Object Storage

Also Known As

TL;DR

Explanation

Object storage differs from block storage (disks) and file storage (NFS): objects are immutable, identified by key, and accessed via HTTP API. Key features: built-in redundancy across availability zones, lifecycle policies (auto-archive to cheaper tiers), pre-signed URLs for temporary direct access, static website hosting, and CDN integration. PHP applications should store uploads in S3 rather than the server filesystem — files persist across deployments and are accessible from all scaled instances.

Diagram

flowchart LR
    APP[PHP App] -->|PUT object| BUCKET[(S3 Bucket)]
    BUCKET -->|CDN origin| CF[CloudFront<br/>edge cache]
    CF --> USERS[Global users<br/>low latency]
    subgraph Storage_Classes
        STD[Standard<br/>frequent access]
        IA[Infrequent Access<br/>cheaper]
        GLACIER[Glacier<br/>archive]
    end
    subgraph Features
        VER[Versioning<br/>restore deleted]
        ENC[Encryption<br/>SSE-S3 or KMS]
    end
style BUCKET fill:#d29922,color:#fff
style CF fill:#1f6feb,color:#fff
style GLACIER fill:#6e40c9,color:#fff

Common Misconception

Why It Matters

Common Mistakes

• Storing sensitive files in a public S3 bucket — use pre-signed URLs for private content, not public bucket policies.
• Streaming large files through PHP to the client — generate a pre-signed URL and redirect; avoids memory usage and latency.
• Not setting lifecycle rules — old temporary files accumulate indefinitely without automatic expiry.
• Uploading to S3 synchronously in a web request — offload to a queue worker for large files.

Code Examples

// Streaming through PHP — wastes memory and adds latency:
function downloadFile(string $key): void {
    $content = $s3->getObject(['Bucket' => 'my-bucket', 'Key' => $key])['Body'];
    header('Content-Type: application/octet-stream');
    echo $content; // Entire file in PHP memory
}

// Pre-signed URL — client downloads directly from S3:
function downloadFile(string $key): string {
    $cmd = $s3->getCommand('GetObject', ['Bucket' => 'my-bucket', 'Key' => $key]);
    $request = $s3->createPresignedRequest($cmd, '+15 minutes');
    return (string) $request->getUri(); // Redirect client to this URL
}
// In controller:
return redirect($s3Service->downloadFile($key));

References

• ↗ https://aws.amazon.com/s3/
• ↗ https://flysystem.thephpleague.com/

Tags

Related Terms