List Buckets

Retrieves a list of all S3 buckets accessible with the current credentials.

Common Properties

• Name - The custom name of the node.
• Color - The custom color of the node.
• Delay Before (sec) - Waits in seconds before executing the node.
• Delay After (sec) - Waits in seconds after executing node.
• Continue On Error - Automation will continue regardless of any error. The default value is false.

info

If the ContinueOnError property is true, no error is caught when the project is executed, even if a Catch node is used.

Inputs

• Client Id - The client connection ID from the Connect node. Optional if using credentials directly.

Options

• End Point - S3 endpoint URL. Required only if using credentials directly instead of Client ID.
• Access Key Id - AWS Access Key ID credential. Optional - use this instead of Client ID for direct authentication.
• Secret Key Access - AWS Secret Access Key credential. Optional - use this instead of Client ID for direct authentication.

Output

• result - An array of bucket information objects. Each bucket object contains the bucket name and creation date.

How It Works

The List Buckets node retrieves all S3 buckets that are accessible with the provided credentials. When executed, the node:

1. Retrieves the S3 client using either the Client ID or creates a new client from credentials
2. Sends a request to S3 to list all buckets
3. Returns an array containing information about each bucket
4. Each bucket object includes the bucket name and creation timestamp

Requirements

• Either a valid Client ID from a Connect node, or Access Key ID and Secret Access Key credentials
• Appropriate S3 permissions to list buckets (s3:ListAllMyBuckets)

Error Handling

The node will return specific errors in the following cases:

• Invalid Client ID or credentials
• Insufficient permissions to list buckets
• Network or connection errors
• S3 service errors

Usage Notes

• The node returns all buckets accessible to the credentials, regardless of region
• Buckets from all regions are included in the response
• The default AWS account limit is 100 buckets
• The operation is relatively fast even with many buckets
• The creation date is returned in ISO 8601 format
• Buckets are not returned in any particular order

Output Structure

The result is an array of bucket objects. Each bucket object contains:

[
  {
    "Name": "my-first-bucket",
    "CreationDate": "2024-01-15T10:30:00Z"
  },
  {
    "Name": "my-second-bucket",
    "CreationDate": "2024-02-20T14:45:00Z"
  },
  {
    "Name": "my-app-logs",
    "CreationDate": "2024-03-10T08:15:00Z"
  }
]

Best Practices

• Cache the bucket list if you need to reference it multiple times in a flow
• Use List Buckets to verify a bucket exists before attempting operations
• Filter buckets by name pattern in your flow logic if needed
• Handle empty results gracefully (account with no buckets)
• Consider the account bucket limit when creating new buckets programmatically
• Use descriptive bucket names that clearly indicate their purpose

Example

To get all buckets and process each one:

Inputs:

• Client Id: (from Connect node)

Output:

[
  {
    "Name": "company-data-production",
    "CreationDate": "2023-06-01T00:00:00Z"
  },
  {
    "Name": "company-data-staging",
    "CreationDate": "2023-06-15T00:00:00Z"
  },
  {
    "Name": "company-backups",
    "CreationDate": "2023-07-01T00:00:00Z"
  }
]

You can then use a Loop node to iterate through each bucket and perform operations like listing objects, checking bucket size, or applying policies.

Common Use Cases

Bucket Inventory List all buckets to create an inventory report of your S3 storage.

Bucket Validation Check if a specific bucket exists before attempting to create it:

1. List Buckets
2. Filter results to find matching bucket name
3. Create bucket only if it doesn't exist

Multi-Bucket Operations Perform the same operation on all buckets:

1. List Buckets
2. Loop through each bucket
3. Perform operation (e.g., list objects, check permissions, apply tags)

Bucket Cleanup Identify and clean up old or unused buckets:

1. List Buckets
2. Check creation date
3. Delete buckets older than a certain threshold

Direct Credentials Example

Options:

• End Point: s3.amazonaws.com
• Access Key Id: (your AWS Access Key ID credential)
• Secret Key Access: (your AWS Secret Access Key credential)

Output: Array of all buckets accessible with the provided credentials.

Filtering Results

While the node returns all buckets, you can filter the results in your flow:

Filter by Name Pattern: Use a Filter node or JavaScript to find buckets matching a pattern:

// Get only production buckets
const productionBuckets = buckets.filter(bucket =>
  bucket.Name.includes('production')
);

Filter by Creation Date: Find recently created buckets:

// Get buckets created in the last 30 days
const recentDate = new Date();
recentDate.setDate(recentDate.getDate() - 30);

const recentBuckets = buckets.filter(bucket =>
  new Date(bucket.CreationDate) > recentDate
);

Common Errors

Error: "Access Denied"

• Solution: Ensure your credentials have the s3:ListAllMyBuckets permission

Error: "Invalid Client ID"

• Solution: Verify the Client ID from the Connect node is being passed correctly

Error: "SignatureDoesNotMatch"

• Solution: Check that your Secret Access Key is correct and hasn't been rotated