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Setting up object lock

Reviewed on 04 July 2024 • Published on 27 May 2021

The object lock feature allows users to lock objects and prevent them from being deleted or overwritten. Objects can be put on lock for a specific amount of time or indefinitely. The lock period is defined by the user.

The feature uses a write-once-read-many (WORM) data protection model. This model is generally used in cases where data must not be altered once it has been written. It provides regulatory compliance and protection against ransomware, and malicious or accidental deletion of objects.

Setting object lock can only be achieved upon the creation of a bucket. In addition, versioning is automatically enabled on the bucket and cannot be disabled. You must enable object lock if you wish to write a lock configuration. You can use the PutObjectLockConfiguration request with the object lock flag set.

Note

Object Lock can be used with Standard, One Zone - IA (fr-par) and Glacier storage classes.

Before you start

To complete the actions presented below, you must have:

Owner status or IAM permissions allowing you to perform actions in the intended Organization
Installed the AWS CLI
An Object Storage bucket

How to configure bucket lock

The lock Configuration enables you to set a lock configuration on a specified bucket. Once set, the rule specified in the object lock configuration is applied by default to every new object placed in the specified bucket.

XML lock configuration tokens

ObjectLockConfiguration

Description: Root level tag for the ObjectLockConfiguration parameters.
Required: Yes

ObjectLockEnabled

Description: Indicates whether this bucket has an object lock configuration enabled.
Type: String
Valid Values: Enabled
Required: Yes

Rule

Description: The object lock rule in place for the specified object.
Type: ObjectLockRule data type
Required: No

Mode

Description: The default object lock retention mode you want to apply to new objects placed in the specified bucket.
Type: String
Valid Values: GOVERNANCE or COMPLIANCE

Days

Description: The number of days that you want to specify for the default retention period.
Type: Integer

Years

Description: The number of years that you want to specify for the default retention period.
Type: Integer

PUT Bucket

This operation creates a new bucket with object lock. The /lockedbucket header is added to the standard PutBucket operation.

Note

If the operation is successful, no output will be returned.

Sample Request

PUT /lockedbucket HTTP/1.1
x-amz-bucket-object-lock-enabled: True

PUT Object lock Configuration

This operation applies the lock configuration on a bucket.

Note

If the operation is successful, no output will be returned.

Sample Request

PUT /lockedbucket?object-lock HTTP/1.1
<ObjectLockConfiguration xmlns="http://s3.amazonaws.com/doc/2006-03-01/">
    <ObjectLockEnabled>Enabled</ObjectLockEnabled>
    <Rule>
        <DefaultRetention>
            <Mode>COMPLIANCE</Mode>
            <Days>1000</Days>
        </DefaultRetention>
    </Rule>
</ObjectLockConfiguration>

Sample Request

PUT /lockedbucket?object-lock HTTP/1.1
<ObjectLockConfiguration xmlns="http://s3.amazonaws.com/doc/2006-03-01/">
    <ObjectLockEnabled>Enabled</ObjectLockEnabled>
    <Rule>
        <DefaultRetention>
            <Mode>GOVERNANCE</Mode>
            <Years>30</Years>
        </DefaultRetention>
    </Rule>
</ObjectLockConfiguration>

Sample Request

PUT /lockedbucket?object-lock HTTP/1.1
<ObjectLockConfiguration xmlns="http://s3.amazonaws.com/doc/2006-03-01/">
    <ObjectLockEnabled>Enabled</ObjectLockEnabled>
</ObjectLockConfiguration>

GET Object lock Configuration

This operation returns the lock configuration.

Sample Request

GET /lockedbucket?object-lock HTTP/1.1

Sample Response

<ObjectLockConfiguration xmlns="http://s3.amazonaws.com/doc/2006-03-01/">
    <ObjectLockEnabled>Enabled</ObjectLockEnabled>
    <Rule>
        <DefaultRetention>
            <Mode>COMPLIANCE</Mode>
            <Days>1000</Days>
        </DefaultRetention>
    </Rule>
</ObjectLockConfiguration>

Sample Request

GET /lockedbucket?object-lock HTTP/1.1

Sample Response

<ObjectLockConfiguration xmlns="http://s3.amazonaws.com/doc/2006-03-01/">
    <ObjectLockEnabled>Enabled</ObjectLockEnabled>
    <Rule>
        <DefaultRetention>
            <Mode>GOVERNANCE</Mode>
            <Years>30</Years>
        </DefaultRetention>
    </Rule>
</ObjectLockConfiguration>

Sample Request

GET /lockedbucket?object-lock HTTP/1.1

Sample Response

<ObjectLockConfiguration xmlns="http://s3.amazonaws.com/doc/2006-03-01/">
    <ObjectLockEnabled>Enabled</ObjectLockEnabled>
</ObjectLockConfiguration>

AWS-CLI Object lock configuration

To use object lock, you have to create a bucket that supports the feature.

You can create a bucket with the --object-lock-enabled-for-bucket flag, which enables object lock but does not activate it by default. If a bucket is created without --object-lock-enabled-for-bucket, the flag cannot be added later.

Important

The following command does not apply object lock to the bucket’s objects. Object lock has to be activated with a different command.

aws s3api create-bucket --object-lock-enabled-for-bucket --bucket test-is-lock

By default, object lock is not activated on buckets. To activate it, you can run the following command:

Note

In the example below, the object-lock-configuration is set to 50 days on the specified bucket.

aws s3api put-object-lock-configuration \
    --bucket my-bucket-with-object-lock \
    --object-lock-configuration '{ "ObjectLockEnabled": "Enabled", "Rule": { "DefaultRetention": { "Mode": "COMPLIANCE", "Days": 50 }}}'

To view the object lock configuration of a bucket, run the following command:

aws s3api get-object-lock-configuration
      --bucket test-is-lock

An output similar to the following displays:

{
    "ObjectLockConfiguration": {
        "ObjectLockEnabled": "Enabled",
        "Rule": {
            "DefaultRetention": {
                "Mode": "COMPLIANCE",
                "Days": 50
            }
        }
    }
}

How to configure object retention

Object retention is a feature that guarantees your object is WORM-protected and cannot be overwritten or deleted.

Object lock provides two modes to manage object retention: Compliance and Governance. It allows retention settings on individual objects in addition to default retention settings for all objects within a bucket.

Retention Modes

Compliance

When this mode is set, an object version cannot be overwritten or deleted by any user. If the Compliance mode is configured for an object, then its retention mode cannot be changed, and its retention period cannot be shortened. In other words, it ensures that an object version cannot be overwritten or deleted for the duration of the retention period.

Note

When the compliance mode is enabled, it is only possible to overwrite it or delete an object once the object lock expires or upon deleting your Scaleway account.

Governance

When this mode is set, all users with permission can alter lock settings.

Note

The Governance mode ensures extra protection before any alterations can be completed. An object can be permanently deleted only if:

A retention rule is applied, the governance retention date must be anterior to the present time
The object does not have a legal hold in place. If it does, the legal hold status token must be set to OFF before deletion. When the above criteria are met, you will be able to use delete-object --version-id to permanently delete an object.

Retention Periods

A retention period specifies a fixed period during which an object remains locked.

XML retention configuration token

Mode

Description: Indicates the retention mode for the specified object.
Type: String
Valid Values: GOVERNANCE or COMPLIANCE
Required: Yes

RetainUntilDate

Description: The date on which this object lock retention will expire.
Type: Timestamp (iso format)
Required: Yes

Put Object retention

Places an object retention configuration on an object.

Note

If the operation is successful, no output will be returned.

Sample Request

PUT /lockedbucked/myobject?retention HTTP/1.1
X-Amz-Date: 20201028T052225Z
X-Amz-Content-SHA256: c6998888096fe13a5d84de6db902e3b3c0b623565cd5f2be70330d6ed40dca91
Authorization: XXX
Content-Length: 149
<Retention xmlns="http://s3.amazonaws.com/doc/2006-03-01/">
    <Mode>COMPLIANCE</Mode>
    <RetainUntilDate>2021-01-01T21:42:42Z</RetainUntilDate>
</Retention>

Sample Request

PUT /lockedbucked/myobject?retention HTTP/1.1
X-Amz-Date: 20201028T052346Z
X-Amz-Content-SHA256: 470bfbbffadc821f4b4a398154e9c300d741093205ddbdb25514351b64d64b31
Authorization: XXX
Content-Length: 149
<Retention xmlns="http://s3.amazonaws.com/doc/2006-03-01/">
    <Mode>GOVERNANCE</Mode>
    <RetainUntilDate>2025-12-12T00:00:00Z</RetainUntilDate>
</Retention>

GET Object retention

This operation returns the object retention settings.

Sample Request

GET /lockedbucket/myobject?retention HTTP/1.1

Sample Response

<Retention xmlns="http://s3.amazonaws.com/doc/2006-03-01/">
    <Mode>COMPLIANCE</Mode>
    <RetainUntilDate>2021-01-01T21:42:42Z</RetainUntilDate>
</Retention>

Sample Request

GET /lockedbucket/myobject?retention HTTP/1.1

Sample Response

<Retention xmlns="http://s3.amazonaws.com/doc/2006-03-01/">
    <Mode>GOVERNANCE</Mode>
    <RetainUntilDate>2025-12-12T00:00:00Z</RetainUntilDate>
</Retention>

AWS-CLI Object retention

aws s3api put-object-retention \
       --bucket test-is-lock \
       --key go \
       --retention '{ "Mode": "COMPLIANCE", "RetainUntilDate":
"2021-01-01T21:42:42Z" }'
aws s3api get-object-retention
       --bucket test-is-lock
       --key ohno
{
    "Retention": {
        "Mode": "COMPLIANCE",
        "RetainUntilDate": "2050-09-21T18:52:27Z"
    }
}

How to manage object legal hold

Legal hold is an ON/OFF switch that can be applied to every object in a locked bucket, independently of the lock configuration, the object retention or the object age. It can be applied to objects which are locked.

A legal hold provides the same protection as a retention period, but it has no expiration date. Instead, a legal hold remains in place until you explicitly remove it.

XML legal hold configuration token

Status:

Description: Indicates whether the specified object has a legal hold in place.
Type: String
Valid Values: ON or OFF
Required: Yes

Put Object legal hold

Applies a legal hold configuration to the specified object.

Note

If the operation is successful, no output will be returned.

Sample Request

PUT /lockedbucked/myobject?legal-hold HTTP/1.1
X-Amz-Date: 20201028T052448Z
X-Amz-Content-SHA256: 96b73c95a8d33e664ab2170e095025b47ebd55978bb71cebd6a51e394bf96722
Authorization: XXX
Content-Length: 90
<LegalHold xmlns="http://s3.amazonaws.com/doc/2006-03-01/">
    <Status>ON</Status>
</LegalHold>

Sample Request

PUT /lockedbucked/myobject?legal-hold HTTP/1.1
X-Amz-Date: 20201028T052547Z
X-Amz-Content-SHA256: 33cb1c62439a66fbcbca4ffb243b013ceb212075048f72ab4383f73afb5c4bd9
Authorization: XXX
Content-Length: 91
<LegalHold xmlns="http://s3.amazonaws.com/doc/2006-03-01/">
    <Status>OFF</Status>
</LegalHold>

GET Object legal hold

Returns the legal hold configuration of the specified object.

Sample Request

GET /lockedbucked/myobject?legal-hold HTTP/1.1

Sample Response

<LegalHold xmlns="http://s3.amazonaws.com/doc/2006-03-01/">
    <Status>ON</Status>
</LegalHold>

Sample Request

GET /lockedbucked/myobject?legal-hold HTTP/1.1

Sample Response

<LegalHold xmlns="http://s3.amazonaws.com/doc/2006-03-01/">
    <Status>OFF</Status>
</LegalHold>

AWS-CLI Object legal hold

Run the command below to apply a legal hold:

aws s3api put-object-legal-hold
       --bucket test-is-lock
       --key go
       --version-id 1601317928668527
       --legal-hold Status=ON

Run the command below to retrieve the legal hold status of an object:

aws s3api get-object-legal-hold
       --bucket test-is-lock
       --key go
       --version-id 1601317928668527

An output similar to the following displays:

{
    "LegalHold": {
        "Status": "ON"
    }
}

Object lock limitations

When enabling the compliance mode, the only way to overwrite it is to wait for the lock to be outdated or to delete your Scaleway account.
A bucket that has object lock enabled cannot be deleted via the Scaleway console.
If you set lifecycle expiration rules on some of your objects, the objects that are locked or have a legal hold enabled are ignored by the lifecycle engine. Hence, those objects will not be deleted.

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