Working with Amazon S3 objects

Objects are the fundamental entities stored in Amazon S3. Objects consist of object data and metadata.

Uploading a file to an Amazon S3 bucket

You can use the Toolkit interface or a command to upload a file to a bucket

Both methods allow you to upload a file from a user's environment and store it as an S3 object in the AWS Cloud. You can upload a file to a bucket or to a folder that organizes that bucket's contents.

Upload a file to an S3 bucket using the interface

1. In the AWS Explorer, choose the S3 node to view the list of buckets.

2. Open the context menu (right-click) for a bucket or a folder in that bucket, and then choose Upload File.

   Note

   If you open the context menu (right-click) an S3 object, you can choose Upload to Parent. This enables you to add a file to the folder or bucket that contains the selected file.

3. Using your environment's file manager, select a file, and then choose Upload.

   The selected file is uploaded as an S3 object to the bucket or folder. Each object's entry describes the size of the stored object and how long ago it was uploaded. You can pause over the object's listing to view the path, size, and time when it was last modified.

Upload the current file to an S3 bucket using a command

1. To select a file for upload, choose the file's tab.

2. Press Ctrl+P to display the Commands pane.

3. For Go To Anything, start to enter the phrase upload file to display the AWS: Upload File command. Choose the command when it appears.

4. For Step 1: Select a file to upload, you can choose the file you've selected or browse for another file.

5. For Step 2: Select an S3 bucket to upload to, choose a bucket from the list.

   The selected file is uploaded as an S3 object to the bucket or folder. Each object's entry describes the size of the stored object and how long ago it was uploaded. You can pause over the object's listing to view the path, size, and time when it was last modified.

Downloading an Amazon S3 object

You can download objects in an Amazon S3 bucket from the AWS Cloud to a folder in your AWS Cloud9 environment.

1. In the AWS Explorer, choose the S3 node to view the list of buckets.

2. In a bucket or in a folder in a bucket, open the context menu (right-click) for an object, and then choose Download As.

3. Using your environment's file manager, select a destination folder, enter a file name, and then choose Download.

After a file is downloaded, you can open it in AWS Cloud9.

Deleting an Amazon S3 object

You can permanently delete an object if it's in a non-versioned bucket. But for versioning-enabled buckets, a delete request does not permanently delete that object. Instead, Amazon S3 inserts a delete marker in the bucket. For more information, see Deleting object versions in the Amazon Simple Storage Service User Guide.

1. In the AWS Explorer, choose the S3 node to view the list of buckets.

2. In a bucket or a folder in a bucket, open the context menu (right-click) for an object, and then choose Delete.

3. Choose Delete to confirm the deletion.

Generating a presigned URL for an Amazon S3 object

With presigned URLS, an object owner can share private Amazon S3 objects with others by granting time-limited permission to download the objects. For more information, see Sharing an object with a presigned URL in the Amazon S3 User Guide.

1. In the AWS Explorer, choose the S3 node to view the list of buckets.

2. In a bucket or a folder in a bucket, right-click an object, and then choose Generate Presigned URL.

3. In the AWS Toolkit command pane, enter the number of minutes that the URL can be used to access the object. Press Enter to confirm.

   The status at the bottom of the IDE confirms that presigned URL for the object was copied to your clipboard.