What is a bucket?
A bucket is a named container for files in cloud storage. It's like a top-level folder with its own address, permissions and settings. You create one in your provider's dashboard, and your files sit inside it. Names follow rules, and on many providers a name is shared by everyone.
How files are stored
Files in a bucket are called objects, and each has a key, which is its full path, like wp-content/uploads/2026/photo.jpg. There aren't real folders: slashes in the key only look like them in the dashboard.
What you choose when you create one
- The name: usually 3 to 63 lowercase letters, digits and hyphens. See bucket name rules.
- The region: where the files live. It usually can't be changed later.
- Public access: whether visitors can read files. It's normally off to begin with.
One bucket or many?
One bucket per site is simplest. A key limited to it can't reach anything else, so a leak on one site doesn't touch another.
How Offloft handles this
Offloft works with one bucket that you own, and its files stay yours. The setup guides show how to create one for each provider.