Connect your app to AWS S3

1. 1

   Go to the AWS IAM console and create a new IAM user, or select an existing one, for Lovable to use.

   This user will be given specific permissions to access your S3 bucket, ensuring Lovable only has the access it needs.

2. 2

   Attach an S3 policy to this IAM user, replacing 'YOUR-BUCKET-NAME' with your actual S3 bucket name.

   This policy defines exactly what actions (like reading or writing files) Lovable can perform on your S3 bucket. Choose 'read-only' if your app only needs to fetch files, or 'read and write' if it also needs to upload them.

3. 3

   In the IAM user's 'Security credentials' tab, create an access key and save both the 'Access Key ID' and 'Secret Access Key'.

   These keys are like a username and password for the IAM user, which Lovable will use to authenticate with AWS S3.

4. 4

   In your Lovable workspace, navigate to 'Connectors' and select 'AWS S3'.

   This is where you'll set up the connection between Lovable and your S3 bucket.

5. 5

   Click 'Add connection', then provide a display name for your connection.

   A clear name helps you identify this specific S3 connection later, especially if you have multiple.

6. 6

   Fill in your S3 'Bucket name', 'AWS region', the 'Access key ID', and 'Secret access key' you saved earlier.

   These details tell Lovable which S3 bucket to connect to and how to authenticate.

7. 7

   Optionally, expand 'Advanced settings' and choose 'Read only' or 'Read & write' for 'Access type', matching your IAM policy.

   This setting controls whether your Lovable app can only download files or also upload them to S3.

8. 8

   Click 'Connect' and ensure the connection is verified successfully.

   Lovable will test the credentials and bucket access. If it succeeds, your connection is ready.

9. 9

   If your app needs to upload or download files directly from the browser, go to your S3 bucket's 'Permissions' -> 'Cross-origin resource sharing (CORS)' settings in the AWS S3 console.

   This step is crucial for browser-based file operations. Without it, your browser will block direct access to S3, preventing uploads or downloads.

10. 10

    Add a CORS configuration to your S3 bucket, replacing 'https://your-app-id.lovable.app' with your actual Lovable app's URL.

    This configuration tells S3 that your Lovable app's website is allowed to interact with the bucket, enabling secure file transfers.

Connect my app to AWS S3. I need to read and write CSV and JSON files. My S3 bucket name is 'my-data-bucket' and it's in the 'us-east-1' region. I have an IAM user with the Access Key ID 'AKIAIOSFODNN7EXAMPLE' and Secret Access Key 'wJalrXUtnFEMI/K7MDENG/bPxRfiCYEXAMPLEKEY'. Please guide me through the setup.

AWS S3

Amazon S3 is a cloud storage service where you can store files and data. Think of it as a giant, highly reliable hard drive on the internet.

IAM user

An IAM user is like a specific account within your Amazon Web Services (AWS) account that has its own security credentials and permissions. You create one for Lovable to use so it doesn't need full access to your entire AWS account.

S3 bucket

An S3 bucket is a container for files and data stored in AWS S3. You can think of it as a folder in the cloud where you keep your data.

IAM credentials

These are the security details (like an Access Key ID and Secret Access Key) that prove an IAM user is who they say they are, allowing them to access AWS resources like S3 buckets.

CORS (Cross-Origin Resource Sharing)

CORS is a security feature in web browsers that prevents websites from making requests to a different website's server unless explicitly allowed. For Lovable to directly upload or download files to S3 from your browser, you need to tell S3 that your Lovable app's website is a trusted source.

Signed URLs

These are temporary, secure web links that grant limited permission to access a specific file in S3 without needing full AWS credentials. Lovable uses them to allow your app to directly upload or download files.

• Using a wildcard ('*') for 'AllowedOrigins' in your S3 CORS policy in production, which can be a security risk.
• Losing your 'Secret Access Key' after generating it, as it's shown only once and cannot be recovered.
• Not configuring CORS for your S3 bucket, which will prevent file uploads and downloads from working in your app.
• Forgetting to enable 'Read & write' access type in Lovable and include 's3:PutObject' in your IAM policy if your app needs to upload files.
• Attempting to delete objects from S3 through the Lovable connector, as this feature is not supported.