Step-by-Step Guide: Building a Google Drive Clone with Adalo

This comprehensive tutorial walks you through building a functional cloud storage and file-sharing app using Adalo’s no-code platform. You’ll create a working app with file upload, folder organization, sharing, search, and user permissions—all without code.

Prerequisites & Initial Setup

Step 1: Create Your Adalo Account and App

1. Visit Adalo.com and sign up.
2. Click Create New App in the dashboard.
3. Choose Mobile App (mobile-first) or Web App (desktop-first).
4. Name your app (e.g., CloudStore, MyDrive).
5. Select Start from Scratch.

Need inspiration? Browse App Templates.

Step 2: Configure Your App Theme

1. Select a primary color (trustworthy tones like blue/green).
2. Choose a secondary color for actions.
3. Pick a clean font for readability.
4. Click Continue to enter the builder.

Step 3: Get Oriented in the Builder

• Left sidebar: Database, Screens, Components, Marketplace
• Canvas: Visual editor
• Right panel: Properties & styling
• Top bar: Preview, Publish, Settings

Building the Database Structure

We’ll create Users, Files, Folders, and Shared Access collections. If you’re connecting an external backend later, you can keep metadata in Adalo and store binaries externally with External Collections.

Step 4: Enhance the Users Collection

1. Open Database → Users.
2. Add properties:

• Storage Used (Number)
• Storage Limit (Number)
• Profile Image (Image)
• Account Type (Text: “Free”, “Premium”, “Business”)
• Date Joined (Date & Time – Automatic)

Step 5: Create the Files Collection

1. + Add Collection → Files.
2. Add properties:

• File Name (Text)
• File (File) – actual upload
• File Type (Text)
• File Size (Number, bytes)
• Upload Date (Date & Time – Automatic)
• Last Modified (Date & Time)
• Description (Text)
• Is Shared (True/False)
• Share Link (Text)
• Download Count (Number)
• Is Deleted (True/False)
• Deleted Date (Date & Time)

Step 6: Create the Folders Collection

1. + Add Collection → Folders.
2. Add properties:

• Folder Name (Text)
• Created Date (Date & Time – Automatic)
• Last Modified (Date & Time)
• Color (Text)
• Is Shared (True/False)
• Share Link (Text)

Step 7: Create the Shared Access Collection

1. + Add Collection → Shared Access.
2. Add properties:

• Permission Level (Text: “View”, “Edit”, “Owner”)
• Shared Date (Date & Time – Automatic)
• Expires Date (Date & Time – optional)
• Access Count (Number)

Step 8: Define Relationships

• Users ↔ Files: User has many Files (Owned Files); File belongs to Owner
• Users ↔ Folders: User has many Folders; Folder belongs to Owner
• Folders (self-reference): Parent Folder (Folder) for nesting; Folder has many Files
• Shared Access: Shared With User (User), and Shared File or Shared Folder (optional)

Data modeling tips: Relational databases (no-code) · Database help

Creating Authentication

Step 9: Build the Welcome Screen

1. Rename default screen to Welcome.
2. Add logo, headline (“Your files, anywhere”), and subtitle.
3. Buttons: Get Started → Sign Up, I already have an account → Login.

Step 10: Create the Sign Up Screen

1. + Add Screen → Sign Up.
2. Add a Form (Users) → Create Account.
3. Fields: Email, Password, Full Name.
4. On submit → Link to Home.
5. Bottom link: “Already have an account? Log in”.

Step 11: Create the Login Screen

1. + Add Screen → Login.
2. Add a Form (Users) → Login.
3. Fields: Email, Password.
4. On submit → Link to Home.
5. Link to Sign Up for new users.

Designing Core Screens

Step 12: Create the Home (Dashboard)

1. + Add Screen → Home.
2. Top row: app name/logo, Search (→ Search screen), Profile (→ Profile).
3. Storage usage card: progress bar + text (“{Used}/{Limit}”).

• Components: search inputs, progress bars available in Marketplace.

Step 13: Add Quick Actions

• Upload File → Upload File
• New Folder → Create Folder
• Recent → Recent Files

Step 14: List Folders & Files

• Folders list: Folders where Owner = Logged In User, sort Last Modified (desc) → tap to Folder View.
• Files list (root): Files where Owner = Logged In User and Current Folder = empty, sort Upload Date (desc) → tap to File Details.

Folder & File Features

Step 15: Build the Folder View

1. + Add Screen → Folder View (expects a Folder).
2. Show Folder Name; actions: Upload to Folder, Create Subfolder, Share Folder.
3. Two lists: Subfolders (Parent = Current) and Files (Current Folder = Current).

Step 16: Build the File Details

1. + Add Screen → File Details (expects a File).
2. Show preview/icon, name, type, size, upload/modified dates, description.
3. Actions: Download, Share (→ Share File), Move (→ Move File), Rename, Delete (confirm → soft-delete).

Uploads, Validation, and Quotas

Step 17: Create the Upload File Screen

1. + Add Screen → Upload File (optional param: Destination Folder).
2. Form (Files) → Create with fields: File (picker), File Name, Description.
3. If Destination Folder present, set Current Folder.
4. Submit: Upload.

• Storage considerations & limits: Adalo pricing/features

Step 18: Track Storage Quotas

1. After create, Update Logged In User → Storage Used += File Size.
2. If Storage Used > Storage Limit: show error, delete the file record, and revert usage; else show success.
3. Offloading binaries? Consider Xano/S3/GCS via External Collections.

• Xano integration: Adalo × Xano · Xano
• AWS S3: AWS S3 · Google Cloud Storage: GCS

Step 19: File Type Validation

• Allowed types (example):
  
  • Docs: PDF/DOC/DOCX/TXT
  • Images: JPG/PNG/GIF/SVG
  • Sheets: XLS/XLSX/CSV
  • Slides: PPT/PPTX
• Use conditional visibility to show “unsupported type” and disable Upload.

Step 20: Show Upload Progress (Approximate)

• Add a loading spinner on submit.
• Optional Timer component (heartbeat UX).
• Navigate once the record is created.
• Explore more components: Marketplace

Creating & Managing Folders

Step 21: Create Folder Screen

1. + Add Screen → Create Folder (optional param: Parent Folder).
2. Form (Folders) → Create with Folder Name and optional Color.
3. On submit: set Owner; set Parent Folder if provided; go back.

Step 22: Move Files Between Folders

1. + Add Screen → Move File (expects a File).
2. Show user’s folders (indent for hierarchy if desired).
3. Move Here → set Current File → Current Folder = selected.

Step 23: Bulk Actions

• Add Select Multiple toggle on lists.
• Show checkboxes + bottom action bar: Move, Delete, Share.
• Multi-select patterns

Sharing & Permissions

Step 24: Share File Screen

1. + Add Screen → Share File (expects a File).
2. Toggle Create shareable link: set Is Shared = true and generate Share Link (e.g., appdomain.com/share/{FileID}).
3. Copy field + Copy Link button.
4. Use device share sheet on mobile.

Step 25: Public Link Handling

1. Create Shared File View (public).
2. Accept File ID as URL param.
3. Show file details, Download; increment Download Count.
4. For link management/webhooks, consider Zapier/Make — Zapier · Make

Step 26: Share with Specific Users (Permissions)

1. + Add Screen → Share with User (File or Folder).
2. Fields: Email, Permission Level (View/Edit), Expires Date (optional).
3. On submit → create Shared Access record; notify user (push/email via automations).

• Push setup: Trigger Push Notifications

Step 27: “Shared with Me” View

• On Home, add Shared with Me tab/section.
• Files where a Shared Access exists for Logged In User and not expired.
• Enforce permission (View vs. Edit) in UI logic.

External Storage with Xano (Optional)

Step 28: When to Use External Storage

• Need storage beyond current plan, large files, >10k files, or server-side processing (thumbnails, conversions, antivirus).

Step 29: Set Up Xano

1. Create a Xano account.
2. Build a Files table (metadata) and configure binary storage (or direct-to-S3/GCS).
3. Create endpoints: POST /upload, GET /file/{id}, DELETE /file/{id}.
4. In Adalo, connect via External Collections (auth headers as needed).

Step 30: Wire Xano into Adalo

1. Use External Collections for list/detail views.
2. Use Custom Actions for uploads/signed URLs — Custom Actions
3. Keep Users/Folders/Shared Access in Adalo; store binaries externally.
4. Note: Xano and cloud storage have their own pricing/limits.

Search & Recent Files

Step 31: Build Search

1. + Add Screen → Search.
2. Add a Text Input that updates a Search Query property.
3. Lists:

• Files owned by user where File Name contains Search Query
• Folders owned by user where Folder Name contains Search Query

4. Tap navigates to File Details or Folder View.

Step 32: Advanced Filters

• File Type, Date Range, Size Range, Sort By (Name/Date/Size).
• Combine with AND logic; update results dynamically.

Step 33: Recent Files

• + Add Screen → Recent Files (owner = user; sort by Last Modified or Upload Date desc; limit 20).

Profile, Trash, and Preview

Step 34: Profile & Settings

• + Add Screen → Profile with avatar, name, email, account type, storage usage.
• Edit Profile form; Log Out action.
• Learn app settings & publishing: Publishing overview

Step 35: Trash (Soft Delete)

• On delete: set Is Deleted = true and Deleted Date = now.
• Exclude deleted files from normal lists; add a Trash screen for restore/permanent delete.
• Auto-purge (e.g., 30 days) via Zapier/Make.

Step 36: File Preview

• Images: display via Image component (source = File).
• PDFs: use a PDF Viewer from the Marketplace or open in WebView.
• Others: show icon + metadata; offer Download.

Testing Your App

Step 37: Seed Test Data

• Create 3–4 test users; upload mixed file types/sizes; build nested folders; generate share links.
• Performance best practices: Optimize performance

Step 38: Core Workflow Tests

• New user: sign up → upload → create folder.
• Daily use: browse → upload → move/rename → delete/restore.
• Sharing: public link → incognito test; Permissions: View vs. Edit.

Step 39: Edge Cases

• Quota exceeded, large files, slow networks, concurrent edits.

Step 40: Performance

• Test with 100+ files; measure list/search latency; simplify list cells; consider external storage for heavy media.

Publishing

Step 41: Prepare for Web

• Settings → Publishing.
• Free: Adalo subdomain. Paid: custom domain + DNS/SSL — Pricing
• Set SEO: title/description/favicon/social image.

Step 42: Publish to Web

• Publish → Web; verify responsive layouts and core flows on multiple devices.
• Manual control & rebuilds: Publishing overview

Step 43: Prepare for App Stores

iOS (Apple App Store):

1. Enroll in the Apple Developer Program ($99/year).
2. Create app in App Store Connect.
3. In Adalo: set iOS icons/splash; generate build; submit. (Review times vary.)

Android (Google Play):

1. Create a Google Play Developer account (one-time $25).
2. Prepare listing; in Adalo set Android assets; generate AAB; upload to Play Console. (Review times vary.)

Monetization (Optional)

Step 44: Subscriptions with Stripe

1. Create plan tiers in your DB (Free/Premium/Business) with storage limits/features.
2. Install Stripe from the Marketplace.
3. Build Upgrade screen → Stripe checkout.
4. On success: update Account Type and Storage Limit.

• Stripe fees vary; U.S. online cards commonly start ~2.9% + $0.30 — Stripe pricing
• Security: Stripe & PCI

Step 45: Premium Features

• Version history, advanced sharing (team folders/roles), extended trash retention, branding removal, access analytics.

Advanced Enhancements

Step 46: File Version Control

• + Add Collection → File Versions (Previous File, Version Number, Created Date, File Size).
• On replacement upload: create File Versions record; increment version; update main file.
• Build Version History (restore options).

Step 47: Teams & Orgs (Optional)

• Organizations (name, storage limit) and Team Members (role: Admin/Member/Viewer).
• Org-wide folders, activity logs, seat-based billing (server-side webhooks).

Step 48: Mobile-Focused Add-ons

• Photo backup (external service/background), offline access (mark for offline → sync), native share sheet.

Step 49: Server-Side Processing

• Thumbnails, conversions (e.g., to PDF), antivirus scanning on upload.
• Wire via Custom Actions to your API; return signed URLs — Custom Actions

Benefits of No-Code for File-Sharing Apps

• Rapid prototyping: ship an MVP and iterate — Adalo Preview & Publish
• Cost efficiency: less custom plumbing (see TEI above)
• Lower technical barriers: model your data visually — Relational data explained

Why Adalo Works Well for File Storage

• Built-in relational DB: Users ↔ Files ↔ Folders ↔ Shared Access — Database help
• Cross-platform publishing: iOS, Android, and web — Adalo product
• Marketplace components: uploaders, lists, viewers, charts — Marketplace
• Integrations: APIs, webhooks, and external data — Custom Actions · External Collections

Cost & Resources

• Adalo: see current plans/limits — https://www.adalo.com/pricing
• Stripe fees: vary by region/method; in the U.S. online cards are typically ~2.9% + $0.30 — https://stripe.com/pricing
• Developer programs: Apple $99/year — https://developer.apple.com/programs/ · Google Play $25 one-time — https://play.google.com/console/about/

Additional Resources

• Adalo Help Center — https://help.adalo.com/
• Adalo Marketplace — https://www.adalo.com/marketplace
• External Collections — https://help.adalo.com/integrations/external-collections-with-apis
• Custom Actions — https://help.adalo.com/integrations/custom-actions
• Optimize Performance — https://help.adalo.com/performance/optimize-app-performance
• Xano Integration — https://www.adalo.com/integrations/xano
• Airtable Integration — https://www.adalo.com/integrations/airtable
• Zapier — https://zapier.com/ · Make — https://www.make.com/
• AWS S3 — https://aws.amazon.com/s3/ 
• Google Cloud Storage — https://cloud.google.com/storage

‍Note: This Google Drive–style build is a prototype using Adalo’s UI and database. For large files, background/offline sync, real-time co-editing, virus scanning, and enterprise-grade access controls, integrate external services (e.g., Xano, AWS S3, Google Cloud Storage) via External Collections / Custom Actions and handle heavy processing server-side. Always performance-test on real devices and validate your data-privacy posture (e.g., GDPR/CCPA) before publishing.