This article is for stressing the advantages of using PreSigned URLs compared to direct file uploads on the server side.
What are PreSigned URLs?
PreSigned URLs are temporary URLs generated by AWS services that allow anyone with the URL to perform specific actions on an S3 object (e.g. reading an object) for a limited period.
What is Direct File Upload?
Direct file upload is a process where a file is uploaded directly to S3 using AWS SDK from a server-side application.
Advantages of PreSigned URLs
1. Reduced Server Responsibility
The most significant advantage of using PreSigned URLs is that they offload the server’s responsibility to handle file uploads. This means the client can directly upload a file to S3 without the process of sending the file to the server. The result is reduced load on the server which allows us to use resources for other operations hence overall system performance goes up.
2. Security
PreSigned URLs are secure. They provide temporary access (we can control the expiration time when creating the URL) which means once the URL has expired, it can no longer be used to upload or download content. In the other hand, server-side uploads require long-term access credentials which may potentially be more vulnerable.
3. Network Efficiency
Files can be uploaded directly from the client to S3 with PreSigned URLs. This prevents the need for data to travel from the client to the server and then from the server to S3 effectively reducing the network trip and improving efficiency.
4. Reduced Latency
Since the data is transferred directly from the client to S3, latency is reduced as the data doesn’t need to route through the application server.
Wrapping Up!!
While both PreSigned URLs and direct file uploads via AWS SDK have their use cases, particularly in scenarios where large files are being handled, the advantages of using PreSigned URLs are clear. In can help maintain server performance and enhance network efficiency. Also they offer a secure and convenient way to manage file uploads in your applications.
Tomorrow is Monday, guys. Let’s get some good sleep. We might need it. Cheers! 🍺