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s3fs on Linux

Mount a bucket as a folder on Linux.

s3fs (s3fs-fuse) mounts a Zata bucket as a folder on Linux. You can then use it with normal commands such as ls, cp and mkdir. The examples use Indore (https://idr01.zata.ai); for a bucket in Mumbai, use https://bom01.zata.ai.

Partly tested with s3fs 1.90 on Ubuntu 22.04 on Zata in October 2026 (mount and /etc/fstab).

Before you start

  • A bucket — see Create a bucket.
  • An access key from the same region as the bucket — see Access keys.
  • A Linux machine where you can use sudo.

Connection settings

SettingValue
Endpoint (url=)https://idr01.zata.ai for Indore, https://bom01.zata.ai for Mumbai
Path-styleuse_path_request_style
Keysin the file /etc/passwd-s3fs, as YOUR_ACCESS_KEY:YOUR_SECRET_KEY — the key must be from the same region as the bucket

Set up s3fs

1

Install s3fs

sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y s3fs
s3fs --version
2

Save your keys

Open the keys file:

sudo nano /etc/passwd-s3fs

Add your keys on one line in this format, then save with Ctrl+O, Enter, Ctrl+X:

/etc/passwd-s3fs
YOUR_ACCESS_KEY:YOUR_SECRET_KEY

Make the file readable only by root. s3fs refuses a keys file that others can read.

sudo chmod 600 /etc/passwd-s3fs
3

Mount the bucket

Replace my-bucket with your bucket name:

sudo mkdir -p /mnt/zata
sudo s3fs my-bucket /mnt/zata -o passwd_file=/etc/passwd-s3fs -o url=https://idr01.zata.ai -o use_path_request_style

To let normal (non-root) users open the files, add -o allow_other -o uid=$(id -u),gid=$(id -g) to the command.

Test it

mountpoint /mnt/zata
echo "Hello from s3fs and Zata" | sudo tee /mnt/zata/test.txt
ls -l /mnt/zata/

mountpoint prints /mnt/zata is a mountpoint. The file test.txt also appears in your bucket in the Zata console under Buckets.

Mount at boot

Add this line to /etc/fstab (sudo nano /etc/fstab), with your bucket name and endpoint:

/etc/fstab
my-bucket /mnt/zata fuse.s3fs _netdev,passwd_file=/etc/passwd-s3fs,url=https://idr01.zata.ai,use_path_request_style 0 0

Test the line without rebooting. Unmount first if the bucket is still mounted:

sudo umount /mnt/zata
sudo mount /mnt/zata
mountpoint /mnt/zata

Unmount

sudo umount /mnt/zata

If it says target is busy, close any terminal or app that is using the folder, then try again.

Limits

s3fs makes a bucket look like a folder, but it is not a full disk:

  • Editing a file in place re-uploads the whole file, so changes to large files are slow.
  • Renaming or moving a large folder is slow: each file is copied and then deleted.
  • With a sub-user key, mount the bucket by its name as above. The sub-user needs a permission that can list the bucket — Upload Only cannot mount it, because s3fs lists the bucket when it starts.

For many files or large transfers, use rclone. For fast reads and writes of whole files, see goofys.

Troubleshooting

ProblemFix
403 Access DeniedCheck the keys in /etc/passwd-s3fs and that the key can use this bucket. The key must be from the bucket’s region.
The mount fails with no clear errorRun it in the foreground to see why: add -f -o dbglevel=info to the mount command.
Permission denied when a normal user opens filesAdd -o allow_other and -o uid=$(id -u),gid=$(id -g) to the mount command.
RequestTimeTooSkewed or signature errorsYour computer’s clock is more than about 15 minutes off. Turn on time sync. See Clock and credentials.

For other errors, see Access denied and Endpoint and region.