The AWS Handbook: Learn the Ins and Outs of AWS S3 Object Lock | Randomskool | AWS Lecture Series

Welcome to today's class

Today's topic: AWS S3 Object Lock

Professor:

Hello student, today we will be discussing AWS S3 Object Lock.

Student:

Okay, what is AWS S3 Object Lock?

Professor:

AWS S3 Object Lock is a feature that allows you to store objects in a bucket and set a retention period for them. This means that the objects cannot be deleted or overwritten for the specified retention period.

Student:

That sounds useful. Can you give me an example of how this might be used?

Professor:

Sure. AWS S3 Object Lock could be used in cases where you want to store important documents or data that should not be modified or deleted. For example, you may want to store legal documents with a retention period of 7 years to ensure that they are not tampered with.

Student:

Okay, I see how that could be useful. Is there anything else I should know about AWS S3 Object Lock?

Professor:

Yes, there are two types of retention periods you can set with AWS S3 Object Lock: legal hold and retention. Legal hold allows you to prevent the deletion or modification of objects indefinitely, while retention allows you to set a specific time period for retention.

Student:

Got it. Is there anything else I should know about AWS S3 Object Lock?

Professor:

That's about it for the basics. Just remember that AWS S3 Object Lock can be a useful tool for storing important documents or data that should not be modified or deleted, and that you can set either a legal hold or a specific retention period.

Student:

Thanks, Professor. That was very helpful.

Professor:

You're welcome. If you have any further questions, just let me know.

Professor:

AWS S3 Object Lock also allows you to specify a specific version of an object to be locked. This means that you can prevent any changes to a specific version of an object, while still allowing other versions of the same object to be modified.

Student:

That's really useful. Is it possible to change the retention period or legal hold once it has been set?

Professor:

Yes, it is possible to change the retention period or legal hold on an object that has already been locked. However, you will need to use the AWS Management Console, AWS CLI, or the AWS SDK to do so.

Student:

Okay, got it. Is there a way to unlock an object if I need to delete or modify it before the retention period or legal hold expires?

Professor:

Yes, you can use the AWS Management Console, AWS CLI, or the AWS SDK to remove the retention period or legal hold on an object. However, you will need to have the necessary permissions to do so.

Student:

Okay, that makes sense. Is there anything else I should know about AWS S3 Object Lock?

Professor:

One thing to note is that AWS S3 Object Lock is only available for certain types of storage classes, including S3 Standard-Infrequent Access, S3 Standard-IA, S3 One Zone-Infrequent Access, and S3 Glacier.

Student:

Okay, thanks for the information. That's really helpful.

Professor:

You're welcome. If you have any further questions, just let me know.

Professor:

There are a few advanced topics related to AWS S3 Object Lock that you may find useful to know. One is the concept of a "break-in period". This is a configurable window of time during which you can override the retention period or legal hold on an object if you need to make changes to it.

Student:

That's helpful to know. How do I configure a break-in period?

Professor:

To configure a break-in period, you will need to use the AWS Management Console, AWS CLI, or the AWS SDK. You can specify the length of the break-in period in days, and you can also specify whether the break-in period is triggered by a specific event or is always available.

Student:

Okay, thanks for explaining that. Is there anything else I should know about advanced topics related to AWS S3 Object Lock?

Professor:

Another advanced topic is the concept of "governance mode". This allows you to specify whether objects with a retention period or legal hold can be deleted by the object owner, or whether they can only be deleted by someone with the necessary permissions to do so.

Student:

Okay, that makes sense. How do I specify governance mode?

Professor:

To specify governance mode, you will need to use the AWS Management Console, AWS CLI, or the AWS SDK. You can choose between two options: "COMPLIANCE" and "GOVERNANCE". If you choose "COMPLIANCE", objects can only be deleted by someone with the necessary permissions. If you choose "GOVERNANCE", objects can be deleted by the object owner.

Student:

Okay, got it. Thanks for explaining all of this.

Professor:

You're welcome. If you have any further questions, just let me know.

Professor:

One thing to keep in mind when using AWS S3 Object Lock is that you can set a retention period or legal hold on objects at the time of creation, or you can retroactively apply it to existing objects.

Student:

Okay, that's helpful to know. How do I retroactively apply a retention period or legal hold to an existing object?

Professor:

To retroactively apply a retention period or legal hold to an existing object, you will need to use the AWS Management Console, AWS CLI, or the AWS SDK. You can select the object and then choose the "Apply Object Lock" option to set the retention period or legal hold.

Student:

Okay, got it. Is there a way to view the retention period or legal hold on an object?

Professor:

Yes, you can view the retention period or legal hold on an object by using the AWS Management Console, AWS CLI, or the AWS SDK. Simply select the object and look for the "Object Lock" section, which will display the retention period or legal hold status.

Student:

Okay, that makes sense. Is there anything else I should know about AWS S3 Object Lock?

Professor:

One important thing to note is that AWS S3 Object Lock is designed to provide additional protection for objects stored in Amazon S3. However, it is not a replacement for backup or disaster recovery strategies. It is still a good idea to regularly back up your data in case of accidental deletion or other unexpected events.

Student:

Okay, that's good to know. Thanks for the information.

Professor:

You're welcome. If you have any further questions, just let me know.

Professor:

Now that we've covered the basics of AWS S3 Object Lock, let's talk about how you can access and manage it using code or command line tools.

Student:

Okay, that sounds useful. What are some common tools I can use to access AWS S3 Object Lock?

Professor:

One tool you can use is the AWS CLI, which is a command line interface for interacting with AWS services. With the AWS CLI, you can use commands to create, modify, and delete retention periods and legal holds on objects stored in Amazon S3.

Student:

Okay, that sounds helpful. Can you give me an example of how I might use the AWS CLI to set a retention period on an object?

Professor:

Sure. Here is an example command you could use to set a retention period of 7 years on an object stored in a bucket called "my-bucket":

 aws s3api put-object-lock-configuration --bucket my-bucket --object-lock-configuration '{"ObjectLockEnabled":"Enabled","Retention": {"Mode":"COMPLIANCE","Days":2555}}' 

Student:

Okay, thanks for the example. What about using code to access AWS S3 Object Lock?

Professor:

You can also use code to access AWS S3 Object Lock using the AWS SDK, which is a set of libraries for interacting with AWS services from your code. With the AWS SDK, you can use functions to create, modify, and delete retention periods and legal holds on objects stored in Amazon S3.

Student:

Okay, that sounds helpful. Can you give me an example of how I might use the AWS SDK to set a retention period on an object?

Professor:

Sure. Here is an example in Python of how you might use the AWS SDK to set a retention period of 7 years on an object stored in a bucket called "my-bucket":

 import boto3; s3 = boto3.client('s3'); response = s3.put_object_lock_configuration(Bucket='my-bucket', ObjectLockConfiguration={'ObjectLockEnabled': 'Enabled', 'Retention': {'Mode': 'COMPLIANCE', 'Days': 2555}}) 

Professor:

Now that we've covered the basics of AWS S3 Object Lock, let's talk about how you can access and manage it using code or command line tools.

Student:

Okay, that sounds useful. What are some common tools I can use to access AWS S3 Object Lock?

Professor:

One tool you can use is the AWS CLI, which is a command line interface for interacting with AWS services. With the AWS CLI, you can use commands to create, modify, and delete retention periods and legal holds on objects stored in Amazon S3.

Student:

Okay, that sounds helpful. Can you give me an example of how I might use the AWS CLI to set a retention period on an object?

Professor:

Sure. Here is an example command you could use to set a retention period of 7 years on an object stored in a bucket called "my-bucket":

 aws s3api put-object-lock-configuration --bucket my-bucket --object-lock-configuration '{"ObjectLockEnabled":"Enabled","Retention": {"Mode":"COMPLIANCE","Days":2555}}' 

Student:

Okay, thanks for the example. What about using code to access AWS S3 Object Lock?

Professor:

You can also use code to access AWS S3 Object Lock using the AWS SDK, which is a set of libraries for interacting with AWS services from your code. With the AWS SDK, you can use functions to create, modify, and delete retention periods and legal holds on objects stored in Amazon S3.

Student:

Okay, that sounds helpful. Can you give me an example of how I might use the AWS SDK to set a retention period on an object?

Professor:

Sure. Here is an example in Python of how you might use the AWS SDK to set a retention period of 7 years on an object stored in a bucket called "my-bucket":

 import boto3 s3 = boto3.client('s3') response = s3.put_object_lock_configuration( Bucket='my-bucket', ObjectLockConfiguration={ 'ObjectLockEnabled': 'Enabled', 'Retention': { 'Mode': 'COMPLIANCE', 'Days': 2555 } } ) 

Student:

Okay, thanks for the example. That's really helpful.

Professor:

You're welcome. If you have any further questions, just let me know.

Conclusion

Professor:

Alright, it looks like we've covered a lot of information about AWS S3 Object Lock today. To summarize, AWS S3 Object Lock is a feature that allows you to store objects in a bucket and set a retention period for them, which prevents them from being deleted or overwritten for a specified period of time. You can set either a legal hold or a specific retention period, and you can also specify a break-in period and governance mode. You can access and manage AWS S3 Object Lock using tools such as the AWS CLI and AWS SDK. It's important to remember that AWS S3 Object Lock is designed to provide additional protection for objects stored in Amazon S3, but it is not a replacement for backup or disaster recovery strategies. Make sure to regularly back up your data to ensure that you have a copy in case of accidental deletion or other unexpected events. That concludes our discussion on AWS S3 Object Lock. If you have any further questions, feel free to reach out to me. I hope you found this class helpful and that you have a better understanding of how to use AWS S3 Object Lock. Have a great day!

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