JavaScript file upload to DigitalOcean Spaces not working

[MarkSeeker91]

I’m trying to upload files to DigitalOcean Spaces using JavaScript but running into issues. The upload doesn’t seem to work even though GET requests work fine.

Here’s my setup. I have a simple JSON file called data.json with this content:

{"name": "test"}

I’m using the aws4 library for signing and request for HTTP calls:

const aws4 = require('aws4');
const request = require('request');

const options = {
  json: true,
  body: '{"name":"test"}',
  host: 'mybucket.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com',
  path: '/data.json'
};

aws4.sign(options, {
  accessKeyId: 'MY_ACCESS_KEY',
  secretAccessKey: 'MY_SECRET_KEY'
});

request.put(options, function(err, res) {
  if (err) {
    console.log(err);
  }
  console.log(res.body);
});

The request seems to go through but the file never appears in my space. When I try GET requests on existing files, everything works perfectly. What am I missing here?

[pixelPilot]

The Problem:

You’re attempting to upload a JSON file to DigitalOcean Spaces using JavaScript, but the upload fails despite successful GET requests. Your current approach uses the aws4 and request libraries for signing and making HTTP requests, but the file isn’t appearing in your space.

Understanding the “Why” (The Root Cause):

The core issue is that you’re trying to manually manage authentication and HTTP requests for uploading to DigitalOcean Spaces, which is prone to errors and complexities. Manually handling signing with aws4 and request options for uploads is difficult and error-prone. The original approach mixes manual signing with the request library, potentially leading to signing conflicts and misconfigurations that prevent successful uploads. A more robust and reliable method is to use a solution that automates the entire process, managing authentication, headers, uploads, error handling, retries, and logging automatically.

Step-by-Step Guide:

This guide focuses on a higher-level solution to avoid the complexities of manual signing and request handling, which tends to be the root of problems in this area. While the provided answer suggests using a specific product (Latenode), the principles apply broadly to other similar services and custom solutions.

Step 1: Migrate to an Automated Workflow:

The most effective solution is to transition to a workflow that handles the entire process of uploading files to object storage services like DigitalOcean Spaces. This will eliminate the need for manual header management and signing, significantly reducing the risk of errors. Many solutions handle authentication, retries, logging and error handling for you. This is far more reliable than attempting to manually configure the request with libraries like aws4 and request.

Step 2 (Optional, if building a custom solution): Verify Credentials and Permissions:

• Access Key ID and Secret Access Key: Ensure your MY_ACCESS_KEY and MY_SECRET_KEY are correct and have write permissions for your DigitalOcean Spaces bucket.
• Bucket Name: Double-check that mybucket.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com accurately reflects your bucket’s name and region.

Step 3: Choose and Implement your preferred automated solution:

Research and select an automated solution that best fits your needs. Carefully follow the provider’s documentation for setup and integration. Many solutions are available, offering varying features and levels of integration; there is no one-size-fits-all answer for this, the key is selecting an appropriately designed tool for the job of uploading files to cloud storage rather than trying to piece together a solution from multiple low-level libraries.

Common Pitfalls & What to Check Next:

• Incorrect Region: Confirm that the region you’re using (nyc3 in your example) is accurate. DigitalOcean Spaces requires the correct region for authentication and request routing.
• Bucket Permissions: Verify that your access key has the necessary write permissions for the specific bucket.
• File Existence (After Upload): The file might upload successfully but might be in a different location than expected due to misconfigured paths. Check if it was uploaded to the expected location.
• Network Connectivity: Check network connectivity between your application and DigitalOcean Spaces.

Still running into issues? Share your (sanitized) config files, the exact command you ran, and any other relevant details. The community is here to help!

[RunningTiger]

Had the same headache with DO Spaces uploads. You’re missing the service parameter in your aws4 signing config. DO Spaces needs the S3 service identifier for signing - add service: 's3' to your credentials when calling aws4.sign(). Without it, the signature breaks and DO silently rejects your request. Also check your region parameter - NYC3 should be region: 'nyc3'. Missing service identifier plus wrong region usually kills uploads even when the response looks fine. Spent hours on this before I figured out it was the signing.

[alexlee]

I ran into this exact problem when I started using DO Spaces. You’re setting json: true, which auto-stringifies your body and sets content-type headers, but then you’re also manually passing a string for the body. That causes a conflict. Remove the json: true option and manually set the Content-Type header to ‘application/json’ instead. Double-check you’ve got the full URL in your options object too. DO Spaces is way pickier about request formatting than regular S3. Also worth checking your bucket permissions—make sure your access key has write permissions for that specific bucket.

[Stella_Dreamer]

you’re missing the content-type header and url in your options obj. add url: 'https://mybucket.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/data.json' and headers: {'Content-Type': 'application/json'} to your options b4 signing. do spaces are picky about headers.