Create Access Point for S3 Bucket in AWS

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Posted Nov 11, 2024

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To create an access point for an S3 bucket in AWS, you'll need to navigate to the S3 dashboard and click on the "Create access point" button. This will open a new window where you can specify the bucket you want to create an access point for.

An access point is essentially a virtual endpoint that allows you to access your S3 bucket using a unique name, rather than the bucket's full Amazon Resource Name (ARN). This can be particularly useful if you have multiple buckets with similar names.

To specify the bucket, simply enter the name of the bucket you want to create an access point for in the "Bucket name" field. If you're not sure what the bucket name is, you can click on the "Find bucket" button to search for it.

Create S3 Bucket

To create an S3 bucket, you can follow these simple steps. First, go to the Amazon S3 console and click the "Create bucket" button.

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You'll need to enter a unique bucket name and choose the region where you want to store your data. This is crucial for data security and compliance.

Here are the specific steps to create a new S3 bucket:

  1. Go to the Amazon S3 console.
  2. Click the “Create bucket” button.
  3. Enter a unique bucket name and choose the region where you want to store your data.
  4. Choose the default settings for the bucket, such as access control and encryption.
  5. Click the “Create bucket” button.

By following these steps, you'll have a new S3 bucket created and ready for use.

Identity and Permissions

Permissions are a crucial aspect of creating an S3 access point. You can give the following permissions to grantees: READ, WRITE, FULL_CONTROL, READ_ACP, and WRITE_ACP.

To grant permissions, you need to consider the bucket and file levels. The READ permission allows the grantee to list files in the bucket and download files and their metadata. WRITE permission allows the grantee to create, overwrite, and delete any file in the bucket.

A key point to remember is that Block Public Access settings can affect permissions. If public access is blocked for a bucket, you may receive an error when trying to grant Everyone READ permission for a file.

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Here's a summary of the available permissions:

Understanding these permissions will help you set up access points correctly and avoid common issues.

Security and Access

You can grant public read-only access to your S3 bucket, allowing anyone with the bucket URL to view and download objects without modifying or deleting them. This is suitable for use cases like hosting static website assets or sharing marketing materials.

Public read-only access doesn't compromise your bucket's security, and it's a great way to share data with clients, partners, or the public.

Pre-signed URLs can also be used to make private objects publicly available for a limited time. You can choose from pre-signed URLs that expire in one hour, 24 hours, a week, or a month.

Rationale for Public Read-Only

Public read-only access is a security feature that allows anyone with the bucket URL to view and download objects in an S3 bucket.

You can grant public read-only access to your S3 bucket without compromising its security, making it suitable for use cases such as hosting static website assets or distributing public datasets.

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Public read-only access prevents users from modifying or deleting objects in the bucket, or uploading new ones, ensuring the integrity of your data.

This level of access is ideal for sharing marketing materials with the public, as it allows them to view the materials without being able to alter or delete them.

Public read-only access is a flexible solution that balances the need to share data with the need to maintain security and control.

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Pre-Signed Temporary URLs

Pre-Signed Temporary URLs can be a lifesaver when you need to share a private object with others. You can make a private object in S3 publicly available for a limited time using a pre-signed URL.

These URLs include a date and time after which they will no longer work, so you don't have to worry about them being used after the intended time. You can copy the pre-signed URL from Edit → Copy URL→ Signed URL or File → Info (macOS ⌘I Windows Alt+Return) → S3.

Pre-signed URLs can be set to expire in one hour, 24 hours, a week, or a month. The default expiration time is 24 hours, but you can change this by modifying the preference s3.url.expire.seconds.

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Logging and Monitoring

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Enabling bucket access logging allows you to periodically aggregate log records into log files and deliver them to a target logging bucket.

It's considered best practice to choose a logging target that is different from the origin bucket.

Testing and Verification

To test the setup, you need to check if the folder listing is working as expected. You can do this by running the command aws s3 ls s3://arn:aws:s3:us-east-1:AccountA:accesspoint/test-ap/public/ --profile AccountB-Profile.

This command will list the testObject if it's in the public folder. If you run the same command against the private folder, you'll get an Access Denied error.

You can also test object access by running the command aws s3 cp s3://arn:aws:s3:us-east-1:AccountA:accesspoint/test-ap/public/testObject . --profile AccountB-Profile. This will download the testObject to your working directory.

If you try to run the same command against the private folder, it will fail with an Access Denied error.

The Requirement

We have a S3 bucket that contains several large data sets, each organized in its own namespace with a unique key prefix, or folder.

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Each data set has its own folder, making it essential to provide access to one of them.

We have two main requirements: providing access to one of the data sets and enabling listing all objects from that same folder.

To achieve this, we need to consider the structure of our S3 bucket and the specific data sets we want to access.

Our S3 bucket has several large data sets, each stored in a different folder.

We want to provide access to one of these data sets and allow listing of all objects from that folder.

This requires careful consideration of our bucket's organization and the permissions we need to set up.

Closing Thoughts

As we've explored creating an access point for an S3 bucket, it's clear that the process can be simplified with the right tools and mindset.

The AWS CLI is a powerful tool that can help streamline the process, making it easier to create and manage access points.

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Creating an access point can help improve performance by reducing the number of requests made to the bucket, as we saw in the example where we created a new access point with a specific policy.

With an access point, you can also use the same access point ARN to access multiple buckets, which can be a big time-saver.

Remember, it's essential to consider the permissions and policies associated with your access point to ensure secure access to your S3 bucket.

Ann Predovic

Lead Writer

Ann Predovic is a seasoned writer with a passion for crafting informative and engaging content. With a keen eye for detail and a knack for research, she has established herself as a go-to expert in various fields, including technology and software. Her writing career has taken her down a path of exploring complex topics, making them accessible to a broad audience.

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