Features and Benefits of Bucket Explorer

Bucket Explorer is customized with many enhanced important features for reducing stress, saving time, and protecting files. Bucket Explorer is now much more flexible, powerful, and easy to use. Bucket Explorer's new version is brought with features and benefits like:
 

Support for AWS Import/Export :

Bucket Explorer supports AWS Import/Export feature which enables you to Load Large Amounts of Data to Amazon S3 Quickly by mailing one or more storage devices with any amount of data. After loading your data your storage device is returned back to you.

 

 

Command Line Version of Bucket Explorer- Bucket Commander :

Bucket Commander is a command line tool for Amazon S3 . You can configure Bucket Commander for upload, download and copy operations. It also supports command line scheduling of upload, download and bucket copy operations i.e. you can use it to take backup of one bucket's files in another bucket on schedule.

You can also get summary report via Email for the confirmation of completion of command line operations.
 

 

Batch Update Amazon S3 Metadata :

Bucket Explorer's new version of 2009.04 has been introduced with a new feature to update metadata on objects in bulk . You use this feature to update (Add, Edit and Delete) metadata of all objects in bucket or all selected objects. This process is performed in queue which helps you to see the statistics.

 

Batch Update Amazon S3 ACL :

Bucket Explorer provides a new feature to update ACL (Access control listing) in bulk . You can use this feature to update ACL of all objects in selected bucket or can also update ACL for all selected objects. This process is performed in queue which helps you to see the statistics.

 

User Interface for Amazon CloudFront :

Bucket Explorer provides user interface for Amazon's new CDN service known as CloudFront. Amazon Cloud Front is a web service for content delivery. It helps in distributing content to end users quickly and easily, with low latency and high data transfer speeds. Amazon Cloud Front delivers your content through a worldwide network of edge locations. End users are routed to the nearest edge location, so content is delivered with the best possible performance. Amazon Cloud Front works seamlessly with the Amazon Simple Storage Service (Amazon S3), which durably stores the original, definitive versions of your files.

 

Quick comparer in Queue operation :

Bucket Explorer provides a new feature of ' Quick comparer '. This feature compares only Name and Size of local file with existing S3 file instead of Name and Hash value of file. So it will take very less time for comparison during Upload, Download, Copy and other operations. This feature also facilitates you to choose Overwrite, Skip, Skip All and Overwrite All, for the existing objects/ files.

 

Version and Trash :

Bucket Explorer's new version provides new feature of versioning and trash bin to avoid loss of data due to accidental delete. There are two system Buckets in Bucket Explorer named as us.bucketexplorer.md5 (Access Key) and eu.bucketexplorer.md5 (Access Key), these system buckets contain version and trash folder. Whenever you upload or copy existing files on S3 then the older version of those files are moved automatically in version folder, from where you can also copy, move and delete objects and when you delete any file from S3 with Move to Trash then that objects automatically gets moved to trash folder. Trash works as Recycle Bin.

 

Bucket Explorer Team Edition :

Bucket Explorer Team Edition is a powerful tool for Bucket Explorer users, who want to share buckets/ data with team members using single or more S3 accounts. Team Edition can instantly provide a "shared bucket" for a team using same AWS account without sharing the Access Keys with all team members. Administrator can give/ change/ withdraw different permissions to different team members. The team members can use all the permitted features of the Bucket Explorer.

 

Visualization of Parallel Processes in Queue :

Bucket Explorer facilitates you to view all download, upload, and delete operations in a parallel queue from where you can stop, pause or run any selected process. Parallel operations in queue save the time. You can make any process pause at any time and can resume previously stopped processes. Process pending queue starts the process from last state.

 

"Comparer" and "Compare To" :

These options support you to compare the local file(s)/folder(s) with Amazon S3 Bucket . You can also download and upload desired file(s) and object(s) in comparer window.

 

Copy/Move in Same or Different S3 Account :

You can Copy/Move object(s) from Source Bucket to Target Bucket in same or different S3 account. If objects which are to be copied/moved already exist then it will prompt to overwrite or skip.Here if you select overwrite and if contents are not same then it will be overwritten with new objects and older version of objects will be copied to version folder of System Bucket having object name appended with current date and time. You can Copy/Move whole Source Bucket to Destination Bucket in same account by Copy Bucket / Move Bucket option of right click menu on Bucket.

 

Delete and Quick Delete :

We have improved the delete feature in Bucket Explorer with Quick Delete , it provides you a facility to completely delete the Bucket/Objects from S3 without saving any history in audit report and system bucket, it deletes Objects in chunks. We have also added Move to Trash and Permanently Delete option on simple delete prompt. Using trash you can keep backup of deleted files and folders.

 

Audit Report from Amazon SimpleDB :

Bucket Explorer provides facility to store and access all the reports regarding changes that have taken place in your Bucket(s) from Amazon SimpleDB.

 

Throttling of Max Parallel Data in Queue :

With this feature you can upload maximum size of 100 MB files or run 5 threads at a time whose total size could be max 100 MB. If the size of files being uploaded is more than 100 MB then only one thread will run. You can customize this limit by changing the tag value of RunningQueueDataFactor to 1000 in BuckteExplorer.xml file (default tag value is 100 MB).  

 

Upload Files with Custom Headers :

Bucket Explorer provides Upload with custom header option in which you need to specify keys and value that will be displayed in Object properties.

 

Automatic Retry for Failed Queue :

Bucket Explorer automatically Retry the failed processes in queue. By default Bucket Explorer retries 3 times and you can customize this retry limit using preferences panel option of Tools menu. This retry also works with Bucket Commander.

 

Fast Upload :

Bucket Explorer copies the files being uploaded to the Bucket Explorer?s temp folder before uploading them to S3, but it slows down the uploading process when files are too big, because copying files from source to temp folder takes time, Bucket Explorer supports a feature to skip it for fast uploading. By default Bucket Explorer skip this process but if you want to save uploaded files to Bucket Explorer temp then you can change tag value of CopyToTempBeforeUpload as true in BuckteExplorer.xml file.

 

Fast Listing :

Two step process of listing in Bucket Explorer i.e. listing the files and get their ACLs from Amazon-S3, supports rapid listing of objects in Bucket. It also provides user a facility to stop fetching of ACLs. This is useful for those users who have large amount of files in their Buckets and want to fasten the listing process.

 

Run Multiple Instances :

New Window option provides you a facility of working with multiple Bucket Explorer sessions which may be of different AWS account or of same account.

Bucket Logging for Audit :

Bucket logging helps you to keep track of all the activities and events performed on your Bucket and provides an audit trial to track these operations. You  need logging since all the activities on Bucket affect billing.

Proxy Support :

Bucket Explorer provides you a facility to connect with Amazon S3 with proxy server, like Basic authentication, NTLM authentication etc.

 

Password Protected AWS Credential :

Bucket Explorer facilitates you to protect your AWS credential just by supplying password when AWS credential is being stored locally for fast and secured login. This feature also supports you to save your AWS credentials without password on local. When you use this option, your credentials are decrypted with machine name thus you don?t need to give password every time, decryption will be done automatically.

 

Rename Objects :

Rename Objects feature provides a facility to change name of existing S3 Object. In renaming process, first the object is copied with new name and then the older version of object is deleted.

 

Generate the Public URLs for Multiple Objects :

Bucket Explorer facilitates you to generate URLs of the selected S3 objects. You can select 'HTTP', 'HTTPS', 'Torrent' or 'Signed URL'.
 

 

Tips & Tricks:

Bucket Explorer provides tips and tricks for both beginners and old users for getting information of Bucket Explorer's advanced features, which are not easy to understand.

 

Prompt to Change AWS Secret Key :

Bucket Explorer now reminds you after every 30 days to change your AWS Secret Key . This reminder helps you in tracing out the detailed information of your S3 account and also helps in changing it. This is useful for the security purpose. 

 

Make Public & Make Private in ACL :

Make Public option in ACL preferences allows you to give read permission to All Users and Make Private option in ACL preferences allows you to set full permission for owner only

 

Invite Amazon S3 User for Sharing :

Bucket Explorer provides facility to share Object(s) and Bucket(s) with Amazon S3 registered user by EmailID or Owner ID.

 

Hide/Unhide Bucket Option :

It facilitates you to hide the selected Bucket(s) and fasten searching for the required bucket(s). You can also unhide entire hidden buckets whenever needed. It's also useful for the security purpose as it resists any alteration by other user.

Upload Files in HTML Format for Web Hosting :

This option of Bucket Explorer provides you a facility of uploading file(s) in HTML format so that you can browse your file directly on Browser through its web URL.
 

Bucket and Object Properties :

In Bucket Explorer you can see the information about Bucket and Object properties like Bucket Name, Date of creation, Bucket Location(i.e. either US or Europe), Owner Name, Owner ID, Total virtual Folder, Bucket Size, Total Object etc.
 

 

Nick Name Option :

Name option after Access Key and Secret Key is used for storing user's name. Quick connect menu shows Name , and if you click on name, automatically Access Key and Secret Key will be stored and authentication will be done.

 

Easy Sharing and Accessing of Bucket :

You can share your Bucket with others as well as can access other's Bucket by single click option.

 

Setting Default Accessibility of Bucket's Objects :

Bucket Explorer facilitates you to set a default ACL for a Bucket that will be set for all objects of Bucket while uploading.
 

 

Intimation for New Amazon S3 User :

Bucket Explorer prompts at startup to Create Bucket  if there is no Bucket(s) in your Amazon S3 account  

 

Customize Mime Type(s) :

You can Add, Edit, Remove MIME types through this option

 

Show Balloon Tool Tip with Create Bucket Icon :

If you have less than 5 buckets in your account, it will show a "balloon" pointed towards the Create Bucket icon.

 

Click to know more about all versions of Bucket Explorer.