Introduction

In today's fast-paced digital world, the ability to manage and interact with cloud storage efficiently is crucial. Amazon S3, a popular cloud storage service, offers robust solutions for storing and retrieving data. However, navigating through its interface can be cumbersome for non-technical users. This guide will walk you through building a user-friendly AWS S3 File Explorer app in just 30 minutes, using a low-code platform. This app will allow you to view existing files and upload new ones to your S3 bucket seamlessly.

Getting Started

Before diving into the app creation process, ensure you have the following prerequisites:

• An active AWS account with S3 service enabled and at least one bucket containing files.
• An IAM user with programmatic access enabled. You can create one by following the IAM user guide.
• Access to a low-code platform that supports AWS S3 integration.

Building the User Interface

Start by logging into your low-code platform and creating a new application. This platform typically provides a visual app editor with several divisions:

• App Builder: The central area where you design the app's UI.
• Query Editor: Located at the bottom, used for creating data queries.
• Widget Manager: On the right sidebar, offering a variety of widgets to drag and drop into your app.
• Datasource Manager: On the left sidebar, where you manage data connections.

Designing the UI

To construct the UI, drag and drop the following components from the Widget Manager:

• A Container for the header, with a Text widget to title the app as 'AWS S3 File Explorer'.
• A Dropdown widget to list available buckets.
• A Button to trigger the display of files from the selected bucket.
• A Table to show the contents of the selected bucket.
• Another Container with a Text box, File Picker, and a Button for uploading files.

Connecting to AWS S3

With the UI in place, the next step is to connect your app to AWS S3. Navigate to the Datasource Manager and add a new datasource. Select AWS S3 from the available options and provide the necessary credentials:

1. Access Key ID
2. Secret Key
3. Region (refer to the AWS service region guide for details)

Test the connection to ensure it's successful, then save the datasource.

Creating Queries

Queries are essential for interacting with your S3 data. You'll need to create three queries:

1. List Buckets: Fetches all available buckets.
2. List Objects: Retrieves files from the selected bucket.
3. Upload File: Uploads a file to the chosen bucket.

Implementing the Queries

1. List Buckets Query: In the Query Editor, create a new query, select AWS S3, and choose 'List Buckets'. Name it 'getBuckets' and set it to run on page load.

2. List Objects Query: Create another query, select 'List Objects in a Bucket', and use the dropdown value to specify the bucket.

3. Upload File Query: For the final query, select 'Upload Object', and configure it to use the file picker and text box inputs for file path and name.

Integrating Queries with UI Components

Link the 'getBuckets' query to the dropdown widget to populate it with bucket names. Connect the 'List Objects' query to the table to display files from the selected bucket. Finally, associate the 'Upload File' query with the file picker and upload button to enable file uploads.

Deploying Your App

Once your app is ready, deploy it by clicking the 'Deploy' button. This will make your app live, allowing you to manage your AWS S3 files effortlessly.

Conclusion

Building an AWS S3 File Explorer app is a straightforward process with the right tools. By leveraging a low-code platform, you can create a functional app in minutes, enhancing your ability to manage cloud storage efficiently. For those seeking a more advanced solution, Probz.ai offers an AI-powered platform that empowers non-technical teams to build and deploy custom internal tools like CRM, ERP, and AI-driven automation solutions seamlessly. With Probz.ai, you can harness the power of AI to streamline your workflows without any technical expertise.