1. Introduction

In this guide we will mount StoreWise S3(AWS S3 compatible REST API) as a remote disk and synchronize our files to the decentralized cloud. Files are encrypted and stored on the Sia network (blockchain based cloud storage). Furthermore we will have a look at how we can share files stored in our mounted disk. To get started we should create a StoreWise account if we don’t have one already. To do this please read our last medium post here or sign-up directly here. StoreWise offers a free 14 day trial with 5 GB of storage so everything described here is free.

2. Creating a public bucket

If we want to share files from our mounted disk to other users we have to create a public bucket. To create a public bucket we have to enter our S3 dashboard and click on ‘Create a new bucket’.

Creating a public bucket

We can now enter a bucket name of our choice and select ‘Public read’. The bucket we created here is going to be the place where we move our files that we want to sync and/or share. Note however that if we don’t wish to share any files we can set Access control to ‘Private’. It is also possible to create multiple buckets with different access policies!

3. Mounting disk

First we have to get Mountain Duck and install it. Note that you can use different compatible applications too.

Installing Mountain Duck

Once Mountain Duck is installed right-click on the tray icon and press ‘Open Connection…’. In ‘Nickname’ we place the drive name, this can be anything we’d like. Next in ‘Server’ place the API endpoint address ‘sias3.goobox.io’. The Access key and Secret key can be taken from the StoreWise ‘Credentials’ section on the S3 dashboard.

Setting up the connection to Goobox

Once all details are entered we can click on ‘Connect’. If the connection is successful the mounted disk should be shown in the finder or windows explorer.

If we right-click on Mountain Duck we can see that the disk status is green and connected.

Within the finder the bucket is listed with the cloud overlay, this is our public bucket!

Mounted drive with created bucket.

When we upload a file to the bucket (e.g. drag-and-drop) the overlay will first mark as ‘uploading’ after which it will go to green.

File uploaded and Sync’d within the created bucket.

4. Sharing a file

To share the file simply right click on it → ‘Copy URL’ → ‘HTTPS URL’. That’s it! You can now share this link with the world.

To test if it works you can try and download my file above with this URL! (https://sias3.goobox.io/goobox/fireworks.png)

Note that sharing only works for public buckets ;)

5. Conclusion

This was a short guide on how to create your own Goobox mounted drive and share a file within it to the world. Mountain Duck is a quite extensive piece of software and there are a lot of awesome features that we haven’t covered here so feel free to explore them.