How to access S3 via Temporary Security Credentials

An AWS Account or an IAM user can request temporary security credentials and use them to access Amazon S3. The credentials consist of an Access Key ID, a Secret Access Key, and a Security Token.

Temporary security credentials are obtained from AWS Security Token Service (AWS STS) by sending the AssumeRole or GetSessionToken call.

With S3 Browser you can easily work with Amazon S3 via temporary security credentials. S3 Browser calls AssumeRole or GetSessionToken automatically when required.

Once obtained, temporary security credentials are cached in memory and used until they expire, then the next STS call is sent.

To connect to Amazon S3 via STS GetSessionToken:

1. Start S3 Browser and click Accounts -> Add New Account.

Click Accounts -> Add New Account

The Add New Account dialog will open:

New Amazon S3 via GetSessionToken account dialog.

2. Choose the Amazon S3 via GetSessionToken account type.

3. Select the Source Account - an account for calling GetSessionToken. The GetSessionToken operation must be called by using the long-term AWS security credentials of the AWS account root user or an IAM user.

4. Turn on the Use secure transfer (SSL/TLS) checkbox if you would like to encrypt all communications with the storage.

5. Click Add new account.

You can now choose the newly added account from the Accounts menu:

Click Accounts -> Account Name to switch between accounts.

Advanced Settings

You may also configure additional settings for the Amazon S3 via GetSessionToken account type.

To open Advanced Settings, click the Advanced settings.. link located at the bottom-left corner of the dialog.

Click the Advanced settings.. link

The Advanced Account Settings dialog will open:

GetSessionToken

Advanced Account Settings dialog, the GetSessionToken tab

1. MFA Serial - an optional field, the identification number of the MFA device that is associated with the user who is making the GetSessionToken call. Specify it if the user has a policy that requires MFA authentication, or leave it empty.

2. Session duration in seconds - the duration, in seconds, that temporary credentials should remain valid.

Advanced Account Settings dialog, the Miscellaneous tab

Miscellaneous

Enable Dual-Stack Endpoints (IPv4/IPv6) - When checked, S3 Browser will use dual-stack endpoints to access storage, allowing connections over both IPv4 and IPv6. This improves compatibility with networks that support IPv6.

List All My Buckets When Account Assigned - When checked, S3 Browser will perform the s3:ListAllMyBuckets call when the account is assigned. If the account does not have permission to list all buckets, you can uncheck this option to avoid failed tasks and warnings in the log.

Check CloudFront Distributions When Account Assigned - When checked, S3 Browser will perform the cloudfront:ListDistributions call when the account is assigned, allowing it to set a special icon for buckets used as origins for CloudFront distributions. If the account does not have permission to list CloudFront distributions, you can uncheck this option to avoid failed tasks and warnings in the log.

External Buckets - You can edit the external buckets associated with the account. Each bucket should be listed on a new line. Optional paths are also supported, with a slash used as the delimiter (e.g., my-bucket/and/optional/path).