not in the supported list	Use a direct URL ending in the file’s real extension
File downloads but also opens in a new tab	CDN does not allow cross-origin requests (CORS)	Enable CORS on your CDN for your site’s domain
File saves with a strange name	Filename could not be detected from the URL	Use a clean URL like .../filename.ext
URL is rejected on save	Does not start with http:// or https://	Add the correct protocol prefix
Google Drive link shows a preview, not a download	Drive’s share link points to its viewer	Use a direct download link from Drive instead

You have now set up an external file link in your Resource Library and understand how downloads, CDN hosting, and the fallback behaviour all work. Members will always be able to get their files, whether they download directly or open in a new tab.

If you have any questions or need further help, feel free to reach out to our support team. We’re always happy to help!