Guided Lab: Creating an Amazon S3 Presigned URL
Description
Amazon S3 Presigned URLs allow users to securely grant time-limited access to specific S3 objects without requiring them to have AWS credentials or permissions to access those objects. These URLs are signed with AWS credentials and specify an expiration time, after which the URL becomes invalid. Presigned URLs are commonly used to grant temporary access to download or upload objects to a bucket. They are useful for scenarios such as file sharing, temporary access for external users, or regulated access to resources.
In this lab, you’ll create a Presigned URL for an S3 object, enabling time-bound access to that object. This lab will guide you through each process step and demonstrate how to generate and use the URL for secure file access.
Prerequisites
This lab assumes you have a basic understanding and knowledge of Amazon S3 service.
If you find any gaps in your knowledge, consider taking the following lab:
Objectives
By the end of this lab, you will be able to:
- Create an S3 bucket and upload an object.
- Generate a Presigned URL to grant temporary access to the uploaded object.
- Validate the Presigned URL by accessing the object using the generated link.
Subscribe to access AWS PlayCloud LabsLab Steps
Create an S3 Bucket
1. Navigate to the Amazon S3 service.
2. Create a new bucket with a unique name (for example, my-pre-signed-url-bucket-<any_number_to_make_it_unique>).
3. Click Create bucket.
4. Upload an Object to the Bucket
a. Choose a file from your local system to upload. This can be any file, such as an image or text file. You can also use the example text file: DOWNLOAD HERE
5. Click Upload to store the file in your S3 bucket.
Generate a Presigned URL
1. After the file is uploaded, click on Close.
2. Select the uploaded file.
3. Under Actions, click on Share with a presigned URL.
4. Specify an expiration time for the URL (e.g., 1 hour, 1 day, etc.). For this lab, we will set it to 1 minute.
5. Click Create presigned URL.
6. Copy the generated Presigned URL. This URL can now be shared with others to grant access to the file within the specified time.
Test the Presigned URL
1. Open a new browser window or tab and paste the Presigned URL into the address bar. Press Enter, and you should be able to access or download the object directly.
2. After the expiration time elapses, try accessing the URL again. You should receive an error message indicating that the URL has expired.
Creating an S3 Presigned URL demonstrates the power of Amazon S3’s security model, where access can be controlled with precision and flexibility. Users can share files securely by utilizing Presigned URLs, ensuring that only those with the URL and within the time limit can access the object. This mechanism provides temporary access, reducing the need to configure extensive IAM permissions or manually manage object permissions in S3.
Congratulations on finishing this lab! Happy learning!