Nextcloud S3 Cloud Storage and Backup Solution

Nextcloud S3 is a cloud storage and backup solution that integrates with Amazon S3. It allows users to store and manage their files securely and efficiently.

Nextcloud S3 supports encryption at rest and in transit, ensuring that your files are protected from unauthorized access. This is particularly important for businesses and organizations that handle sensitive data.

With Nextcloud S3, you can store an unlimited amount of data, making it an ideal solution for large-scale file storage needs.

To set up AWS integration with Nextcloud, start by installing the "External storage support" app in your Nextcloud instance. This app enables you to connect Nextcloud to external storage services like AWS S3.

Navigate to the Apps section and search for the "External storage support" app, then install and enable it. This will allow you to configure the integration with AWS S3.

Create a dedicated IAM user in AWS with the least privileges required for Nextcloud to access the S3 bucket. Generate Access Key ID and Secret Access Key for this IAM user, as we'll need them later for configuring Nextcloud.

For your interest: Backblaze Backup External Drive

Attach the AmazonS3FullAccess policy to the IAM user to grant it access to the S3 bucket. Then, generate access keys for this user, which will be used by Nextcloud to access the S3 bucket.

To configure the backend, go to "Administration settings" and select "External storage". From there, select "Amazon S3" and give your folder a friendly name. Fill in the bucket "default", the hostname of your Nextcloud instance, and the port "8080".

Curious to learn more? Check out: How to Connect to S3 Bucket

To configure Nextcloud S3, start by creating a dedicated IAM user in AWS with the least privileges required for Nextcloud to access the S3 bucket. This user will be used to generate Access Key ID and Secret Access Key.

Attach the AmazonS3FullAccess policy to this user to grant the necessary permissions. You can do this by navigating to the permissions tab and attaching the policy directly.

Next, generate access keys for this user. Access keys are used by 3rd party tools to gain access to AWS services via that user. You can find the access key section under the security credentials tab of the user.

Consider reading: S3 Bucket Permissions

Now, install and configure the External storage support app in your Nextcloud instance. This app will allow you to connect to your S3 bucket.

To configure the backend, go to the Administration settings and select External storage. From there, select Amazon S3 and give your folder a friendly name.

You'll need to fill in the bucket name, hostname, and port, as well as your access key information. Make sure to tick Enable Path Style and select All users if you want to give all your Nextcloud users access to mount that folder.

Here are the minimum required parameters for Amazon-hosted S3:

Additionally, you may need to specify the region, storageClass, hostname, use_ssl, use_path_style, port, and other parameters depending on your specific setup.

To add S3 storage as external storage in Nextcloud, locate the external storage section and add the required details to connect your AWS S3 bucket. You'll need to enter the Access Key ID, Secret Access Key, the bucket name, and the AWS region.

If this caught your attention, see: Google Drive Add on Chrome Desktop

To connect Nextcloud to AWS S3, start by saving your settings and testing the connection. This ensures Nextcloud can access your S3 bucket successfully.

You'll know the test is successful when a new folder named AmazonS3 appears on your home directory in Nextcloud, as seen in the files tab.

To utilize AWS S3 storage effectively, consider transferring some or all of your existing Nextcloud data to the newly connected S3 bucket. This step is particularly useful for freeing up space on your server and taking advantage of the scalability offered by AWS.

To create an AWS S3 bucket, log in to your AWS Management Console and navigate to the S3 service.

Choose a region that is geographically close to your Nextcloud server for better performance.

Create a new S3 bucket to store your NextCloud data, and remember the name of your bucket, such as cloud lajah-nextcloud-s3.

To learn how to create a bucket, refer to the documentation provided by AWS.

Consider reading: How to Create a Onedrive

To connect Nextcloud to your AWS S3 bucket, start by creating a dedicated IAM user with the least privileges required for Nextcloud to access the bucket. Generate an Access Key ID and Secret Access Key for this user.

Navigate to the IAM console and create a user, such as "nextcloud-s3Access". Attach the AmazonS3FullAccess policy to this user to grant access to the S3 bucket.

Next, generate access keys for the user under the security credentials tab. Keep the new keys handy, as you'll need them later to configure Nextcloud.

In Nextcloud, go to the Administration settings and select External storage. From there, choose Amazon S3 and give your folder a friendly name. Select Access key as the authentication method and fill in the bucket name, hostname, and port.

Enable Path Style and fill in your access key information, which should match the keys you generated earlier. If you want to give all Nextcloud users access to mount the folder, select "All users" as well.

Explore further: Dropbox Local Folder

Using an object store as Primary Storage with Nextcloud S3 requires careful consideration of your data backup strategy. This is because your data is no longer stored on your Nextcloud server.

You'll need to incorporate the object store into your backup plan, as bypassing your Nextcloud server and accessing the object store directly is not an option.

You might enjoy: Aws S3 Object

Using an object store as Primary Storage changes your data backup strategy. Your data is no longer stored on your Nextcloud server.

You'll need to incorporate your object store into your data backup plan. This ensures your files are safe in case of an issue.

Your files are no longer accessible by bypassing your Nextcloud server and accessing your object store directly, as is the case with non-Amazon hosted S3.

Explore further: Object Storage Google

Encryption is a crucial aspect of security, and Nextcloud offers robust support for it. Nextcloud supports server-side encryption, also known as SSE-C, with compatible S3 bucket providers.

On a similar theme: S3 Encryption Aws

This encryption happens directly on the S3 bucket side, with a key provided by the Nextcloud server. A random key can be generated using a specific command, which is a convenient way to ensure encryption.

The key can be specified with the sse_c_key parameter, and it needs to be provided as a base64 encoded string with a maximum length of 32 bytes. This ensures that the key is secure and can be easily stored.

To configure the S3 object store with SSE-C encryption support, you need to add the sse_c_key parameter to the objectstore section of the Nextcloud config.php file. This is a straightforward process that requires minimal technical expertise.

Consider reading: 5 Key Features of Dropbox