Generate and Use Presigned URLs

Akave O3 supports presigned URLs, allowing you to securely share access to buckets and objects for a limited time — without exposing credentials. This feature is fully compatible with AWS Signature Version 4 and works with aws s3 commands while aws s3api does not have a corresponding command for generating presigned URLs.

What Is a Presigned URL?

A presigned URL is a time-limited, signed link that allows access to a specific object without requiring permanent credentials. Use it for:

• Secure file downloads
• Sharing files with third-party users or tools
• Temporary, credential-free uploads (not available using the AWS CLI, you must use an AWS SDK to create pre-signed URLs for upload)

Generate a Presigned URL for Download

aws s3 presign s3://my-akave-bucket/myfile.txt \
  --expires-in 3600 \
  --endpoint-url https://o3-rc1.akave.xyz

This generates a URL valid for 1 hour (3600 seconds) to download the file.

Use a Presigned URL to Download

Anyone with the URL can download the file:

curl "https://o3-rc1.akave.xyz/my-akave-bucket/myfile.txt?...signature..."

Or open it directly in a browser.

Security Notes

• Presigned URLs enforce the expiration time included in the signature.
  • The default expiration time is 1 hour (3600 seconds) when not using the optional --expires-in flag
  • Although the presign function in AWS S3 has an expiration time limit of 1 week (604800 seconds) Akave O3 does not enforce this limitation, allowing for greater flexibility in temporary resource sharing
• Access control still applies; only users with appropriate credentials can generate URLs.
• If on-chain ACLs or permissions change before the URL is used, the request will be denied.