Setup AWS S3

Create an S3 bucket and configure IAM credentials for file storage.

Environment Variables

Variable	Description	Type	Source
`AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID`	AWS IAM access key ID*	server secret	AWS IAM → Users → Security credentials
`AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY`	AWS IAM secret access key*	server secret	AWS IAM → Users → Security credentials
`AWS_REGION`	AWS region for your S3 bucket*	server safe	e.g., us-east-1, eu-west-1
`AWS_S3_BUCKET_NAME`	Name of your S3 bucket*	server safe	AWS S3 Console
`AWS_CLOUDFRONT_URL`	CloudFront distribution URL (optional)	public safe	AWS CloudFront Console

* Required variable

Step 1: Create S3 Bucket

Go to AWS S3 Console
Click "Create bucket"
Enter a unique bucket name
Select your preferred region
Configure public access settings based on your needs
Click "Create bucket"

Bucket Naming

S3 bucket names must be globally unique. Use a prefix like your organization name to avoid conflicts.

Step 2: Configure CORS

Enable CORS for browser uploads:

Open your bucket in the S3 console
Go to Permissions → Cross-origin resource sharing (CORS)
Add the following configuration:

CORS Configuration

[
  {
    "AllowedHeaders": ["*"],
    "AllowedMethods": ["GET", "PUT", "POST", "DELETE"],
    "AllowedOrigins": ["http://localhost:3000", "https://yourdomain.com"],
    "ExposeHeaders": ["ETag"]
  }
]

Step 3: Create IAM User

Go to AWS IAM Console
Navigate to Users → Create user
Enter a username (e.g., "app-s3-user")
Select "Attach policies directly"
Search for and attach "AmazonS3FullAccess" (or create a more restrictive policy)
Complete user creation

Least Privilege

For production, create a custom policy that only grants access to your specific bucket instead of using AmazonS3FullAccess.

Step 4: Create Access Keys

Open the IAM user you created
Go to Security credentials
Click "Create access key"
Select "Application running outside AWS"
Copy both the Access key ID and Secret access key

Save Your Credentials

The secret access key is only shown once. Save it securely before closing.

Step 5: Add to .env.local

.env.local

# AWS S3 Configuration
AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID=AKIAXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY=xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
AWS_REGION=us-east-1
AWS_S3_BUCKET_NAME=your-bucket-name

# Optional: CloudFront CDN
# AWS_CLOUDFRONT_URL=https://dxxxxxxxxx.cloudfront.net

Storage Overview Next: Admin Module