Set up Amazon S3 Storage

Amazon S3 Storage

Note: the current SL Migrations build does not include Amazon S3 or other cloud storage (those SDKs were removed from this build); only Local and FTP/SFTP are available. This article is kept for reference and does not apply to the current build.

1. Create an S3 bucket

1. Sign in to the AWS Console → S3
2. Click Create bucket
3. Bucket name: a globally unique name (for example sl-migrations-backup-yourname)
4. Region: choose the region closest to your WordPress server
5. Block all public access: LEAVE IT ON (do not disable it)
6. Versioning: Disabled (saves storage)
7. Create

2. Create an IAM user

1. AWS Console → IAM → Users → Add users
2. Name: sl-migrations-backup
3. Access type: Programmatic access
4. Permissions → Attach policies directly → Create policy (see IAM Policy Setup)
5. Save the Access Key ID and Secret Access Key

3. Add the storage in the plugin

SL Migrations → Storage → Add New → Amazon S3:

Field	Value
Storage Name	A display name, for example "S3 Backup"
Access Key	From IAM, step 2
Secret Key	From IAM, step 2
Bucket	The bucket name
Region	The bucket's region
Storage Folder	backups/ (optional)

Click Test Connection → you should see success.

Save.

4. Configure the storage for a package

Packages → Create New → Storage → tick "S3 Backup".

The plugin will:

1. Build the archive locally
2. Upload it to S3 once the build finishes
3. (Optional) Delete the local copy after a successful upload

5. Restore from S3

Packages → Import → From Storage → choose S3 → list the archives → pick an archive → Import.

Or download it locally first through the AWS Console or the AWS CLI:

aws s3 cp s3://your-bucket/backups/archive.daf .

Retention policy

The plugin can delete old backups automatically:

Storage → Edit S3 → Max Packages: the number of backups to keep in S3. When the limit is exceeded, the plugin deletes the oldest backup.

Lifecycle rule on S3 (recommended)

Set up a lifecycle rule on the bucket to move old backups to Glacier automatically (cheaper):

{
  "Rules": [{
    "Id": "Move to Glacier after 30 days",
    "Status": "Enabled",
    "Filter": { "Prefix": "backups/" },
    "Transitions": [{
      "Days": 30,
      "StorageClass": "GLACIER"
    }]
  }]
}

See also

• IAM Policy