Demo Versioning

In this tutorial, you’ll explore how Amazon S3’s versioning feature affects object uploads, overwrites, and deletions. We’ll walk through three key states—versioning disabled, enabled, and suspended—and demonstrate how you can recover or permanently remove object versions.

Versioning Disabled

With versioning disabled, any object you delete is permanently removed and cannot be recovered. Overwrites simply replace the existing object.

1. Create a new S3 bucket named Versioning Demo, leaving Bucket Versioning turned off and all other settings at their defaults.

2. Locally create a file file1.txt with:

   this is version 1
   

3. Upload file1.txt to your bucket (all defaults).

4. Open file1.txt in the console to confirm it shows:

   this is version 1
   

5. Permanent Delete when Disabled
   Select file1.txt → Delete → type permanently delete to confirm.

6. Re-upload the same file1.txt (version 1) to restore it.

7. Overwrite when Disabled
   Edit file1.txt to:

   this is version 2
   

   Upload using the same key. Version 1 is lost permanently because versioning is disabled.

Enabling Versioning

Enable versioning to retain every object change with a unique Version ID. You can recover or permanently delete specific versions.

1. In the bucket Properties, click Edit under Bucket Versioning, select Enable, and Save.

2. Upload file1.txt with the original content:

   this is version 1
   

3. In the Objects view, check Show versions to reveal version history. Each version entry displays a unique Version ID.

4. Confirm version 1 content:

   this is version 1
   

Adding More Versions

• Version 2: Update locally to this is version 2 and upload again.
• Version 3: Change to this is version 3 and upload once more.

Each upload creates a new version entry. You can open each one to verify content and timestamps.

Delete with Versioning Enabled

Deleting an object now places a delete marker rather than removing prior versions.

1. Select file1.txt → Delete → type delete (no “permanently delete” prompt).

2. The object disappears, but Show versions reveals:
   • A new Delete marker
   • All three prior versions

3. Restoring: Remove the delete marker by selecting it and choosing Delete → type permanently delete.

Permanently Deleting Specific Versions

You can delete individual versions without affecting others. Select a version (e.g., version 2) → Delete → type permanently delete. Only that version is removed.

Suspending Versioning

Once turned on, you can only suspend versioning, not disable it. Suspended state retains old versions but assigns null as the Version ID for new uploads.

1. In Properties → Bucket Versioning, click Suspend and Save.

2. Existing versions remain accessible. New uploads use a null Version ID.

3. Upload version 4 (this is version 4) and version 5 (this is version 5). Both appear with null Version IDs.

New Objects under Suspension

1. Create file2.txt with this is version 1 and upload—it gets null ID.
2. Update to this is version 2—the previous null version is replaced.

MFA Delete

In the Bucket Versioning settings, you’ll see MFA Delete. Enabling this feature (via CLI or SDK) requires multi-factor authentication to change or delete versions. It cannot be turned on in the console.

Versioning States Overview

Cleanup

To tear down:

1. In Objects, enable Show versions.
2. Select all versions and markers → Delete → type permanently delete.
3. Delete the bucket.

Links and References

• AWS S3 Versioning User Guide
• Amazon S3 Documentation
• CLI: aws s3api put-bucket-versioning