AWS S3Cloud and Chrome extensionFree
An AWS S3 browser for people who work in their buckets.
Stream Vessel lets you browse and manage Amazon S3 through a file-manager-style interface: a folder tree, multiple panes, bucket-wide search, an in-place editor and metadata editing, in the browser or as a Chrome extension.
Why
What Stream Vessel adds to AWS S3
The S3 console is built for configuring buckets, not for working in them. Stream Vessel covers the day-to-day part: finding an object in a bucket with millions of keys, fixing its Content-Type, copying a folder to another bucket or account, and giving a colleague or an AI agent access without creating another IAM user.
Stream Vessel is an S3 browser and file manager for AWS S3 and every S3-compatible provider. AWS S3 is a preset in the connection dialog.
Connection details
| Endpoint | Chosen from the region preset, for example s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com |
|---|---|
| Region | Any AWS region; FIPS, dual-stack and VPC endpoint options under Advanced |
| Credentials | An IAM access key ID and secret access key, or an IAM role to assume with an external ID (Chrome extension; coming soon on Cloud) |
Set up
Connect AWS S3 to Stream Vessel
- Create an IAM user or role for Stream Vessel with only the S3 permissions you want it to have, and an access key for it.
- In Stream Vessel, add a connection, pick AWS, choose the region and paste the access key ID and secret.
- Optionally open Advanced for a custom region, FIPS, dual-stack or VPC endpoints, or to assume a role with a role ARN and external ID.
- Test the connection, save, and your buckets appear in the explorer.
Features
What you can do with AWS S3 in Stream Vessel
The same features work on every provider. The editions differ: sharing and AI access need a Stream Vessel Cloud account. All S3 browser features.
| Feature | Stream Vessel Cloud | Chrome extension |
|---|---|---|
| Browse buckets and folders: tree, file list, s3:// breadcrumbs | ✓ Available | ✓ Available |
| Several panes side by side, each on its own connection | ✓ Available | ✓ Available |
| Upload files and folders, multipart for large files | ✓ Available | ✓ Available |
| Copy between connections and providers | ✓ Available | ✓ Available |
| Rename objects and folders | Soon | Soon |
| Edit text and code in place | ✓ Available | ✓ Available |
| Read and edit object metadata | ✓ Available | ✓ Available |
| Search a folder or a whole bucket | ✓ Available | ✓ Available |
| Presigned links with an expiry, single and bulk | ✓ Available | ✓ Available |
| Share a connection, bucket or folder with people | ✓ Available | – Not available |
| AI access over MCP | ✓ Available | – Not available |
| Send to and import from Google Drive | ✓ Available | ✓ Available |
Beyond browsing
Sharing, AI access and transfers with AWS S3
- Share AWS S3 access without sharing keys. On Stream Vessel Cloud, share a AWS S3 connection, bucket or folder by email at READ, WRITE or FULL, and revoke it in one click. How secure S3 sharing works.
- Give AI agents access to AWS S3. An MCP token with a tier and an expiry lets Claude Code, Cursor or another MCP client work in your AWS S3 buckets, with every call logged. S3 access for AI agents.
- Copy between AWS S3 and other storage. Open AWS S3 next to any other connection and drag or paste to copy across providers, or send files to Google Drive. Cloud storage transfers.
- Keys stay yours. In the Chrome extension your AWS S3 keys never leave your browser. On Cloud they are encrypted with AES-256 and never shown to the people or agents you give access. Where keys are stored.
AWS S3 notes
Good to know about AWS S3
- IAM decides what Stream Vessel can do. Stream Vessel acts with the permissions of the key you give it. A key that can only read one bucket gives you, your shares and your AI tokens a read-only view of that bucket. Controls a key cannot use are greyed out with the reason.
- Assume Role with an external id. Instead of a long-lived key for the target account, the Chrome extension can assume an IAM role, with an external id and a custom STS endpoint. On Stream Vessel Cloud this is coming soon.
- Searching costs LIST requests. S3 bills LIST requests, and a search walks the prefix it searches. Stream Vessel pauses long searches and asks before continuing, with a "don't ask again" per connection.
-
Scoped connections. If your key can only see
s3://bucket/prefix/, save the connection with that scope and it opens directly in that folder, as if it were the whole connection. Chrome extension today; coming soon on Cloud.
FAQ
AWS S3 questions
Is Stream Vessel an alternative to the AWS S3 console?
For working with objects, yes: browsing, searching, uploading, downloading, copying, moving, editing, metadata and share links. Bucket configuration such as lifecycle rules, replication or bucket policies stays in the AWS console.
Does Stream Vessel support AWS Assume Role?
Yes in the Chrome extension, with a role ARN, an external id and an optional STS endpoint. On Stream Vessel Cloud, Assume Role is coming soon.
Can I access private S3 buckets?
Yes. Stream Vessel signs every request with the credentials of your connection, so it reaches whatever your IAM key can reach, public or private.
Other providers