Disciple.Tools User Documentation

S3 Storage Setup Guide

This guide provides step-by-step instructions for setting up S3-compatible storage with your Disciple.Tools instance. Each provider has specific requirements and configuration steps.

Prerequisites

Before setting up S3 storage, ensure you have:

• Administrator access to your Disciple.Tools instance
• An account with your chosen S3 provider
• Basic understanding of cloud storage concepts

General Setup Process

The general process for setting up any S3 provider follows these steps:

1. Create an S3 bucket with your provider
2. Generate access credentials (Access Key and Secret Key)
3. Configure bucket permissions for Disciple.Tools access
4. Enter credentials in Disciple.Tools storage settings
5. Test the connection to verify everything works

Provider-Specific Setup

AWS S3 Setup

AWS S3 is the most popular cloud storage service. Follow these steps to set up AWS S3 with Disciple.Tools:

Step 1: Create an S3 Bucket

1. Log in to your AWS Management Console
2. Navigate to the S3 service
3. Click Create bucket
4. Choose a unique bucket name (must be globally unique)
5. Select your preferred region
6. Configure bucket settings:
   • Block Public Access: Keep all settings enabled for security
   • Bucket Versioning: Optional, but recommended
   • Server-side encryption: Enable for additional security

Step 2: Create IAM User and Access Keys

1. Navigate to the IAM service in AWS Console
2. Click Users → Create user
3. Enter a username (e.g., “disciple-tools-storage”)
4. Select Programmatic access only
5. Attach the following policy (create custom policy if needed). Make sure to replace your-bucket-name with your actual bucket name:

{
    "Version": "2012-10-17",
    "Statement": [
        {
            "Effect": "Allow",
            "Action": [
                "s3:GetObject",
                "s3:PutObject",
                "s3:DeleteObject",
                "s3:ListBucket"
            ],
            "Resource": [
                "arn:aws:s3:::your-bucket-name",
                "arn:aws:s3:::your-bucket-name/*"
            ]
        }
    ]
}

1. Save the Access Key ID and Secret Access Key

Step 3: Configure Disciple.Tools

1. In Disciple.Tools, go to Settings (D.T) → Storage
2. Enable the storage connection
3. Select AWS S3 as provider
4. Enter your credentials:
   • Access Key: Your AWS Access Key ID
   • Secret: Your AWS Secret Access Key
   • Region: Your bucket’s AWS region (e.g., us-east-1)
   • Bucket: Your S3 bucket name
   • Endpoint: Leave blank for AWS S3
   • Path-style endpoint: Leave disabled

MinIO Setup

MinIO is a popular self-hosted S3-compatible storage solution. Here’s how to set it up:

Step 1: Install and Configure MinIO

1. Install MinIO on your server following the official documentation
2. Create a bucket using the MinIO console or command line
3. Set up access credentials through MinIO’s user management

Step 2: Configure MinIO Bucket

1. Access your MinIO console (usually at http://your-server:9001)
2. Create a new bucket for Disciple.Tools
3. Configure bucket policies for read/write access
4. Create access keys for the bucket

Step 3: Configure Disciple.Tools

1. In Disciple.Tools, go to Settings (D.T) → Storage
2. Enable the storage connection
3. Select MinIO as provider
4. Enter your credentials:
   • Access Key: Your MinIO access key
   • Secret: Your MinIO secret key
   • Region: Use us-east-1 (MinIO default)
   • Bucket: Your MinIO bucket name
   • Endpoint: Your MinIO server URL (e.g., http://your-server:9000)
   • Path-style endpoint: Enable this for MinIO

Backblaze B2 Setup

Backblaze B2 offers cost-effective cloud storage with S3-compatible API. Here’s the setup process:

Step 1: Create B2 Account and Bucket

1. Sign up for a Backblaze B2 account
2. Create a new bucket in the B2 console
3. Choose a unique bucket name
4. set the bucket type to private
5. Encryption can be enabled for additional security
6. Note your bucket name. Ex : my-disciple-tools-bucket
7. Note your Endpoint. Ex : s3.us-west-000.backblazeb2.com
8. Note your Region. Ex : us-west-000. (you get this from the endpoint, it’s the part after s3. and before .backblazeb2.com)

Step 2: Generate Application Keys

1. In the B2 console, go to Application Keys
2. Click Add a New Application Key
3. Configure the key:
   • Key Name: “Disciple.Tools Storage”
   • Allow access to Bucket(s): Select your bucket
   • Type of Access: Read and Write
4. Save the Key ID and Application Key

Step 3: Configure Disciple.Tools

1. In Disciple.Tools, go to Settings (D.T) → Storage
2. Enable the storage connection
3. Select Backblaze B2 as provider
4. Enter your credentials:
   • Access Key: Your B2 Key ID
   • Secret: Your B2 Application Key
   • Region: Your B2 region (e.g., us-west-000)
   • Bucket: Your B2 bucket name
   • Endpoint: https://s3.us-west-000.backblazeb2.com (adjust region)
   • Path-style endpoint: Leave disabled

Cloudflare R2 Setup

Cloudflare R2 offers zero egress fees and S3-compatible storage. Here’s how to set it up:

Step 1: Create R2 Bucket

1. Log in to your Cloudflare dashboard
2. Navigate to R2 Object Storage
3. Click Create bucket
4. Enter a bucket name. You can let Cloudflare auto set the location.
5. Under Settings, copy the S3 API endpoint for your account. It will look like https://your-account-id.r2.cloudflarestorage.com

Step 2: Generate API Token

1. Click R2 Object Storage section and then Manage R2 API tokens
2. Click Create Account API token
3. Configure the token:
   • Token name: “Disciple.Tools Storage”
   • Permissions: Object Read & Write
   • Bucket: Select “Apply to specific buckets only” and then select your bucket
4. Save the Access Key ID and Secret Access Key

Step 3: Configure Disciple.Tools

1. In Disciple.Tools, go to Settings (D.T) → Storage
2. Enable the storage connection
3. Select Cloudflare R2 as provider
4. Enter your credentials:
   • Access Key: Your R2 Access Key ID
   • Secret: Your R2 Secret Access Key
   • Region: auto (Cloudflare R2 default)
   • Bucket: Your R2 bucket name
   • Endpoint: https://your-account-id.r2.cloudflarestorage.com (make sure not to include /bucket-name)
   • Path-style endpoint: Leave disabled for R2

Testing Your Setup

After configuring any provider, always test your connection:

1. Click the Test Connection button in Disciple.Tools storage settings
2. Wait for the test to complete
3. Check for any error messages
4. If successful, you’ll see a confirmation message

Troubleshooting Setup Issues

Common setup issues and solutions:

Connection Timeout

• Check your endpoint URL
• Verify network connectivity
• Ensure firewall allows outbound HTTPS connections

Access Denied Errors

• Verify your access keys are correct
• Check bucket permissions
• Ensure the bucket exists and is accessible

Invalid Region Errors

• Use the correct region format for your provider
• For some providers, use auto or us-east-1 as default

For more detailed troubleshooting, see the Storage Troubleshooting Guide.

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Next Steps

• Learn about user file upload features →
• Troubleshoot common issues →
• Return to main storage documentation →