> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.xloud.tech/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Upload and Manage Objects

> Upload, download, list, update, and delete objects in Xloud Object Storage containers using the Dashboard and CLI. Includes metadata and bulk operations.

## Overview

Objects are the files stored within your containers. Each object has a name, payload,
content type, and optional custom metadata. Objects can be any size — files over 5 GB
require the Large Object mechanism (see [Large Objects](/services/object-storage/large-objects)).

<Note>
  **Prerequisites**

  * An active Xloud account with appropriate permissions
  * Access to the **Xloud Dashboard** or CLI configured with credentials
  * API credentials sourced (`source openrc.sh`)
</Note>

<Note>
  A container must exist before objects can be uploaded. See
  [Create a Container](/services/object-storage/create-container) to provision one.
</Note>

***

## Upload Objects

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Dashboard" icon="gauge">
    <Steps titleSize="h3">
      <Step title="Open the container">
        Navigate to **Storage > Object Storage** and click the container name.
      </Step>

      <Step title="Upload files">
        Click **Upload File** and select the file from your local filesystem. For multiple
        files, use the **Upload Folder** option to upload directory contents recursively.

        <Tip>
          Set custom metadata during upload by expanding the **Custom Metadata** section.
          Add key-value pairs for tagging, workflow state, or application-specific properties.
        </Tip>
      </Step>

      <Step title="Confirm upload">
        Uploaded objects appear in the container file browser with their size and last
        modified timestamp.

        <Check>Object is listed in the container with the correct file size.</Check>
      </Step>
    </Steps>
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="CLI" icon="terminal">
    <CodeGroup>
      ```bash title="Upload a single file" theme={null}
      openstack object create app-backups backup-2025-03-18.tar.gz
      ```

      ```bash title="Upload with custom metadata" theme={null}
      openstack object create \
        --property backup-type=daily \
        --property retention-days=90 \
        app-backups backup-2025-03-18.tar.gz
      ```

      ```bash title="Upload all files from a directory" theme={null}
      for f in /backups/*.gz; do
        openstack object create app-backups "$f"
      done
      ```
    </CodeGroup>
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

***

## Download Objects

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Dashboard" icon="gauge">
    Navigate to the container, click the object name, and click **Download**.
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="CLI" icon="terminal">
    ```bash title="Download an object" theme={null}
    openstack object save app-backups backup-2025-03-18.tar.gz
    ```

    ```bash title="Download to a specific path" theme={null}
    openstack object save \
      --file /tmp/backup-restore.tar.gz \
      app-backups backup-2025-03-18.tar.gz
    ```
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

***

## List and Inspect Objects

<CodeGroup>
  ```bash title="List objects in a container" theme={null}
  openstack object list app-backups
  ```

  ```bash title="Show object metadata" theme={null}
  openstack object show app-backups backup-2025-03-18.tar.gz
  ```

  ```bash title="List with long format (size, date)" theme={null}
  openstack object list app-backups --long
  ```

  ```bash title="Filter by prefix" theme={null}
  openstack object list app-backups --prefix backup-2025
  ```
</CodeGroup>

***

## Generate Temporary URLs

Temporary URLs provide time-limited access to objects without requiring authentication
tokens — useful for sharing objects with external parties.

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Setup temp URL key" icon="key">
    First, configure a temporary URL signing key on the account:

    ```bash title="Set temporary URL key" theme={null}
    openstack object store account set \
      --property Temp-URL-Key=$(openssl rand -hex 32)
    ```

    Store this key securely — it is required to generate all temporary URLs.
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Generate a temp URL" icon="link">
    ```bash title="Generate a 1-hour temporary download URL" theme={null}
    openstack object create app-backups backup.tar.gz  # ensure object exists

    # Using the swift CLI for temp URL generation
    swift tempurl GET 3600 \
      /v1/<account>/app-backups/backup.tar.gz \
      <temp-url-key>
    ```

    <Tip>
      Set `Temp-URL-Key-2` as a secondary key to allow key rotation without invalidating
      in-flight temporary URLs.
    </Tip>
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

***

## Delete Objects

<CodeGroup>
  ```bash title="Delete a single object" theme={null}
  openstack object delete app-backups backup-2025-03-18.tar.gz
  ```

  ```bash title="Delete multiple objects" theme={null}
  openstack object delete app-backups obj1 obj2 obj3
  ```
</CodeGroup>

***

## Next Steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Access Control" href="/services/object-storage/access-control" color="#197560">
    Configure ACLs to control who can access the container and its objects
  </Card>

  <Card title="Large Objects" href="/services/object-storage/large-objects" color="#197560">
    Upload files larger than 5 GB using SLO or DLO
  </Card>

  <Card title="Versioning" href="/services/object-storage/versioning" color="#197560">
    Protect objects from accidental overwrites with version retention
  </Card>

  <Card title="Troubleshooting" href="/services/object-storage/troubleshooting" color="#197560">
    Resolve upload failures and access errors
  </Card>
</CardGroup>