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Space Object Storage (DigitalOcean Spaces)

Last updated: March 4, 2026

This guide covers creating and connecting a DigitalOcean Spaces bucket for file/object storage.

All screenshots are loaded from digitalocean/images/bucket/.

Prerequisites​

  • DigitalOcean account with billing enabled
  • A project where the Space will be created

1. Open Spaces Object Storage​

  • Open DigitalOcean dashboard.
  • Go to Spaces Object Storage from the left sidebar.

Step 1 - Spaces bucket list page

2. Create a New Space​

  • Click Create Bucket (or Create a Spaces Bucket).
  • Select:
    • Datacenter region (pick close to your app server)
    • Space name (globally unique)
    • Access type (Restrict File Listing for private-by-default)
  • Click Create Space.

Step 2 - Create a new Spaces bucket

After creation, verify your bucket appears in the list.

Step 3 - Bucket list after creation

3. Generate Access Keys​

  • In dashboard, open API -> Spaces Keys.
  • On the Access Keys tab, click Create Access Key.

Step 4 - Access keys tab

  • Select access scope (Limited Access or Full Access) based on your app needs.
  • Name the key and click Create Access Key.

Step 5 - Create access key dialog

  • Save:
    • Access Key
    • Secret Key (shown once)

Step 6 - Keys list after creation

4. Test Access from Browser​

  • Open your bucket from the Buckets tab.
  • In the Files tab, click Upload.
  • Select a small test file from your computer.
  • Confirm the file appears in the bucket list after upload.

Step 7 - Bucket file upload page

5. App Configuration​

Set these environment variables in your app/deployment:

SPACES_KEY=<ACCESS_KEY>
SPACES_SECRET=<SECRET_KEY>
SPACES_BUCKET=<SPACE_NAME>
SPACES_REGION=<REGION>
SPACES_ENDPOINT=https://<REGION>.digitaloceanspaces.com

6. Optional: Public File Access​

  • Keep bucket private by default.
  • Use signed URLs for protected files.
  • For public assets (images/css/js), configure bucket policy or per-object ACL carefully.

7. Optional: CDN​

  • Open your Space settings.
  • Enable CDN endpoint if you need global caching.
  • Update your app asset URL base to CDN URL.

Next Step​