Uploading files is a fundamental requirement for modern web apps. Whether it's profile pictures, assets, or media, AWS S3 provides the industry standard for durability and scale. In this guide, we'll implement a secure integration using the latest AWS SDK v3.

01 Prerequisites

Requirement

Active AWS Account & S3 Bucket

Runtime

Node.js 18+ (LTS Recommended)

02 Installation

Install only what you need to keep your bundle optimized:

# Install AWS S3 SDK v3
npm install @aws-sdk/client-s3

03 Configuration

⚠️

Security First: Always use .env files. Never commit your AWS Secret Keys to GitHub!

const { S3Client, PutObjectCommand } = require("@aws-sdk/client-s3");

// Initialize the S3 Client
const s3Client = new S3Client({
  region: process.env.AWS_REGION,
  credentials: {
    accessKeyId: process.env.AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID,
    secretAccessKey: process.env.AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY,
  },
});

04 Upload Handler

const uploadToS3 = async (fileBuffer, fileName, contentType) => {
  const params = {
    Bucket: process.env.AWS_BUCKET_NAME,
    Key: `uploads/${Date.now()}-${fileName}`,
    Body: fileBuffer,
    ContentType: contentType,
  };

  try {
    const data = await s3Client.send(new PutObjectCommand(params));
    console.log("Success", data);
    return data;
  } catch (err) {
    console.error("Upload failed", err);
  }
};

Conclusion

By using S3 with Node.js, you've unlocked scalable and reliable storage. Focus on your application logic while AWS handles the infrastructure.