S3 Providers

Lombok works with any S3-compatible storage provider, giving you flexibility to choose based on your needs - cost, performance, data sovereignty, or existing infrastructure. All providers are fully supported with identical functionality.

Quick Comparison

Provider	Storage Cost	Egress Cost	Best For
AWS S3	$0.023/GB/mo	$0.09/GB	Enterprise, full ecosystem integration
Cloudflare R2	$0.015/GB/mo	Free	Frequent access, global delivery
Backblaze B2	$0.006/GB/mo	$0.01/GB (free first 3x storage)	Cost-effective storage, archival
DigitalOcean Spaces	$5/mo (250GB)	$0.01/GB (free first 1TB)	Simple pricing, existing DO infrastructure
MinIO	Free (self-hosted)	N/A	On-premises control, data sovereignty

Prices as of 2026-02-17. See provider websites for current rates and detailed pricing tiers.

AWS S3

Amazon S3 is the original object storage service and the standard that other providers emulate. It offers the most complete feature set and deepest integration with the AWS ecosystem.

When to choose AWS S3:

• You need the most comprehensive feature set (versioning, lifecycle policies, replication)
• You’re already using AWS infrastructure
• Enterprise compliance and certifications are required
• You need extensive third-party tool support

Configuration notes:

• Requires region (e.g., us-east-1, eu-west-1)
• No endpoint URL needed (Lombok uses AWS defaults)
• Create IAM user with S3 bucket permissions for access keys

Learn more: AWS S3 Pricing | AWS S3 Documentation

Cloudflare R2

Cloudflare R2 offers zero egress fees and global edge distribution, making it ideal for applications with high read traffic or global user bases. Storage is distributed across Cloudflare’s network automatically.

When to choose Cloudflare R2:

• You have high egress costs with current provider
• You need global CDN-like performance
• Your data is frequently accessed or downloaded
• You want predictable pricing without egress surprises

Configuration notes:

• Region is typically auto (Cloudflare handles global distribution)
• Requires endpoint URL: https://[ACCOUNT_ID].r2.cloudflarestorage.com
• Find your account ID in Cloudflare dashboard under R2 settings
• Generate R2 API tokens for access credentials

Learn more: Cloudflare R2 Pricing | R2 Documentation

Backblaze B2

Backblaze B2 provides the lowest storage costs among major providers, with reasonable egress pricing that includes free egress for the first 3x your storage amount. Great for large storage needs or archival use cases.

When to choose Backblaze B2:

• Storage cost is your primary concern
• You’re storing large amounts of data (backups, archives, media)
• Your egress needs are moderate (free first 3x storage)
• You want simple, transparent pricing

Configuration notes:

• Requires S3-compatible endpoint URL from your B2 account
• Format: s3.us-west-002.backblazeb2.com (region varies)
• Create application keys in B2 dashboard for credentials
• S3-compatible API is the recommended method

Learn more: Backblaze B2 Pricing | B2 S3 Documentation

DigitalOcean Spaces

DigitalOcean Spaces offers straightforward pricing with a $5/month base that includes 250GB storage and 1TB outbound transfer. Ideal if you’re already using DigitalOcean infrastructure or want simple, predictable pricing.

When to choose DigitalOcean Spaces:

• You’re already using DigitalOcean Droplets or Kubernetes
• You prefer flat-rate pricing over per-GB calculations
• Your storage needs fit within the included limits
• You want a simple, no-surprises pricing model

Configuration notes:

• Requires region-specific endpoint URL
• Format: https://[REGION].digitaloceanspaces.com (e.g., nyc3, sfo3, ams3)
• Generate Spaces access keys in DigitalOcean control panel
• Region must match where you created the Space

Learn more: DigitalOcean Spaces Pricing | Spaces Documentation

MinIO

MinIO is an open-source, self-hosted object storage server that implements the S3 API. It gives you complete control over your storage infrastructure and eliminates cloud dependency.

When to choose MinIO:

• You need complete data sovereignty and on-premises control
• You want to avoid all cloud provider fees
• You have existing server infrastructure
• Regulatory requirements prevent cloud storage
• You need development/testing environments that match production S3 behavior

Configuration notes:

• Requires your self-hosted endpoint URL (e.g., https://minio.yourcompany.com)
• You configure access credentials during MinIO setup
• Can run on single server or distributed cluster
• Region can be any value you configure (often us-east-1 for compatibility)

Learn more: MinIO Website | MinIO Documentation

Comparing Providers by Use Case

High-Traffic Applications

Best choice: Cloudflare R2 Zero egress fees mean predictable costs even with millions of downloads.

Cost-Sensitive Storage

Best choice: Backblaze B2 Lowest storage costs make it ideal for large data sets. Free egress up to 3x storage helps with moderate traffic.

Enterprise Requirements

Best choice: AWS S3 Most comprehensive compliance certifications, features, and third-party integrations.

Existing Infrastructure Integration

Best choice: Provider matching your infrastructure Use DigitalOcean Spaces if on DO, AWS S3 if on AWS, MinIO if self-hosting.

Development & Testing

Best choice: MinIO or AWS S3 MinIO for local testing without cloud costs. AWS S3 for production-like environment.

Data Sovereignty

Best choice: MinIO Complete control over data location and infrastructure.

Next Steps

• Configure storage - Return to Storage Overview to set up your first storage provision
• Deploy Lombok - If you haven’t deployed yet, see the Standalone Deployment guide
• Understand concepts - Learn how storage provisions connect to folders in Core Concepts

Note

All providers work identically from Lombok’s perspective. Choose based on your infrastructure, budget, and compliance needs - you can always add additional provisions later to use multiple providers simultaneously.