Recipe

Self-serve data export

Let users request and download their own data without filing a support ticket.

Why it matters

GDPR, CCPA, and similar frameworks give users the right to data portability. A self-serve flow reduces support load, builds trust, and keeps you compliant without manual intervention.

What to include

  • Account profile fields (email, username, join date)
  • License keys and activation history
  • Payment receipts (mask sensitive digits)
  • Support ticket transcripts
  • Any user-generated content stored on your servers

Implementation outline

  1. 1Add an “Export my data” button in account settings. On click, queue a background job.
  2. 2Aggregate records from your database, blob storage, and third-party services into a structured JSON bundle.
  3. 3Compress the bundle, encrypt it with a one-time key, and upload to a temporary signed URL (expires in 48 hours).
  4. 4Email the user a download link. Log the request for audit trail purposes.

Security notes

Require re-authentication before queuing an export. Rate-limit to one request per 24 hours. Never include raw payment instrument data. Purge the export file from storage after the link expires.

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