<p>Deliver WooCommerce downloads from Amazon S3 or Cloudflare R2 — any file size, secure and protected URLs, and faster store performance.</p>

<h2>Faster and more reliable downloads for your WooCommerce store</h2>
<p><img class="wp-image-18734005359073 alignright" title="s3" src="https://woocommerce.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/aws-amazon-s3-thumbnail.png?w=500" alt="Amazon AWS thumbnail for Amazon S3 for WooCommerce extension" width="261" height="261" /></p>
<p>Amazon S3 Storage for WooCommerce moves your file delivery to Amazon S3 or Cloudflare R2. Customers download directly from the cloud through secure, time-limited URLs.</p>
<p>WooCommerce’s built-in downloads work until your files get large or your traffic gets serious. The Force Download method streams every file through PHP, which times out on anything over a few</p>
<p>hundred megabytes. The Redirect method serves raw URLs that customers can share freely. Neither was built for digital stores selling video courses, photo archives, or software releases.</p>
<h2>Connect WooCommerce to Amazon S3 or Cloudflare R2</h2>
<p>Choose the cloud storage that fits your stack. Amazon S3 is the default — pick a region, paste your credentials, select a bucket, and you’re live. Cloudflare R2 is supported natively as an alternative, with zero egress fees and the same signed-URL security model. Both options use the same settings screen and the same delivery pipeline, so switching providers later is a configuration change, not a migration project.</p>
<ul>
<li>Connect to <strong>Amazon S3</strong> with access key, secret, and default region</li>
<li>Connect to <strong>Cloudflare R2</strong> with account ID, access key, and secret</li>
<li>Switch providers without rewriting any of your product files</li>
<li>Store credentials encrypted with AES-256-GCM, or define them as WordPress constants</li>
</ul>
<p></p>
<h2>Deliver files of any size, no PHP timeouts</h2>
<p>WooCommerce’s default Force Download method reads files into PHP and streams them to the customer. Anywhere above 500 MB, that pattern hits memory limits, request timeouts, or hosting throttles. With Amazon S3 Storage, the customer’s browser is redirected straight to the cloud — your PHP process doesn’t touch the file at all. A 2 GB video, a 10 GB photo archive, a multi-gigabyte software bundle all download with the same reliability as a 5 MB PDF.</p>
<ul>
<li>Bypass the ~500 MB Force Download ceiling on shared hosting</li>
<li>Skip the PHP <code>max_execution_time</code> and memory-limit failures</li>
<li>Let cloud infrastructure handle bandwidth instead of your origin</li>
<li>Keep WooCommerce’s standard download permissions, expiry, and limit settings</li>
</ul>
<p></p>
<h2>Secure every download with signed, time-limited URLs</h2>
<p>Every download is served through a cryptographically signed URL that expires after a configurable period. Customers can’t share a link that lets others bypass purchase. Bots can’t scrape a product page for direct file links — there are no direct file links to scrape. The default expiry suits most stores; raise or lower it per your fraud tolerance.</p>
<ul>
<li>Generate fresh signed URLs on every download request</li>
<li>Configure URL validity period in minutes, from short-window to long</li>
<li>Cache signed URLs to keep frontend performance smooth under load</li>
<li>Override URL behavior with developer filters when you need custom expiry rules</li>
</ul>
<p></p>
<h2>Offload existing files in the background</h2>
<p>When you add a new downloadable file or import a batch, the extension uploads the file to your bucket through Action Scheduler — WooCommerce’s own background job runner. Uploads happen asynchronously so your admin stays responsive, and the queue survives staging environments, HTTP Basic Auth, and restrictive hosting that breaks traditional WordPress background processing. Once a file is in the bucket, its WooCommerce download entry points to the cloud automatically.</p>
<ul>
<li>Queue uploads with Action Scheduler — reliable on staging, agency, and managed hosts</li>
<li>Watch upload status per file directly in the product editor</li>
<li>Re-run failed offloads from WooCommerce’s Scheduled Actions screen</li>
<li>Mix offloaded files and local files in the same product without configuration</li>
</ul>
<p></p>
<h2>Embed cloud files anywhere with the [amazon_s3] shortcode</h2>
<p>Not every download lives inside a WooCommerce product. Use the <code>[amazon_s3]</code> shortcode to drop a secure download link into any post, page, email, or block-editor template. The shortcode generates a signed URL on render, respects your bucket and region settings, and supports per-shortcode overrides. A built-in modal in the product editor builds correctly formatted shortcodes for you.</p>
<ul>
<li>Embed signed download links in posts, pages, emails, or block templates</li>
<li>Override the default bucket and region per shortcode</li>
<li>Return either a signed URL or the file’s original filename</li>
<li>Build shortcodes visually with the in-editor generator modal</li>
</ul>
<p></p>
<h2>Wasabi, Backblaze B2, and DigitalOcean Spaces</h2>
<p>Cloudflare R2 isn’t the only S3-compatible cloud out there. Amazon S3 Storage for WooCommerce includes experimental support for <a href="https://wasabi.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Wasabi</a>, <a href="https://www.backblaze.com/cloud-storage" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Backblaze B2</a>, <a href="https://www.digitalocean.com/products/spaces" target="_blank" rel="noopener">DigitalOcean Spaces</a>, and any other S3-compatible endpoint. Choose “User defined” in the cloud service provider setting, add a short snippet to point the SDK at your provider’s endpoint, and you’re delivering files through your storage of choice. Kestrel support can help you wire it up.</p>
<ul>
<li>Connect to <strong>Wasabi</strong> for predictable flat-rate storage pricing</li>
<li>Use <strong>Backblaze B2</strong> with the S3-compatible API</li>
<li>Point at <strong>DigitalOcean Spaces</strong> or any custom S3 endpoint</li>
<li>Get setup help from support when configuring an experimental provider</li>
</ul>
<p></p>
<h2>Built for WooCommerce</h2>
<p>Amazon S3 Storage extends WooCommerce’s downloadable-products system, it doesn’t replace it.</p>
<p>Customers still see the same My Account download page, the same download-limit and expiry behavior, the same email links. Variable products, grouped products, and subscription products with downloadable files all work without configuration changes. Approved Download Directories is handled automatically — the extension reconciles WooCommerce’s static-path validation with the dynamic nature of signed URLs.</p>
<ul>
<li>Works with simple, variable, grouped, and subscription products</li>
<li>Compatible with High-Performance Order Storage (HPOS)</li>
<li>Respects WooCommerce’s download permissions, limits, and expiry settings</li>
<li>Includes a System Status Report section for fast troubleshooting</li>
</ul>
<p></p>
<h2>Pair with Constellation or WooCommerce Subscriptions + WooCommerce Memberships</h2>
<p>Running a membership site or selling gated digital content? Two paths work cleanly.</p>
<ul class="wccom-tick-list-secondary">
<li><strong>Constellation</strong> — Access gating and recurring member billing in a single extension. One stack, one billing flow, no separate subscriptions plugin required.</li>
<li><strong>WooCommerce Subscriptions + WooCommerce Memberships</strong> — The classic two-extension combination: Subscriptions bills on a schedule, Memberships controls who can access what.</li>
</ul>
<p>Either way, Amazon S3 Storage delivers the files. Members get fast, signed downloads of large gated content — sample packs, course videos, member-only PDFs — without your origin server doing the heavy lifting.</p>
<h2>Built for digital stores</h2>
<p>Whether you’re selling:</p>
<ul>
<li>PDFs, MP3s, or ZIP files</li>
<li>Online courses and video lessons</li>
<li>Software, plugins, or game builds</li>
<li>High-resolution images or media packs</li>
<li>Membership content or download bundles</li>
</ul>
<p>You’ll get fast, scalable delivery backed by Amazon S3 or Cloudflare R2 and a smoother experience for your customers.</p>
<h2>Who it’s for</h2>
<p>This extension is built for any merchant delivering digital goods at scale. Instead of relying on your hosting server to handle downloads, it shifts the heavy lifting to global cloud infrastructure — keeping customers happy and stores reliable.</p>
<ul class="wccom-tick-list-secondary">
<li><strong>Course creators</strong> — Host large video lessons without worrying about hosting limits.</li>
<li><strong>Software developers</strong> — Deliver plugins, apps, or updates securely via signed URLs.</li>
<li><strong>Musicians & artists</strong> — Sell albums, sound packs, or high-res artwork without slowdowns.</li>
<li><strong>Photographers & media sellers</strong> — Distribute huge image sets or media bundles seamlessly.</li>
<li><strong>Membership sites</strong> — Provide protected content while keeping bandwidth costs under control.</li>
</ul>
<h2>Getting started</h2>
<ol>
<li>Add the extension to your store</li>
<li>Download, install, and activate</li>
<li>Open WooCommerce → Settings → Integrations → Amazon S3</li>
<li>Connect Amazon S3 or Cloudflare R2 with your credentials</li>
<li>Pick a default bucket and region</li>
<li>Add a downloadable file to any product and let it offload</li>
</ol>
<hr style="clear: both" />
<h2>More information</h2>
<ul style="line-height: 1.8em">
<li>Read our <a href="https://woocommerce.com/document/amazon-s3/">Amazon S3 documentation</a> for an overview of settings, options, and FAQs.</li>
<li>Still need help getting started? <a href="https://kestrelwp.com/support" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Contact us</a>.</li>
</ul>
<p>Built and supported by the team at:</p>
<p><a href="https://woocommerce.com/vendor/kestrel/"><img class="alignnone" src="https://woocommerce.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/kestrel-logo.png" alt="Kestrel logo" width="100" height="23" /></a></p>

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