Automatically replicate your S3 bucket to Simple Proof for immutable timestamping on the Bitcoin blockchain via OpenTimestamp.
This guide shows you how to set up S3 bucket replication to Simple Proof for automatic timestamping on Bitcoin blockchain via OpenTimestamp.
Reference Tutorial: This guide follows the AWS tutorial: How to Enable S3 Replication Across Different AWS Accounts
Overview
You will replicate your S3 bucket to a Simple Proof destination bucket in our AWS account. This requires two email exchanges: first to get our account details, then to provide us with your IAM role ARN so we can configure the destination bucket policy.
Prerequisites
- AWS account with S3 access
- Existing S3 source bucket with versioning enabled
- Email access to contact Simple Proof
Step 1: Request Simple Proof Account Details
📧 First Email to: [email protected]
Subject: S3 Replication Setup - Account ID and Destination Bucket Request
Dear Simple Proof Team,
I want to set up S3 bucket replication for blockchain timestamping.
My Source Bucket Details:
- Bucket Name: [your-source-bucket-name]
- Region: [e.g., us-east-1]
- My AWS Account ID: [your-12-digit-account-id]
Please provide:
- Simple Proof AWS Account ID
- Destination bucket name and region
I will create the IAM replication role and send you the ARN in a follow-up email.
Best regards,
[Your Name]
[Your Email]
⏳ Wait for Simple Proof response before proceeding to Step 2.
Step 2: Create IAM Replication Role
After receiving Simple Proof's account details, create the IAM role:
2.1 Enable Versioning (if not already enabled)
- Go to your source S3 bucket
- Click Properties tab
- Find Bucket Versioning → Edit
- Select Enable → Save changes
2.2 Create Replication Rule
- In your source bucket, go to Management tab
- Find Replication rules → Create replication rule
Rule Configuration:
- Rule name:
SimpleProof-Replication
- Status: Enabled
Source:
- Apply to all objects in the bucket (recommended)
Destination:
- Destination type: Specify a bucket in another account
- Account ID: [Use Simple Proof Account ID from their email]
- Bucket name: [Use bucket name from Simple Proof email]
- Storage class: Use same storage class
IAM Role:
- Create new role (AWS will automatically create it)
- Save the replication rule
2.3 Get the IAM Role ARN
- After saving, go back to Management → Replication rules
- Click on your
SimpleProof-Replication
rule - Copy the IAM Role ARN (it looks like:
arn:aws:iam::123456789012:role/service-role/replication-role-...
)
Step 3: Send IAM Role ARN to Simple Proof
📧 Second Email to: [email protected]
Subject: S3 Replication - IAM Role ARN for Bucket Policy
Dear Simple Proof Team,
I have created the S3 replication rule as requested.
IAM Role ARN: [paste the complete ARN here]
Source Bucket: [your-source-bucket-name]
Destination: [simple-proof-bucket-name]
Please configure the destination bucket policy with this ARN to enable replication.
Best regards,
[Your Name]
⏳ Wait for Simple Proof confirmation that the bucket policy has been configured.
Step 4: Test Replication
Once Simple Proof confirms the setup:
- Upload a test file to your source bucket
- Wait 2-3 minutes for replication
- Contact Simple Proof to confirm the file was received and timestamped
📋 Replication Behavior:
- Only new objects uploaded after setup will replicate
- Existing objects are NOT automatically replicated
- All replicated objects will be automatically timestamped on Bitcoin blockchain
Verification Checklist
- First email sent: Requested Simple Proof account ID and bucket name
- Received Simple Proof details: Account ID and destination bucket
- Versioning enabled: On source bucket
- Replication rule created: Pointing to Simple Proof account/bucket
- IAM Role ARN copied: From replication rule details
- Second email sent: Provided IAM Role ARN to Simple Proof
- Simple Proof confirmation: Bucket policy configured
- Test completed: Sample file uploaded and replicated
- Timestamping verified: Confirmed with Simple Proof
Troubleshooting
Replication not working:
- Verify versioning is enabled on source bucket
- Confirm you used correct Simple Proof account ID and bucket name
- Check that Simple Proof has configured the bucket policy
Can't find IAM Role ARN:
- Go to source bucket → Management → Replication rules
- Click on your replication rule to see role details
- Copy the complete ARN including
arn:aws:iam::
Permission errors:
- Contact Simple Proof - they need to update bucket policy with your ARN
- Verify the ARN you sent is complete and correct
Support
- Simple Proof Support:
[email protected]
- AWS S3 Documentation: Cross-Account Replication
Summary
Two-Email Process:
- Email 1: Request Simple Proof account ID and destination bucket
- Email 2: Send your IAM role ARN for bucket policy configuration
🎯 Result: Automatic S3 replication with Bitcoin blockchain timestamping via OpenTimestamp!