Object Storage
Introduction
Object Storage gives you S3 compatible object storage directly in the console. It uses the standard S3 API, so any existing S3 client (AWS CLI, rclone, Boto3, Cyberduck, and more) works with Hippius without modification.
From this page you can create and manage buckets, upload and download objects, and generate credentials for your S3 clients.
Reach Object Storage from the sidebar at
For a full reference of supported S3 API operations, see S3 Compatibility. First upload: Object Storage Quickstart. Sharing and ACLs: Advanced Usage.
Master Tokens
Before you can create buckets or connect any S3 client, you need a master token. This is your top level S3 credential. It has access to every bucket and every operation on your account.
The first time you open the Object Storage page, you'll be prompted to create one.
Creating a Master Token
- Click + Create Master Token in the page header (or click the prompt in the empty buckets table).
- Enter a Token Name to help you identify it later (e.g. "Production Token").
- Pick an expiry: 7 days, 30 days, 1 year, or a custom date.
- Click Create Master Token.
- The dialog shows your new access key and secret key. Copy both now using the copy buttons.
- Click Done to close.
Once you close this dialog, the secret key is gone forever. If you lose it, you'll need to revoke the token and create a new one. The access key remains visible, but the secret is never shown again.
Managing Master Tokens
Click Manage in the toolbar above your bucket list to open Token Management, then pick the Master Tokens tab. From there you can:
- See all your master tokens with their access keys, creation dates, and expiry dates.
- Rotate a token: a new secret is issued and the old one stops working.
- Revoke a token immediately. Any client using it will start getting auth errors right away.
- Create additional master tokens with + New Master Token.
Sub Tokens
A sub token is a scoped credential derived from a master token. Use sub tokens to share access without handing out your master credentials.
| Why use sub tokens | Example |
|---|---|
| Per bucket access | A backup script that only needs one specific bucket. |
| Read only | A CDN that should never be able to delete or overwrite. |
| Time limited | A vendor access that expires after one week. |
| Easy revocation | Revoke a sub token without touching the master. |
Creating a Sub Token
- Click Manage in the toolbar above your bucket list to open Token Management, and stay on the Sub Tokens tab.
- Click + New Token.
- Enter a Token Name: a label so you remember what this token is for (e.g. "Production backups").
- Choose Permissions: Object Read Only or Object Read & Write.
- Pick the Bucket scope: Apply to all buckets on this account, or specific buckets. Apply to all buckets covers the buckets you have now, not buckets you create later: edit the token to add them.
- Set Activate After (Immediately, 1 day, 7 days, 30 days, or Custom) and Token Lifespan (Forever, 7 days, 30 days, 1 year, or Custom).
- Click Create Sub Token.
- Copy the access key and secret key before closing the dialog.
Managing Sub Tokens
Each sub token row shows its name, the buckets it applies to, its permission, its creation date and its status. The access key and secret key are shown once, in Token Details, when you create or rotate the token. The action menu on each active row lets you:
- Rotate: issue a new secret for the same token. The old secret stops working.
- Revoke: invalidate the sub token immediately.
The secret key is never shown again after creation.
Buckets
Creating a Bucket
- With an active master token, click + Create Bucket in the page header.
- Enter a bucket name. Names can use lowercase letters, numbers, dashes and dots, between 3 and 63 characters. They must start and end with a letter or number, and can't contain two dots in a row or a dot next to a dash.
- Click Create Bucket.
The new bucket appears at the top of the list. Click its row to open it.
Bucket Actions
Each bucket row has an action menu (three dots):
- Browse Files: open the bucket. Same as clicking the row.
- Copy URL: greyed out, marked Coming Soon.
- Delete Bucket: permanently delete the bucket. The bucket must be empty first. The dialog will block you if it still contains objects.
Inside a Bucket
Clicking a bucket opens the bucket browser, where you can manage all its objects.
Folders
S3 buckets are flat by design. There are no real folders, only object keys that contain slashes. The console presents these as folders for a familiar browsing experience.
To create a folder:
- Click Add Folder in the bucket toolbar.
- Enter the folder name. It's created relative to your current location in the breadcrumb.
- Click Create Folder.
A zero byte placeholder object appears immediately. It's automatically removed when you upload a real object into the folder.
Uploading Objects
Click + Upload Object to open the upload dialog. The destination is always the folder shown in the current breadcrumb. Navigate to the right folder first, then upload.
Each file must be under 100 MB. For larger files, use an S3 client with multipart upload support. See Connecting an S3 Client below.
Each object keeps the file's type (Content-Type), or one guessed from its extension. Characters other than letters, digits, ., _, / and - in a file name become _ in the object key.
Browsing and Previewing Objects
Click any object to preview it. Images, videos, PDFs, Word documents (DOCX), spreadsheets (XLSX, CSV), presentations (PPTX), Markdown, HTML, plain text, and JSON files open inline in the browser, using the same viewer as Drive. For all other file types, use the action menu to download the file instead.
Use the search box to filter objects by name in the current folder. Click the refresh icon to reload the listing after another client has added objects in the background.
Object Actions
Each object has an action menu (three dots):
- Download: save the object to your device.
- Share via Link: create a presigned link for a private object, or copy the permanent URL of a public one.
- View on Hipstats: open the object's file tracker page on hipstats.com, once it has an Arion hash.
- Object Details: open the details panel (file name, file type, date, size, Arion hash).
- Delete Object: permanently delete the object.
Selecting and Deleting Multiple Objects
Tick row checkboxes (or the header checkbox to select all on the page) to enter selection mode. The Selection Action Bar at the bottom lets you bulk delete or bulk download the selected objects.
Connecting an S3 Client
Once you have a master or sub token, configure any S3 compatible client with these settings:
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| Endpoint | https://s3.hippius.com (see Getting Started). |
| Region | decentralized. |
| Access key | From your master or sub token. |
| Secret key | The secret you copied at creation time. |
| Path style addressing | Required. Hippius does not support virtual hosted style URLs. |
Setup guides for specific clients:
Paying for Object Storage
Object Storage starts on pay as you go: you pay $6 per TB per month for what you store, charged hourly from your account balance, with no cap.
If you store a lot, a monthly Object Storage plan covers a block of storage for a flat price and is cheaper per TB: Pro (10 TB, $53 a month), Business (50 TB, $245) and Enterprise (100 TB, $465). Click Upgrade at the top of the Object Storage page to compare them. Only the account owner can change the plan. Storage above the plan is billed hourly at the plan's own rate, up to a storage limit you set. At that limit, writes pause and reads keep working.
If your balance runs out on pay as you go, Object Storage turns read only after 7 days, suspended 7 days later, and the data may be deleted after 37 days of unpaid storage, with a final notice a week before. Any top up that covers your usage lifts it. See Billing → Object Storage plans and pay as you go.
Limits
| Limit | Value |
|---|---|
| Max single object upload via console | 100 MB |
| Max bucket name length | 63 characters |
| Bucket name characters | Lowercase letters, numbers, dashes, dots |
Where to next
- Console Uploads: full upload flow reference.
- Object Storage Quickstart: set up the most common S3 clients.
- Advanced Usage: presigned URLs, ACLs, public buckets, sub-tokens.
- Object Storage Troubleshooting: common client errors and fixes.
- Drive: end to end encrypted personal storage.