GetBucketLifecycleConfiguration

GetBucketLifecycleConfiguration returns a bucket's lifecycle configuration: the rules that expire current object versions, delete noncurrent versions and abort incomplete multipart uploads. They are the same rules the dashboard shows and edits, whichever way they were set. The deprecated GetBucketLifecycle sends exactly the same request, so this operation is the better choice. Lifecycle policies explains what the rules do.

Good to know on STRG

A rule that expires current versions reads back as two rules: yours, and a companion rule on the same prefix with the ID <your ID>_marker, which tidies away expired delete markers.
Rules hold the three actions STRG offers - Expiration, NoncurrentVersionExpiration and AbortIncompleteMultipartUpload - each filtered by key prefix.
x-amz-expected-bucket-owner is welcome and has nothing to check: a key only ever reaches buckets of its own account.

When you'd use it

Changing one rule among several. A lifecycle configuration is always replaced as a whole, so a deploy script that adds a rule for a new tmp/ prefix first reads the current rules, adds its own, and sends the full set back with PutBucketLifecycleConfiguration.
Keeping storage costs in check. Every version of every object is billed as stored data, so a nightly audit can read each bucket's rules and flag any bucket without a NoncurrentVersionExpiration rule.
Settings kept in code. An infrastructure tool that manages bucket settings reads the current rules to compare them with what it expects, and only writes when they differ.

Request

GET /?lifecycle HTTP/1.1
Host: my-bucket.s3.eu-central-1.strg.com
Authorization: AWS4-HMAC-SHA256 Credential=...
x-amz-date: 20260926T120000Z
x-amz-content-sha256: e3b0c44298fc1c149afbf4c8996fb92427ae41e4649b934ca495991b7852b855

Path-style, the same request is GET /my-bucket?lifecycle on s3.eu-central-1.strg.com. Addressing in the S3 API overview has both styles.

Permissions

The access key needs Read lifecycle rules (bucket-lifecycle:read). A key limited to certain buckets works too, as long as this bucket is one of them. A key prefix does not narrow this operation, because the configuration belongs to the whole bucket. Access keys has every permission.

URI parameters

Name	Type	Required	Description
`Bucket`	String	Yes	The bucket whose lifecycle configuration is read.
`lifecycle`	Flag	Yes	Selects the lifecycle subresource. Sent without a value.

STRG answers 501 NotImplemented to any other query parameter, so a client knows straight away. The X-Amz-* parameters of a presigned URL and the x-id parameter the JavaScript SDK adds are welcome.

Request headers

Name	Type	Required	Description
`x-amz-expected-bucket-owner`	String	No	Welcome, with nothing to check: an access key only ever reaches its own account's buckets.

Request body

None.

Response

A bucket with lifecycle rules answers 200 OK with the configuration. A bucket without any answers 404 NoSuchLifecycleConfiguration.

Response headers

Name	Description
`x-amz-request-id`	The request ID, useful in a support request.
`x-amz-transition-default-minimum-object-size`	Relates to storage-class transitions, which STRG has no use for, so this header carries no meaning for a STRG bucket.

Response body

A LifecycleConfiguration element holding one Rule element per rule.

Element	Description
`Rule`	One lifecycle rule.
`Rule/ID`	The rule's ID. The ID set with PutBucketLifecycleConfiguration is kept, including across a save in the dashboard. A rule added in the dashboard gets a generated ID.
`Rule/Filter/Prefix`	The key prefix the rule applies to. Empty means every object in the bucket. A rule set with an empty `Filter` reads back with an empty `Prefix`.
`Rule/Status`	`Enabled`.
`Rule/Expiration/Days`	Days after creation when the current version of an object becomes a noncurrent version (a delete marker is placed on top of it).
`Rule/Expiration/ExpiredObjectDeleteMarker`	`true`, on the companion rule only - described below.
`Rule/NoncurrentVersionExpiration/NoncurrentDays`	Days after a version becomes noncurrent when it is permanently deleted.
`Rule/AbortIncompleteMultipartUpload/DaysAfterInitiation`	Days after a multipart upload starts when it is aborted if not completed.

The S3 elements for other kinds of rule - Transition, NoncurrentVersionTransition, Expiration/Date, NewerNoncurrentVersions, tag and object-size filters, And - never appear. STRG keeps lifecycle rules to the three actions above, and PutBucketLifecycleConfiguration answers the others with 501 NotImplemented.

The companion rule. Every rule with Expiration/Days is followed by a second rule on the same prefix, with the ID <ID>_marker and Expiration/ExpiredObjectDeleteMarker set to true, which removes a delete marker once no versions remain beneath it. STRG adds it when the rules are saved. There is no need to send it back with PutBucketLifecycleConfiguration: STRG adds it again.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<LifecycleConfiguration xmlns="http://s3.amazonaws.com/doc/2006-03-01/">
  <Rule>
    <ID>expire-logs</ID>
    <Filter>
      <Prefix>logs/</Prefix>
    </Filter>
    <Status>Enabled</Status>
    <Expiration>
      <Days>30</Days>
    </Expiration>
    <NoncurrentVersionExpiration>
      <NoncurrentDays>7</NoncurrentDays>
    </NoncurrentVersionExpiration>
    <AbortIncompleteMultipartUpload>
      <DaysAfterInitiation>1</DaysAfterInitiation>
    </AbortIncompleteMultipartUpload>
  </Rule>
  <Rule>
    <ID>expire-logs_marker</ID>
    <Filter>
      <Prefix>logs/</Prefix>
    </Filter>
    <Status>Enabled</Status>
    <Expiration>
      <ExpiredObjectDeleteMarker>true</ExpiredObjectDeleteMarker>
    </Expiration>
  </Rule>
</LifecycleConfiguration>

Errors

These are the answers a client can get instead of 200, and the situation behind each.

Code	HTTP status	When
`NoSuchLifecycleConfiguration`	404	The bucket has no lifecycle rules.
`NoSuchBucket`	404	The bucket does not exist, it is in a region other than the endpoint's, or the account stores nothing in this endpoint's region yet.
`AccessDenied`	403	The access key does not hold Read lifecycle rules, the bucket is outside its scope, or the account is not active.
`InvalidAccessKeyId`	403	The access key does not exist, has expired or has been revoked - or it was created moments ago and is not yet usable in this region, where the account already stores data. A retry a moment later succeeds.
`SignatureDoesNotMatch`	403	The request signature does not match.
`RequestTimeTooSkewed`	403	The request time is more than 15 minutes from the server's.
`AuthorizationHeaderMalformed`	400	The signature's credential scope names a region other than the endpoint's.
`NotImplemented`	501	The request carries a query parameter this operation does not take.
`SlowDown`	503	Too many requests at once. A retry after the `Retry-After` interval goes through.
`ServiceUnavailable`	503	A temporary failure. A retry of the same request is safe.

Differences from Amazon S3

Aspect	Amazon S3	STRG
Expiration rules	Returned as sent	Each rule with `Expiration/Days` is followed by a companion `<ID>_marker` rule with `ExpiredObjectDeleteMarker`. A script can skip it, or leave it out before sending the rules back - STRG adds it again either way
Rule contents	Transitions, dates, tag and size filters, `NewerNoncurrentVersions`	`Expiration/Days`, `NoncurrentVersionExpiration/NoncurrentDays` and `AbortIncompleteMultipartUpload`, filtered by prefix - three actions that cover expiring data, old versions and abandoned uploads
Bucket in another region	`301` redirect with `x-amz-bucket-region`	`404 NoSuchBucket`, also when the account stores nothing in the endpoint's region. The bucket's own regional endpoint reaches it
`x-amz-expected-bucket-owner`	Checked against the bucket owner	Welcome, with nothing to check: a key only reaches its own account's buckets

Examples

Reading the lifecycle rules of my-bucket:

AWS CLI
Python (boto3)
JavaScript (AWS SDK v3)

aws s3api get-bucket-lifecycle-configuration \
  --bucket my-bucket \
  --endpoint-url https://s3.eu-central-1.strg.com \
  --region eu-central-1

For a bucket without rules, the command ends with NoSuchLifecycleConfiguration.

import boto3

s3 = boto3.client(
    "s3",
    endpoint_url="https://s3.eu-central-1.strg.com",
    region_name="eu-central-1",
)

try:
    rules = s3.get_bucket_lifecycle_configuration(Bucket="my-bucket")["Rules"]
except s3.exceptions.ClientError as error:
    if error.response["Error"]["Code"] != "NoSuchLifecycleConfiguration":
        raise
    rules = []

# The companion rules STRG adds to every expiration rule are skipped.
for rule in rules:
    if rule.get("Expiration", {}).get("ExpiredObjectDeleteMarker"):
        continue
    print(rule["ID"], rule["Filter"].get("Prefix", ""))

import { GetBucketLifecycleConfigurationCommand, S3Client } from "@aws-sdk/client-s3";

const client = new S3Client({
  endpoint: "https://s3.eu-central-1.strg.com",
  region: "eu-central-1",
});

let rules = [];
try {
  const output = await client.send(
    new GetBucketLifecycleConfigurationCommand({ Bucket: "my-bucket" }),
  );
  rules = output.Rules ?? [];
} catch (error) {
  if (error.name !== "NoSuchLifecycleConfiguration") throw error;
}

// The companion rules STRG adds to every expiration rule are skipped.
for (const rule of rules) {
  if (rule.Expiration?.ExpiredObjectDeleteMarker) continue;
  console.log(rule.ID, rule.Filter?.Prefix ?? "");
}

View as Markdown

When you'd use it​

Request​

Permissions​

URI parameters​

Request headers​

Request body​

Response​

Response headers​

Response body​

Errors​

Differences from Amazon S3​

Examples​

Related​