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What is S3 storage and why your website needs it

· 2 min read
Andres Saar
Customer Care Engineer

what-is-s3-storage

If you’re familiar with the term S3, you probably associate it with large, expensive cloud solutions like AWS, aimed at big projects with solid budgets. However, that’s not always the case. This protocol is more accessible than it seems and can be extremely useful for small projects and even personal use. In this article, we’ll demonstrate that clearly.

What is S3?​

S3 (Simple Storage Service) is a protocol and service for object storage developed by Amazon Web Services (AWS). In essence, it’s a massive virtual warehouse for any files - from photos and videos to website and database backups. Unlike a regular disk on a server, S3 stores data in a distributed manner, making it more resilient and accessible from anywhere in the world.

The core idea of S3 is simplicity and universality. Every file you upload receives a unique address. This means you can easily access the file over the internet via HTTPS, share links, or connect it to a web application.

Why an S3 storage matters for a modern website​

As your site grows, your server’s disk space can become insufficient. Videos, archives, and backups can quickly fill it up. S3 solves several problems at once:

  1. Scalability. You can increase storage capacity without buying new servers.

  2. Availability. Files remain accessible even if the primary server is temporarily down.

  3. Security. Data is distributed across multiple data centers or servers, reducing the risk of loss.

  4. Compatibility. S3 works with numerous applications and platforms - WordPress included - thanks to a unified data-exchange standard.

  5. Speed. Even with self-hosted solutions, performance is significantly higher than with traditional storage because they’re designed for large data volumes and parallel requests.

S3 is especially useful for backups. For example, in modern control panels like FASTPANEL, you can configure backups to be stored on S3-compatible services such as MinIO, making the process fully automatic.

How to get started with S3​

You don’t have to use AWS specifically. MinIO and other S3-compatible solutions let you create your own storage on your own server or in a private cloud. This is especially relevant for those who want full control over their data and prefer to pay only for the server rather than for AWS cloud services.

All of these systems operate on the same principle: an object is stored in a “bucket” and is accessible via a unique link. The differences lie in the infrastructure and additional capabilities such as file versioning or encryption.

If you want to try setting up your own private S3 storage, you can install MinIO from our ready-made template on any VPS. You won’t even need to touch the console - within a couple of minutes, the MinIO web interface will be available in your browser.

Conclusion​

S3 storage isn’t just a buzzword - it’s a practical tool that helps websites become more stable, secure, and scalable. AWS S3 remains the gold standard, but solutions like MinIO let you use the same approach on your own private server.

If you want your data to be safe and always at hand, S3 is definitely worth a try.