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s3cmd is a cross-platform command-line tool for managing S3 and S3-compatible object storage.

After you set up s3cmd, you can use it to manage Spaces buckets and objects. If you use an alternate configuration file, add -c ~/path/to/config/file to each command.

For the complete s3cmd command reference, see the s3cmd usage guide or run s3cmd --help.

Create Buckets

Use mb to create one or more buckets:

s3cmd mb s3://<your-space-name> s3://<your-second-space>

Use Object Paths

Object storage uses a flat namespace and doesn’t have directories. For example, when you upload an object with the key images/logo.png, Spaces stores one object named images/logo.png. The images/ portion is part of the object key, not a separate directory.

Some graphical tools display shared key prefixes, such as images/, as folders to make objects easier to browse. In s3cmd, you don’t need to create those prefixes first. Include the full object key in the destination path when you upload the file.

List Buckets

Use ls and la to list Spaces buckets and objects.

List All Buckets

List all Spaces buckets available to the configured access key:

s3cmd ls

List Objects in Specific Buckets

List the objects in one or more specific Spaces buckets:

s3cmd ls s3://<your-space-name> s3://<your-second-space>

List All Objects in All Buckets

List all objects in all Spaces buckets recursively:

s3cmd la --recursive

Upload Files to a Bucket

Use put to copy files from your local machine to a bucket.

Upload a File

Include a trailing slash to preserve the original file name at the destination:

s3cmd put file.txt s3://<your-space-name>/path/

If you omit the trailing slash and provide a destination name, s3cmd stores the file with that name.

Upload a File with a New Name

Add the new file name to the end of the destination path:

s3cmd put file.txt s3://<your-space-name>/<your-new-file-name>.txt

Upload Multiple Files

Upload multiple local files to the same destination path in a Space:

s3cmd put <file1>.txt <file2>.txt <path/to/file3>.txt s3://<your-space-name>/path/

Upload All Files in the Current Directory

Use * with --recursive to upload all files in the current working directory:

s3cmd put * s3://<your-space-name>/path/ --recursive

To make uploaded files public, add --acl-public:

s3cmd put * s3://<your-space-name>/path/ --acl-public --recursive

To set metadata during upload, add --add-header:

s3cmd put * s3://<your-space-name>/path/ --add-header=Cache-Control:max-age=86400 --recursive

You can also combine public access and metadata in one upload command:

s3cmd put * s3://<your-space-name>/path/ --acl-public --add-header=Cache-Control:max-age=86400 --recursive

Download Files to Your Local Computer

Use get to copy files from a bucket to your local computer.

Download a File

Download a single object from a Space to your current local directory:

s3cmd get s3://<your-space-name>/path/to/file.txt

Download All Files in a Path

To download multiple files, include a trailing slash in the Spaces path and use --recursive:

s3cmd get s3://<your-space-name>/path/ --recursive

Download a File with a New Name

Add the local file name after the Spaces path:

s3cmd get s3://<your-space-name>/file.txt <your-new-filename>.txt

Set Directory Listings on a Space

Directory listings control whether users can browse the contents of a Space from its public endpoint.

s3cmd only prints output when a command changes access levels. For example, when you change an ACL from private to public, s3cmd prints output like s3://<your-space-name>/: ACL set to Public. If the ACL is already public, s3cmd returns to the command prompt without output.

Enable Directory Listings

Make the Space publicly listable from its public endpoint:

s3cmd setacl s3://<your-space-name>/ --acl-public

Disable Directory Listings

Make the Space private and prevent public directory listings:

s3cmd setacl s3://<your-space-name>/ --acl-private

Set Permissions on Files

Use setacl to make files public or private.

Private files are only readable by users with valid credentials. Public files are readable by anyone through an S3-compatible client or HTTPS URL.

s3cmd only prints output when a command changes access levels. For example, when you change an ACL from private to public, s3cmd prints output like s3://<your-space-name>/test.txt: ACL set to Public [1 of 1]. If the ACL is already public, s3cmd returns to the command prompt without output.

Make a File Public

Make a single file publicly readable through its object URL:

s3cmd setacl s3://<your-space-name>/file.txt --acl-public

Make Files Public Recursively

Use --recursive to make all files in a path public:

s3cmd setacl s3://<your-space-name>/path/to/files/ --acl-public --recursive

Make a File Private

Make a single file readable only by users with valid credentials:

s3cmd setacl s3://<your-space-name>/file.txt --acl-private

Make Files Private Recursively

Use --recursive to make all files in a path private:

s3cmd setacl s3://<your-space-name>/path/to/files/ --acl-private --recursive

Delete Buckets and Files

The del and rm commands are equivalent and can be used interchangeably. This permanently deletes the bucket and its objects.

Delete an Empty Bucket

Use rb to delete an empty bucket:

s3cmd rb s3://<your-space-name>

To delete a bucket and all of its contents, add --recursive:

s3cmd rb s3://<your-space-name> --recursive

Delete a File

Delete a single file from a Space:

s3cmd rm s3://<your-space-name>/name/of/file

Delete All Files in a Bucket

Use rm or del with --recursive and --force to delete all files in a bucket without deleting the bucket:

s3cmd rm s3://<your-space-name>/ --recursive --force

Encrypt Files

Use -e or --encrypt with put to encrypt a file before uploading it:

s3cmd put file.txt s3://<your-space-name>/path/to/file.txt -e

If you download the encrypted file with s3cmd and the same configuration file, s3cmd uses the configured password to decrypt it automatically. Other users need to decrypt the file with GPG, and then enter the encryption password.

s3cmd supports one encryption password per configuration file, so this option works best for a single user or a group with shared administrative access. To learn more about GPG symmetric encryption, see The GNU Privacy Handbook.