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☁️AWS from Zero

S3 2 · Part 12 of 394
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S3 create-bucket: us-east-1 vs other regions

#aws#cli#s3#storage
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Part 12 of AWS from Zero. Today we slow down on one odd S3 detail: creating a bucket in us-east-1 is different from creating a bucket in most other regions.

This is one of those small AWS details that causes a lot of beginner confusion.

What we are learning

For a general purpose S3 bucket:

  • If you create it in us-east-1, you do not pass LocationConstraint.
  • If you create it in another region, you normally pass LocationConstraint.

Same service, same operation, slightly different command.

Before you run it

Check identity:

aws sts get-caller-identity

Choose two unique bucket names:

EAST_BUCKET="aws-zero-east-12345"
SOUTH_BUCKET="aws-zero-south-12345"

Replace the suffix so the names are unique for you.

Create a bucket in us-east-1

aws s3api create-bucket \
  --bucket "$EAST_BUCKET" \
  --region us-east-1

Notice what is missing: no --create-bucket-configuration.

Inspect the location:

aws s3api get-bucket-location \
  --bucket "$EAST_BUCKET" \
  --output table

For us-east-1, S3 may return None or an empty-looking location value. That is normal historical S3 behavior.

Create a bucket in ap-south-1

aws s3api create-bucket \
  --bucket "$SOUTH_BUCKET" \
  --region ap-south-1 \
  --create-bucket-configuration LocationConstraint=ap-south-1

Inspect the location:

aws s3api get-bucket-location \
  --bucket "$SOUTH_BUCKET" \
  --output table

This one should show ap-south-1.

One tiny variation

Try asking for help and search for LocationConstraint:

aws s3api create-bucket help

The help page is often faster than searching the web when you only need the shape of a command.

Common mistake

Beginners often use the non-us-east-1 command everywhere:

aws s3api create-bucket \
  --bucket "$EAST_BUCKET" \
  --region us-east-1 \
  --create-bucket-configuration LocationConstraint=us-east-1

That is the mistake. For us-east-1, keep the create command simpler.

Cleanup

Both buckets are empty, so delete them directly:

aws s3api delete-bucket --bucket "$EAST_BUCKET" --region us-east-1
aws s3api delete-bucket --bucket "$SOUTH_BUCKET" --region ap-south-1

Confirm:

aws s3api list-buckets \
  --query "Buckets[?Name=='$EAST_BUCKET' || Name=='$SOUTH_BUCKET']"

Next, we will compare aws s3 and aws s3api so the command families stop feeling random.