Migrate from Any S3-Compatible Storage to Tigris

Tigris can migrate data from any storage provider with an S3-compatible API. This guide covers providers that don't have a dedicated migration guide, including Backblaze B2, DigitalOcean Spaces, Wasabi, Hetzner Object Storage, Vultr Object Storage, and Linode/Akamai Object Storage.

For AWS S3, Google Cloud Storage, Cloudflare R2, or MinIO, see the provider-specific guides.

Migration approach

Tigris supports lazy migration using shadow buckets. Instead of copying all your data upfront, Tigris fetches objects from your existing bucket on demand and caches them for future access. No downtime required.

You can also enable write-through mode, which syncs new writes back to your old bucket. Your existing storage stays up to date throughout the migration, and you can take as long as you need before completing the cutover.

Prerequisites

Before starting, make sure you have:

• A Tigris account with a bucket created
• Your provider's S3-compatible endpoint URL
• Access credentials (access key ID and secret access key) with read and list permissions on the source bucket
• If using write-through mode, the credentials also need write and delete permissions

What you need from your provider

To configure migration, you need three things from your current storage provider:

1. An S3-compatible endpoint URL
2. An access key ID and secret access key
3. The region (if the provider uses regions; otherwise set to auto)

Check your provider's documentation for S3 compatibility or interoperability settings. Below are instructions for some common providers.

Backblaze B2

1. Log in to the Backblaze dashboard.
2. Go to Application Keys and click Add a New Application Key.
3. Scope the key to the bucket you want to migrate from. Select read-only access for basic migration, or read-write for write-through mode.
4. Copy the keyID and applicationKey.
5. Find your S3-compatible endpoint on the Buckets page. It looks like https://s3.<region>.backblazeb2.com (e.g. https://s3.us-west-004.backblazeb2.com).

Use the B2 region from your endpoint (e.g. us-west-004) as the region in the shadow bucket configuration.

DigitalOcean Spaces

1. Log in to the DigitalOcean dashboard.
2. Go to API in the left sidebar, then click Spaces Keys.
3. Click Generate New Key and copy the Key and Secret.
4. Your endpoint is https://<region>.digitaloceanspaces.com (e.g. https://nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com).

Use your Spaces region (e.g. nyc3) as the region in the shadow bucket configuration.

Wasabi

1. Log in to the Wasabi console.
2. Go to Access Keys and click Create New Access Key.
3. Copy the Access Key and Secret Key.
4. Your endpoint is https://s3.<region>.wasabisys.com (e.g. https://s3.us-east-1.wasabisys.com).

Use your Wasabi region (e.g. us-east-1) as the region in the shadow bucket configuration.

Hetzner Object Storage

1. Log in to the Hetzner Cloud Console.
2. Select your project, then go to Object Storage.
3. Generate S3 credentials for your bucket.
4. Your endpoint is https://<region>.your-objectstorage.com (e.g. https://fsn1.your-objectstorage.com).

Set the region to auto in the shadow bucket configuration.

Vultr Object Storage

1. Log in to the Vultr dashboard.
2. Go to Products, then Object Storage, and select your storage instance.
3. Find your Access Key, Secret Key, and Hostname on the overview page.
4. Your endpoint is the hostname shown (e.g. https://ewr1.vultrobjects.com).

Set the region to auto in the shadow bucket configuration.

Linode/Akamai Object Storage

1. Log in to the Akamai Cloud Manager.
2. Go to Object Storage and click Access Keys, then Create Access Key.
3. Copy the Access Key and Secret Key.
4. Your endpoint is https://<region>.linodeobjects.com (e.g. https://us-east-1.linodeobjects.com).

Use the cluster region (e.g. us-east-1) as the region in the shadow bucket configuration.

Configure the shadow bucket

1. Go to the Tigris Dashboard
2. Click Buckets in the left menu
3. Select the bucket you want to migrate data into
4. Click Settings
5. Find Enable Data Migration and toggle it on
6. Enter the connection details for your provider:
   • Endpoint: The S3-compatible endpoint from the section above
   • Region: The region from the section above (or auto if not applicable)
   • Access Key ID: Your provider access key
   • Secret Access Key: Your provider secret key
   • Bucket: The name of your source bucket

Update your application

Point your application to Tigris by updating the endpoint and credentials in your S3 client configuration.

Using the AWS CLI:

aws s3 ls s3://your-bucket/ \
  --endpoint-url https://t3.storage.dev \
  --region auto

Or with boto3:

import boto3

s3 = boto3.client(
    "s3",
    endpoint_url="https://t3.storage.dev",
    region_name="auto",
    aws_access_key_id="your-tigris-access-key",
    aws_secret_access_key="your-tigris-secret-key",
)

The only changes needed are the endpoint URL, region, and credentials. Your existing bucket names, object keys, and API calls stay the same.

Verify and complete

Once your application points to Tigris, objects are migrated on first access. Request a few objects to confirm they're returned successfully.

To keep your old bucket in sync during the migration, enable write-through in the shadow bucket settings. Your old bucket stays current so you can fall back at any point.

Once your workloads are running well on Tigris, disable the shadow bucket configuration and decommission your old storage.

FAQ

Does migration require downtime?

No. Shadow bucket migration happens transparently. Your application continues serving requests while objects are migrated on first access.

Do I need to change my application code?

Only the endpoint URL, region, and credentials. Tigris supports the S3 API, so your existing bucket names, object keys, and API calls work without changes.

Can I roll back?

Yes. If you enable write-through mode, your old bucket stays in sync with all new writes. You can switch back at any point by reverting your endpoint configuration.

My provider isn't listed. Can I still migrate?

Yes. Tigris can migrate from any storage that supports the S3 API. You need your provider's S3-compatible endpoint URL, access credentials, and region.

What happens to objects I haven't accessed yet?

They remain in your old bucket. Tigris only copies objects when they're first requested. Objects that are never accessed are never transferred.