FAQ
Common questions about credentials, permissions, pricing, and more.
Is BucketBuddy free?
Yes. BucketBuddy is a free VS Code extension. There are no paid tiers, no sign-up required, and no feature limits. Every capability is available to every user.
Does BucketBuddy store my AWS credentials?
No. BucketBuddy never stores access keys or secrets. Only your profile names (plain strings) are persisted across sessions. Credentials are resolved at runtime via the standard AWS SDK credential chain: fromIni() → fromSSO() → fromEnv() → fromProcess().
Does it work with SSO / assumed roles / MFA?
Yes. BucketBuddy uses the AWS SDK v3 credential chain, which supports all standard credential providers including AWS SSO, assume-role, and process credentials.
Can I connect multiple AWS accounts at once?
Yes. Connect as many profiles as you need — each appears as a separate colour-coded root node. You can browse and copy objects between accounts simultaneously.
What happens if I don't have s3:ListAllMyBuckets permission?
Use "Go to bucket…" to navigate directly to any bucket by name or s3:// URL. BucketBuddy validates bucket access before pinning it, so it works with scoped IAM policies.
Is the source code available?
Not currently. BucketBuddy is proprietary. Open-sourcing is under consideration for the future.
Why is everything locked by default?
BucketBuddy is built for trust. By default, every profile and every bucket you connect starts read-only — nothing to opt into, nothing to remember. Browsing, downloading, and searching never require unlocking anything; the only way any bucket content changes is if you explicitly click unlock first. Attempting a write on a locked target shows an "Unlock Now" button that only unlocks — it never also performs the blocked action, so a single click can't both unlock and delete or overwrite. If you'd rather new profiles/buckets start unlocked, set bucketbuddy.lockByDefault to false — it only changes the starting point, never your existing per-item choices.
I deleted something accidentally. Can I recover it?
The read-only lock is the main line of defense — deleting requires an explicit unlock first, which is designed to catch most accidental deletions before they happen. Beyond that, recovery is only possible if your bucket has versioning enabled: BucketBuddy's Version History panel lets you browse and restore prior versions. If versioning was not enabled, the deletion is permanent — there is no recovery path. Always enable versioning on critical buckets.
What is Configured Folder Sync?
An opt-in way to sync a local folder to an S3 prefix. You define named mappings (local path, target profile/bucket/prefix, include/exclude filters) in VS Code Settings, then run "Sync Configured Folder…". Every run shows a preview of what would change and requires an explicit "Apply Sync" confirmation — nothing uploads or deletes without you reviewing the plan. Remote deletion is off unless you turn it on for that mapping, and the target bucket must be unlocked.
What AWS regions are supported?
All AWS regions. BucketBuddy resolves each bucket's home region automatically via GetBucketLocation.
Does BucketBuddy work with S3-compatible storage (MinIO, Backblaze, etc.)?
Not currently. It targets AWS S3 specifically. S3-compatible endpoint support may be added in a future release.