How-to guides for S3.
Direct answers to the questions developers Google about AWS S3, Cloudflare R2, and S3-compatible storage. AWS CLI and SDK snippets included; one-click equivalents in S3 Viewer where they exist.
Files
7 guidesHow to rename a file in S3
Amazon S3 has no rename API — keys are immutable. Here's the standard copy + delete pattern, with metadata and tags preserved.
How to upload large files to S3
Multipart upload — part sizes, parallelism, retries, and the 5 GB single-PUT cap that pushes you to multipart.
How to upload to S3 securely with presigned URLs
Never ship AWS keys to the browser. Server-signed presigned URLs let the browser PUT directly without the credential.
How to download a file from S3
Browser, AWS CLI, or presigned URL — three ways, with auto-inferred filenames and zero key exposure.
How to search across S3 buckets
How to actually search S3 with Tab autocomplete, and when S3 Inventory + Athena is the right pattern.
How to delete a file from S3 safely
Versioning, delete markers, MFA Delete — and how to actually purge instead of soft-deleting.
How to bulk-delete S3 files
DeleteObjects API explained — up to 1,000 keys per request, and how versioning changes the answer.
Sharing
2 guidesMulti-cloud
3 guidesHow to view AWS S3 and Cloudflare R2 in one dashboard
One credential per provider, one sidebar, Cmd-K to jump, and right-click to copy across clouds.
How to copy files between AWS S3 and Cloudflare R2
Server-side cross-cloud copy without downloading locally — one click in S3 Viewer, AWS CLI, or rclone for bulk.
How to switch between S3 buckets quickly
Cmd-K fuzzy switcher across every connected provider, plus AWS CLI named profiles for scripts.