How to Create an AWS S3 Bucket and an IAM User

This guide provides step-by-step instructions on creating an S3 bucket in AWS and an IAM user with appropriate permissions to access the bucket.

Before you begin

You will need an AWS Account (Create one here)
You need permissions in AWS to create an S3 bucket and an IAM user/policy.

Step 1: Create an S3 Bucket

Navigate to S3
- Go to the AWS Management Console.
- In the Services menu, select S3 under Storage.
Create a New Bucket

In the Amazon S3 dashboard, click the Create bucket button.

Create Bucket

Configure Your Bucket
- Select the desired AWS Region.
- Choose General purpose as the Bucket type.
- Enter a unique Bucket name.
- Click Next to continue.
Review the Bucket
- After creation, the bucket will be listed in the General purpose buckets section.
- Click on the bucket name to view its details and configure additional settings.

Step 2: Create an IAM User and Policy

Navigate to IAM
- Go to the IAM Dashboard from the AWS Management Console.
- On the left-hand menu, select Users.
Create a New IAM User
- On the Users page, click Create user.
Define User Details
- Enter a User name (e.g., my-test-bucket-user).
- Leave console access unchecked for programmatic access only.
- Click Next to continue.
Set Permissions
- Under Set permissions, select Attach policies directly.
- Click Create policy to define a custom policy for S3 access.
Define Permissions in the Policy
- Choose the JSON editor to define the policy.

Create the Policy

Name your policy (e.g., my-test-bucket-policy).

Use the following JSON template, replacing YOUR_BUCKET_NAME with your bucket name:

{
  "Version": "2012-10-17",
  "Statement": [
    {
      "Effect": "Allow",
      "Action": ["s3:ListBucket"],
      "Resource": ["arn:aws:s3:::YOUR_BUCKET_NAME"]
    },
    {
      "Effect": "Allow",
      "Action": ["s3:GetObject"],
      "Resource": ["arn:aws:s3:::YOUR_BUCKET_NAME/*"]
    }
  ]
}

Click Create policy to finalize.

Create Policy

Attach the Policy to the IAM User
- Go back to the Set permissions section for the user.
- Click the Refresh icon to load the newly created policy.
- Search for your new policy and check the box next to its name.
- Click Next to continue.
Review and Create the User
- On the Review and create page, check the details.
- Click Create user.

Step 3: Generate Access Keys

Find and Select the New User
- Use the Users search box to find your newly created user.
- Click on the user name to view the details.
Open the Security Credentials Tab
- Navigate to the Security credentials tab.
Create Access Keys
- Under Access keys, click on Create access key.
Choose Use Case for the Access Key
- Select the Application running outside AWS option.
- Click Next to continue.
Set Description Tag (Optional)
- Optionally add a description for the access key.
- Click Create access key.
Retrieve and Store Access Keys
- Copy the Access key and Secret access key.
- Store them securely, as you will need these keys to access the S3 bucket programmatically.
- You can also download the keys as a CSV file.
- Click Done when finished.