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🧐 Why S3 Presigner

To get the answer why you should use @s3-presigner/* library you should ask "Why should I use presigned URL to upload files to Amazon S3 / Any other cloud storage?" because the library use the same machanism to handle your file uplaod

Why should I use presigned URL to upload files to Amazon S3 / Any other cloud storage?

I could have written the answer but curiously I asked the same question to Chat GPT and the answer could not satisfy me more...

Straight from ChatGPT 👇

When uploading a file directly from the browser to a Node.js server, there are several challenges and limitations that make it less suitable compared to using a pre-signed URL. Here are a few reasons:

  1. Security: Uploading files directly from the browser to the server exposes your server to potential security risks. If you allow users to upload files directly, it means that the user's browser has direct access to your server's file system. Malicious users could abuse this access to upload harmful files or even execute arbitrary code on your server.

  2. Bandwidth and Server Load: When users upload files directly to your server, each file upload consumes server bandwidth and resources. If you have many users uploading large files simultaneously, it can put a significant load on your server and impact its performance.

  3. Scalability: Handling file uploads directly in your Node.js server requires resources and processing power. As your application grows and the number of file uploads increases, it becomes challenging to scale your server efficiently. You might need to add additional servers or resources to handle the load, which adds complexity and cost.

  4. Network Latency: If users are located far from your server, uploading large files can be slow due to network latency. The user needs to wait for the file to be uploaded entirely before the request completes, potentially leading to a poor user experience.

Using a pre-signed URL overcomes these challenges by employing a different approach:

  1. Security: With a pre-signed URL, you generate a temporary URL with limited access and specific permissions for a particular user to upload a file directly to a cloud storage service (e.g., AWS S3, Google Cloud Storage). The user's browser communicates directly with the storage service, ensuring the security of your Node.js server.

  2. Bandwidth and Server Load: Since the file upload occurs directly between the user's browser and the storage service, it does not consume your server's bandwidth or resources. The storage service handles the upload process, offloading the work from your server.

  3. Scalability: Cloud storage services are designed to handle large-scale file storage and retrieval efficiently. They can automatically scale to accommodate increasing demands without requiring manual intervention or additional server setup.

  4. Network Latency: Cloud storage services have multiple data centers worldwide, allowing users to upload files to the closest geographical location. This reduces network latency and provides a faster and more responsive file upload experience.

Overall, using a pre-signed URL for file uploads provides a more secure, scalable, and efficient solution, offloading the heavy lifting to specialized cloud storage services and improving the overall performance of your application.