Amazon S3 Configuration

Introduction

This guide walks you through configuring Amazon S3 for media storage with Fluent Community. Amazon S3 is the industry-standard object storage service, offering excellent reliability and extensive integration options.

When to Choose S3

Amazon S3 is ideal for enterprise communities, complex integrations, or when you already have AWS infrastructure in place.

Prerequisites

Amazon Web Services (AWS) account
Fluent Community Pro installed and activated
Basic understanding of AWS IAM and S3

Step 1: Create an S3 Bucket

1.1 Access S3 Console

Log in to AWS Management Console
Navigate to S3 service
Click "Create bucket"

1.2 Configure Bucket Settings

Bucket Name:

Choose a globally unique name (e.g., my-community-media)
Use lowercase letters, numbers, and hyphens only

Region:

Select a region close to your users
Common choices: us-east-1, eu-west-1, ap-southeast-1

Block Public Access Settings:

⚠️ Disable "Block all public access"
This allows public access to uploaded media files

Object Ownership:

Enable "ACLs enabled"
Select "Object writer" from Object Ownership options

Other Settings:

Keep default settings or adjust as needed
Enable versioning (optional, recommended for safety)

1.3 Create Bucket

Click "Create bucket" to finalize.

Step 2: Create IAM User

2.1 Access IAM Console

In AWS Management Console, go to IAM (Identity and Access Management)
Click "Users" in the left sidebar
Click "Add user" or "Create user"

2.2 Configure User

User Name:

Choose a descriptive name (e.g., fluent-community-s3)

Access Type:

Select "Programmatic access"
Or leave unchecked: "Provide user access to the AWS Management Console"

2.3 Set Permissions

Option A: Full S3 Access (Simpler)

Attach existing policy: AmazonS3FullAccess

Option B: Restricted Access (More Secure)

Create a custom policy with limited permissions:

json

{
    "Version": "2012-10-17",
    "Statement": [
        {
            "Effect": "Allow",
            "Action": [
                "s3:PutObject",
                "s3:PutObjectAcl",
                "s3:GetObject",
                "s3:GetObjectAcl",
                "s3:DeleteObject",
                "s3:ListBucket"
            ],
            "Resource": [
                "arn:aws:s3:::YOUR-BUCKET-NAME",
                "arn:aws:s3:::YOUR-BUCKET-NAME/*"
            ]
        }
    ]
}

Replace YOUR-BUCKET-NAME with your actual bucket name.

2.4 Complete User Creation

Click through to complete user creation
You'll see a success message

Step 3: Generate Access Keys

3.1 Access Security Credentials

Go to the user's details page
Click on "Security credentials" tab
Find the "Access keys" section

3.2 Create Access Key

Click "Create access key"
Select "Other" in the "Access key best practices & alternatives" screen
Add description tag (optional)
Click "Create access key"

3.3 Save Credentials

Important

Save these credentials immediately! You won't be able to see the Secret Access Key again.

Copy and save securely:

Access Key ID (e.g., AKIAIOSFODNN7EXAMPLE)
Secret Access Key (e.g., wJalrXUtnFEMI/K7MDENG/bPxRfiCYEXAMPLEKEY)

Step 4: Configure Fluent Community

You have two options for configuration:

Option A: Using Plugin UI (Recommended for Most Users)

Go to FluentCommunity → Settings → Features
Find the Cloud Storage section
Fill in the form:

Storage Provider:

Select "Amazon S3" from dropdown

Access Key:

Paste your Access Key ID

Secret Key:

Paste your Secret Access Key

Region:

Enter your bucket region (e.g., us-east-1)
Leave empty if using global region

Bucket:

Enter your bucket name (e.g., my-community-media)

Sub Folder (Optional):

Enter a subfolder path if you want to organize files
Example: community-files or site-name
Leave empty to store files in bucket root

Click "Save Changes"

Option B: Using wp-config.php (Recommended for Security)

Add these constants to your wp-config.php file (before the "That's all, stop editing!" line):

php

// Amazon S3 Configuration
define('FLUENT_COMMUNITY_CLOUD_STORAGE', 'amazon_s3');
define('FLUENT_COMMUNITY_CLOUD_STORAGE_REGION', 'us-east-1'); // Change to your region
define('FLUENT_COMMUNITY_CLOUD_STORAGE_ACCESS_KEY', 'YOUR_ACCESS_KEY_ID');
define('FLUENT_COMMUNITY_CLOUD_STORAGE_SECRET_KEY', 'YOUR_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY');
define('FLUENT_COMMUNITY_CLOUD_STORAGE_BUCKET', 'your-bucket-name');
define('FLUENT_COMMUNITY_CLOUD_STORAGE_SUB_FOLDER', 'community-files'); // Optional

Replace with your actual values:

us-east-1 → Your bucket region
YOUR_ACCESS_KEY_ID → Your Access Key ID
YOUR_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY → Your Secret Access Key
your-bucket-name → Your bucket name
community-files → Your subfolder (or remove this line)

TIP

If you leave the region empty or remove the line, it will use the global region.

Configuration Priority

If you configure both methods:

✅ wp-config.php settings take precedence
UI settings are ignored when wp-config.php constants are defined

Testing Your Configuration

1. Upload a Test Image

Go to your Fluent Community portal
Create a new post
Upload an image
Publish the post

2. Verify Upload

Check your S3 bucket in AWS Console
You should see the uploaded file
Verify the file is publicly accessible

3. Check Image Display

View the post in your community
Image should load from S3 URL
URL format: https://your-bucket.s3.region.amazonaws.com/path/to/image.jpg

AWS Regions Reference

Common AWS regions:

Region Code	Location	Description
`us-east-1`	N. Virginia	US East (most common)
`us-east-2`	Ohio	US East
`us-west-1`	N. California	US West
`us-west-2`	Oregon	US West
`eu-west-1`	Ireland	Europe (most common)
`eu-west-2`	London	Europe
`eu-central-1`	Frankfurt	Europe
`ap-southeast-1`	Singapore	Asia Pacific
`ap-southeast-2`	Sydney	Asia Pacific
`ap-northeast-1`	Tokyo	Asia Pacific

View all AWS regions →

Cost Estimation

S3 Pricing (as of 2024)

Storage:

First 50 TB: $0.023 per GB/month
Next 450 TB: $0.022 per GB/month

Data Transfer (Egress):

First 10 TB: $0.09 per GB
Next 40 TB: $0.085 per GB

Requests:

PUT/POST: $0.005 per 1,000 requests
GET: $0.0004 per 1,000 requests

Example: Medium Community

Monthly Usage:

Storage: 10 GB
Egress: 50 GB
Uploads: 10,000 images

Monthly Cost:

Storage: 10 × $0.023 = $0.23
Egress: 50 × $0.09 = $4.50
Requests: (10,000 × $0.005) / 1,000 = $0.05
Total: ~$4.78/month

Cost Optimization

Consider using CloudFront CDN to reduce egress costs, or switch to Cloudflare R2 for zero egress fees.

Troubleshooting

"Access Denied" Error

Causes:

Incorrect IAM permissions
Bucket policy blocking access
Wrong credentials

Solutions:

Verify IAM user has S3 permissions
Check bucket policy allows public read
Confirm Access Key and Secret Key are correct
Ensure no extra spaces in credentials

"Bucket Not Found" Error

Causes:

Wrong bucket name
Wrong region
Bucket doesn't exist

Solutions:

Double-check bucket name (case-sensitive)
Verify region matches bucket region
Confirm bucket exists in AWS Console

Images Not Displaying

Causes:

Block Public Access enabled
ACLs not configured
CORS issues

Solutions:

Disable "Block all public access" in bucket settings
Enable ACLs in Object Ownership settings
Add CORS configuration if needed:

json

[
    {
        "AllowedHeaders": ["*"],
        "AllowedMethods": ["GET", "HEAD"],
        "AllowedOrigins": ["*"],
        "ExposeHeaders": []
    }
]

Permission Issues

Review IAM Policy:

Go to IAM → Users → Your User
Check attached policies
Ensure S3 permissions are granted

Review Bucket Policy:

Go to S3 → Your Bucket → Permissions
Check bucket policy
Ensure public read access is allowed

Security Best Practices

Use wp-config.php - Keep credentials out of database
Restrict IAM permissions - Only grant necessary access
Enable bucket versioning - Protect against accidental deletion
Monitor CloudTrail logs - Track API activity
Rotate access keys - Change credentials periodically
Use MFA for AWS account - Protect your AWS account
Enable S3 access logging - Track bucket access

Advanced Configuration

Using CloudFront CDN

For better performance and lower costs, consider using CloudFront:

Create CloudFront distribution
Set S3 bucket as origin
Update FLUENT_COMMUNITY_CLOUD_STORAGE_PUBLIC_URL to CloudFront URL

Custom Domain

You can use a custom domain for your media:

Create CloudFront distribution
Add custom domain (CNAME)
Configure SSL certificate
Update public URL in Fluent Community

Cloud Storage Overview - Compare all providers
Cloudflare R2 - Alternative with zero egress fees
Performance Optimization - Optimize your setup

Amazon S3 Configuration ​ ​

Introduction ​ ​

Prerequisites ​ ​

Step 1: Create an S3 Bucket ​ ​

1.1 Access S3 Console ​ ​

1.2 Configure Bucket Settings ​ ​

1.3 Create Bucket ​ ​

Step 2: Create IAM User ​ ​

2.1 Access IAM Console ​ ​

2.2 Configure User ​ ​

2.3 Set Permissions ​ ​

2.4 Complete User Creation ​ ​

Step 3: Generate Access Keys ​ ​

3.1 Access Security Credentials ​ ​

3.2 Create Access Key ​ ​

3.3 Save Credentials ​ ​

Step 4: Configure Fluent Community ​ ​

Option A: Using Plugin UI (Recommended for Most Users) ​ ​

Option B: Using wp-config.php (Recommended for Security) ​ ​

Configuration Priority ​ ​

Testing Your Configuration ​ ​

1. Upload a Test Image ​ ​

2. Verify Upload ​ ​

3. Check Image Display ​ ​

AWS Regions Reference ​ ​

Cost Estimation ​ ​

S3 Pricing (as of 2024) ​ ​

Example: Medium Community ​ ​

Troubleshooting ​ ​

"Access Denied" Error ​ ​

"Bucket Not Found" Error ​ ​

Images Not Displaying ​ ​

Permission Issues ​ ​

Security Best Practices ​ ​

Advanced Configuration ​ ​

Using CloudFront CDN ​ ​

Custom Domain ​ ​

Related Documentation ​ ​

Amazon S3 Configuration

Introduction

Prerequisites

Step 1: Create an S3 Bucket

1.1 Access S3 Console

1.2 Configure Bucket Settings

1.3 Create Bucket

Step 2: Create IAM User

2.1 Access IAM Console

2.2 Configure User

2.3 Set Permissions

2.4 Complete User Creation

Step 3: Generate Access Keys

3.1 Access Security Credentials

3.2 Create Access Key

3.3 Save Credentials

Step 4: Configure Fluent Community

Option A: Using Plugin UI (Recommended for Most Users)

Option B: Using wp-config.php (Recommended for Security)

Configuration Priority

Testing Your Configuration

1. Upload a Test Image

2. Verify Upload

3. Check Image Display

AWS Regions Reference

Cost Estimation

S3 Pricing (as of 2024)

Example: Medium Community

Troubleshooting

"Access Denied" Error

"Bucket Not Found" Error

Images Not Displaying

Permission Issues

Security Best Practices

Advanced Configuration

Using CloudFront CDN

Custom Domain

Related Documentation