Tapan Kumar Swain

Posted on Jan 8

How to Store VideoSDK Cloud Recordings Securely on AWS S3

#videosdk #aws

When using VideoSDK Live for video conferencing or live streaming, cloud recording is a common requirement. VideoSDK supports direct upload of recorded videos to AWS S3, but to enable this securely, a specific AWS configuration is required.

This guide walks you through the complete AWS setup, from creating an IAM user with minimal permissions to configuring storage in the VideoSDK dashboard.

Why a Dedicated IAM User Is Required

For security best practices, VideoSDK should never use your AWS root account. Instead, create a dedicated IAM user with restricted permissions so it can:

Upload video recordings
Read or delete recordings if required
Access only one specific S3 bucket

Benefits

Least-privilege security
Easy credential rotation
Reduced blast radius

Step 1: Create an IAM User for VideoSDK

Log in to the AWS Console
Navigate to Services → Security, Identity & Compliance → IAM
Click Users → Create user

User Details

User name: videosdk-storage
Access type:
- Programmatic access
- Console access (not required)

Click Next

Step 2: Create a Custom S3 Policy

To restrict access to only the required bucket and actions, create a custom IAM policy.

On the permissions page:
- Select Attach policies directly
- Click Create policy
Switch to the JSON tab and paste the following:

{
  "Version": "2012-10-17",
  "Statement": [
    {
      "Effect": "Allow",
      "Action": [
        "s3:PutObject",
        "s3:PutObjectAcl",
        "s3:GetObject",
        "s3:DeleteObject"
      ],
      "Resource": "arn:aws:s3:::YOUR-BUCKET-NAME/*"
    },
    {
      "Effect": "Allow",
      "Action": ["s3:ListBucket"],
      "Resource": "arn:aws:s3:::YOUR-BUCKET-NAME"
    }
  ]
}

Replace Bucket Name

Replace YOUR-BUCKET-NAME with your actual S3 bucket name.

Example:

arn:aws:s3:::my-video-recordings/*

Save the Policy

Name: VideoSDK-S3-Access
Description: S3 access for VideoSDK recordings

Click Create policy

Step 3: Attach the Policy to the IAM User

This step ensures the IAM user actually has permission to access your S3 bucket.

Return to the IAM user creation screen
Refresh the policy list
Search for VideoSDK-S3-Access
Select the policy
Click Next → Create user

Your IAM user is now correctly permissioned.

Step 4: Generate AWS Access Keys

After the user is created:

Open the user: videosdk-storage
Go to the Security credentials tab
Click Create access key
Select Third-party service
Confirm and continue

Save These Credentials

Access Key ID
Secret Access Key

⚠️ The secret key will be shown only once.

Download the .csv file for backup.

Step 5: Create an S3 Bucket (If Needed)

If you don’t already have an S3 bucket:

Go to Services → S3
Click Create bucket

Bucket Configuration

Bucket name: your-videosdk-recordings (must be globally unique)
Region: Choose and remember this
Block all public access: Enabled

Click Create bucket

Step 6: Configure AWS S3 in VideoSDK Dashboard

VideoSDK Live supports cloud recording with direct S3 upload.

Configuration Steps

Open VideoSDK Dashboard
Go to API Keys
Select your project
Scroll to Storage Configuration
Add your AWS S3 details:

{
  "bucket": "your-recordings-bucket",
  "region": "us-east-1",
  "accessKeyId": "YOUR_ACCESS_KEY",
  "secretAccessKey": "YOUR_SECRET_KEY",
  "acl": "private"
}

Field Explanation

bucket – Your S3 bucket name
region – Bucket region
accessKeyId – IAM access key
secretAccessKey – IAM secret key
acl – Use private (recommended)

Save the configuration.

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