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This section describes the tasks you need to perform before you can use Amazon S3.
![[Tip]](images/tip.png) | Tip |
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If you have already developed applications for another AWS product, you only need to sign up for Amazon S3. For more information, see Signing up for Amazon S3. Otherwise, complete all of the tasks in this section. |
You can use most modern programming languages to implement Amazon S3. In the following table, click the toolkit you want to use. The link takes you to a web site where you can download and install the toolkit.
| Tip |
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If you already have your development environment set up, you can skip this section and go to Creating an AWS Account. |
| Language | API Style | Tools |
|---|---|---|
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REST |
Java compiler and runtime that supports JDK 1.4.2 or later. | |
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REST |
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REST |
Perl 5 with CPAN Digest::SHA1, Bundle::LWP, and XML::Simple modules (go to http://www.perl.org and http://www.cpan.org). | |
|
REST |
The PHP example uses the base installation of PHP5. |
To develop with AWS web services, you must first create an AWS account. An AWS account is an Amazon.com account that enables you to use AWS web services.You can use the login name and password of your Amazon.com account to create your AWS account.
![[Important]](images/important.png) | Important |
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If you have a personal Amazon.com account, you might want to have a separate Amazon.com account reserved for your AWS activity. You could provide a new e-mail address not already in the Amazon.com system, or provide an e-mail address for an existing Amazon.com account you have but use a different password. You can have multiple Amazon.com accounts that use the same e-mail address, but different passwords. |
From your AWS account, you can view your AWS account activity, view usage reports, and manage your AWS account access identifiers.
| Tip |
|---|---|
If you already have an AWS account, you can skip to the next section. For more information, see Viewing Your AWS Identifiers. |
To set up an AWS account
Go to http://aws.amazon.com.
In the Sign Up for AWS box, click Sign up today.
The Sign In page displays.
Enter a valid e-mail address, select the button for No, I am a new customer, and click Continue.
The next page asks for a password and a name that you want to associate with the account. If you have an Amazon.com account, the e-mail address for the account displays as the default login name.
Enter the name and password you want to associate with the account and click Continue.
The Account Info page displays.
Enter your contact information and select how you learned about AWS. Then read the AWS Customer Agreement, select the check box to indicate that you've read and agree to the terms, and click Continue.
The process is complete and you've created your AWS account.
At this point, you have an AWS account, but you're not signed up to use Amazon S3 yet. For instructions, see Signing Up for Amazon S3.
AWS uses special identifiers to help protect your data. In this section, we show you how to view your identifiers so you can use them.
| Tip |
|---|---|
If you already know how to view your AWS security credentials, skip to the next section. For more information, see Signing Up for Amazon S3. |
AWS assigns you the following credentials when you create your AWS account:
Access Key ID (a 20-character, alphanumeric sequence, for example: 022QF06E7MXBSH9DHM02)
You include your Access Key ID in all AWS service requests to identify yourself as the sender of the request.
Secret Access Key (a 40-character sequence, for example: kWcrlUX5JEDGM/LtmEENI/aVmYvHNif5zB+d9+ct)
![[Caution]](images/caution.png) | Caution |
|---|---|
Your Secret Access Key is a shared secret between you and AWS. Keep this ID secret; we use it to bill you for the AWS services you use. Never include the ID in your requests to AWS and never e-mail the ID to anyone even if an inquiry appears to originate from AWS or Amazon.com. No one who legitimately represents Amazon will ever ask you for your Secret Access Key. |
The Access Key ID is not a secret, and anyone could use your Access Key ID in requests to AWS. To provide proof that you truly are the sender of the request, you also include a digital signature calculated using your Secret Access Key. The sample code handles this for you.
Your Access Key ID and Secret Access Key display when you create your AWS account. They are not e-mailed to you. If you need to see them again, you can view them at any time from your AWS account.
To view your AWS security credentials
Go to http://aws.amazon.com/security-credentials.
If you're not logged in, you are asked to. If you are logged in, the Security Credentials page displays.
Click Access Key ID or Secret Access Key to display your IDs.
Before you can use Amazon S3, you must sign up to use the service. Before you can sign up to use the service, you must have an AWS account. For more information, see Creating an AWS Account.
To sign up for Amazon S3
Go to http://aws.amazon.com/s3 and click Sign Up for Amazon S3.
Take one of the following actions depending on whether or not you associated a credit card with your Amazon.com account.
| If you already have a credit card associated with the account: | If you don't have a credit card associated with the account: |
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AWS sends you a confirmation e-mail.
The next section is a tutorial that takes you step-by-step through using Amazon S3 to upload, download, and delete data. The tutorial is written procedurally so you should follow it from beginning to end. After completing the tutorial, you should have a good feel for the major tasks you can complete using Amazon S3.
Alternately, you can skip the tutorial and jump right to the last section that provides links to code samples, application examples, forums, and other resources designed to help you learn Amazon S3. For more information, see Implementing Amazon S3 in a Live Environment.
