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If you’re hosting a static website using Amazon S3, it’s important to understand the best ways to keep your site secure and perform well worldwide. Directly exposing your S3 bucket to the internet can lead to security issues, like unauthorized access and downloads. It also lacks extra security features such as protection against malicious traffic, which CloudFront provides.
For better security and faster performance, it’s recommended to use CloudFront as a Content Delivery Network (CDN) along with your S3 bucket. Setting up CloudFront allows you to serve your website’s content from servers closer to your visitors around the globe, reducing load times and latency. Plus, you can restrict direct access to your S3 bucket by assigning an Origin Access Identity (OAI) or Control (OAC). This way, users can only access your content through CloudFront, keeping your bucket safe from public exposure. If you need temporary access to specific files, using presigned URLs is also a good option.
Another thing to watch out for is your bucket name. Using names that seem to reference copyrighted brands or content may raise red flags. While AWS doesn’t actively police all bucket names, such naming choices could attract unwarranted attention from copyright holders or AWS itself. It’s best to choose neutral, non-infringing names for your buckets to avoid potential issues.
If you come across a public S3 bucket that seems to contain unauthorized or infringing content, you can report it directly to AWS. Contact the AWS Trust & Safety team or use their abuse reporting channels. If copyright infringement is involved, the original rights holder should submit a formal complaint for action.
For all your public hosting needs, setting up your S3 bucket to be private and serving content via CloudFront offers the best mix of security and performance. Proper permissions and configurations are essential, especially for production sites, to protect your data and improve user experience.
Sources for further reading:
– AWS Security Hub documentation on S3 bucket exposure
– AWS re:Post questions about public accessibility
– AWS documentation on hosting static websites without a web server
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