Amazon S3
Make Amazon S3 easier to use.
A modern workspace for the S3 storage you already have. Files go straight between you and S3, never through embers.
- View and manage files
- Share securely
- Cross-cloud transfers
- Phone photo backup
- Versions and restore
- Browser-side encryption
S3your bucket
Cloudflare R2
DigitalOcean Spaces
Backblaze B2
WasabiWhat you can do with S3 in embers
The console is built for configuring storage. embers is built for using it, every day, without the command line.
Browse, preview and search
Folders, thumbnails, PDFs, video and audio in the browser. Search a whole bucket by name, or inside text and PDF files.
Share files and whole folders
Expiring links, folder galleries with a zip download, and links with a password or a download limit.
Collect files from anyone
Upload links let a client or relative send files straight into your bucket, no account needed.
Back up your phone
iPhone and Android photos and videos go straight to S3, sorted by month, already-saved photos skipped.
Encrypt in your browser
Optional end-to-end encryption with your passphrase (AES-256-GCM). Only ciphertext reaches your bucket.
Trash, versions and restore
Uses S3’s own versions where versioning is on; embers keeps copies elsewhere. Put a folder back as it was at any point in time.
Copy and move between clouds
Drag files between S3 and any other provider, or move a whole bucket, with every file checked.
Cost reports and health checks
See what each folder costs, find waste like old versions and unfinished uploads, and get budget alerts.
Teams and roles
Seats for your team, roles that limit who can delete, and an audit log of who did what.
Your phone’s photos, in your own S3 bucket.
Set up a phone with a QR code from your computer. Photos and videos go straight from the phone to Amazon S3: not to embers, and not to anyone else’s cloud.
- Sorted into year and month folders by the date each photo was taken
- Already-backed-up photos are skipped, so you can just select everything recent
- Family mode: each phone backs up to its own folder, and you browse everyone’s photos together
- Encrypted on the phone if the bucket uses end-to-end encryption
- Browse every photo by month on your computer or phone, with fast previews
How embers works with S3
Every provider is a little different. Here’s exactly what to expect with S3.
Buckets with versioning turned on use S3’s own versions. Others use copies embers keeps in a hidden folder in the bucket.
Signed links that last up to 7 days. For links you can revoke early, use embers’ protected links, with a password or a download limit.
Write-once Object Lock and legal holds are supported.
- Object Lock and legal holds, with a clear explanation of anything that blocks deleting a locked bucket.
- Phone backup needs a bucket without Object Lock: locked buckets need a checksum a direct upload can’t add.
Connect S3 to embers
embers uses an IAM user’s access key, with a policy for the buckets embers should manage.
- In the AWS console, open IAM → Users and create a user for embers. Attach a policy for the buckets it should manage (the help guide has a ready-made one).
- Under Security credentials, choose Create access key and copy the key ID and secret.
- In embers, open the Amazon S3 tab, click Connect account, paste both keys and pick a region. embers finds each bucket’s own region.
Tick Save to my embers account to stay connected on every device; saved keys are sealed with AES-256-GCM. To stop access, disconnect in embers and delete the key in S3.
One flat price for S3. No per-GB fees.
Your files never flow through embers, so there’s no bandwidth for us to meter. You pay S3 for storage at their normal rates, and embers a flat subscription.
- $10.37 / month for each additional provider
- Or $129.70 / year (two months free)
- Unlimited buckets and accounts, every feature included
Comparing providers? See what your storage would cost on S3 and the other 14 with the storage cost calculator.
embers and S3, answered
Do my files pass through embers?
No. Uploads, downloads, previews and share links go straight between your browser (or phone) and Amazon S3. embers signs the requests with your key and never stores your files.
What does embers need from S3?
An IAM user’s access key, with a policy for the buckets embers should manage. Give the key only the access you want embers to have. If you save it to your embers account, it’s sealed with AES-256-GCM.
Does S3 charge me anything extra?
embers adds nothing to your Amazon S3 bill: no markup and no per-GB fees from us. Your storage and transfer are billed by S3 at their normal rates.
Can I use S3 with other providers?
Yes. Connect any of the 15 providers embers supports, each on its own tab, and copy files or move whole buckets between them.
Hetzner Object Storage
bunny.net
Google Cloud Storage
IDrive e2
Vultr Object Storage
Akamai Cloud
OVHcloud Object Storage
Oracle Cloud (OCI)
Filebase
Storj