S3 versioning in AWS - Step-by-Step Execution

Process Flow - S3 versioning

Create S3 Bucket

↓

Enable Versioning

↓

Upload Object v1

↓

Upload Object v2 (same key)

↓

Store multiple versions

↓

Retrieve or Delete specific version

This flow shows creating a bucket, enabling versioning, uploading objects with the same name to create versions, and managing those versions.

Execution Sample

AWS

aws s3api create-bucket --bucket my-bucket --region us-east-1
aws s3api put-bucket-versioning --bucket my-bucket --versioning-configuration Status=Enabled
aws s3api put-object --bucket my-bucket --key file.txt --body file_v1.txt
aws s3api put-object --bucket my-bucket --key file.txt --body file_v2.txt

This code creates a bucket, enables versioning, then uploads two versions of the same file.

Process Table

Step	Action	Bucket Versioning Status	Object Key	Version ID Created	Notes
1	Create bucket 'my-bucket'	Disabled (default)	-	-	Bucket created without versioning
2	Enable versioning on 'my-bucket'	Enabled	-	-	Versioning turned on
3	Upload 'file.txt' with content v1	Enabled	file.txt	v1-id-123	First version stored
4	Upload 'file.txt' with content v2	Enabled	file.txt	v2-id-456	Second version stored, old version kept
5	Retrieve 'file.txt' without version ID	Enabled	file.txt	v2-id-456	Latest version returned
6	Retrieve 'file.txt' with version ID 'v1-id-123'	Enabled	file.txt	v1-id-123	First version returned
7	Delete 'file.txt' without version ID	Enabled	file.txt	Delete Marker ID	Delete marker added, object hidden but versions kept
8	Delete 'file.txt' with version ID 'v1-id-123'	Enabled	file.txt	v1-id-123	Specific version deleted, others remain

💡 Versioning keeps all versions; delete without version ID adds delete marker; delete with version ID removes that version only.

Status Tracker

Variable	Start	After Step 2	After Step 3	After Step 4	After Step 7	Final
Bucket Versioning Status	Disabled	Enabled	Enabled	Enabled	Enabled	Enabled
file.txt Versions	None	None	v1-id-123	v1-id-123, v2-id-456	v1-id-123, v2-id-456 + Delete Marker	v2-id-456 + Delete Marker
Latest Version ID	None	None	v1-id-123	v2-id-456	Delete Marker	Delete Marker

Key Moments - 3 Insights

Why does deleting an object without a version ID not remove all versions?

Because with versioning enabled, deleting without specifying a version adds a delete marker (see step 7), hiding the object but keeping all versions intact.

How can you retrieve an older version of an object?

By specifying the version ID when retrieving the object (see step 6), you get that exact version instead of the latest.

What happens if you upload a file with the same key after enabling versioning?

A new version is created and stored alongside previous versions (see step 4), so no data is lost.

Visual Quiz - 3 Questions

Look at the execution table, what is the bucket versioning status after step 3?

A Enabled

B Disabled

C Suspended

D Not set

💡 Hint

Check the 'Bucket Versioning Status' column at step 3 in the execution table.

At which step is the delete marker added to the object versions?

A Step 4

B Step 8

C Step 7

D Step 6

💡 Hint

Look for the note mentioning 'Delete Marker' in the execution table.

If versioning was not enabled, what would happen when uploading the second 'file.txt'?

A Both versions would be stored separately

B The second upload would overwrite the first without keeping versions

C An error would occur

D A delete marker would be added

💡 Hint

Refer to the concept flow and the importance of enabling versioning before uploading multiple versions.

Concept Snapshot

S3 Versioning:
- Enable versioning on a bucket to keep multiple versions of objects.
- Uploading an object with the same key creates a new version.
- Deleting without version ID adds a delete marker, hiding the object.
- Retrieve or delete specific versions by specifying version IDs.
- Versioning protects data from accidental overwrites or deletions.

Full Transcript

This visual execution shows how S3 versioning works step-by-step. First, a bucket is created without versioning. Then versioning is enabled. Uploading a file creates a version. Uploading again with the same name creates a new version, keeping the old one. Retrieving without version ID gets the latest version. Retrieving with version ID gets that specific version. Deleting without version ID adds a delete marker, hiding the object but keeping versions. Deleting with version ID removes that version only. This protects data from accidental loss.