Amazon S3: Versatile Online Storage

Amazon S3 (Simple Storage Service) provides online storage organized through a file structure Amazon calls "buckets". Each bucket typically corresponds to a specific client or project. While similar to consumer-oriented services like Dropbox or OneDrive, S3 is tailored for technical users in web and software development.

Amazon CloudFront: Global Content Delivery Network

CloudFront, Amazon's Content Delivery Network (CDN), ensures global delivery of your assets:

• Automatically routes users to the nearest Amazon server
• Optimizes delivery speed for static files
• Implements caching and compression for improved performance

Unlike some CDN services, CloudFront offers greater flexibility:

• Allows selective CDN usage (e.g., specific S3 buckets or server directories)
• Supports Real-Time Media Protocol for streaming audio and video

Improving Development Workflow

Implementing S3 and CloudFront can significantly enhance your development process. Here's how:

Traditional Workflow Challenges

A typical project might involve three environments:

1. Local server (using Vagrant)
2. Staging server (e.g., Digital Ocean)
3. Live production server

Challenges with this setup include:

• Keeping asset files out of version control to maintain a minimal repository size
• Ensuring consistent asset availability across all environments
• Managing asset transfers when developers join the project

The S3 and CloudFront Solution

By hosting user content on Amazon S3 and serving it through CloudFront:

• Assets remain consistent across all environments
• No need to transfer large asset files between servers
• Improved site performance due to CDN benefits

Implementation

For WordPress Users

The "WP Offload Media" plugin (formerly "Offload S3") by Delicious Brains simplifies AWS integration:

WP Offload Media on WordPress.org

For Other CMS or Custom Projects

Implement S3 and CloudFront using available plugins or by integrating the AWS APIs directly:

Amazon CloudFront Documentation