S3 offers a variety of storage classes, each optimized for different use cases and costs. S3 Explorer focuses on the most common classes so you can easily manage lifecycle transitions without leaving the browser. When you upload a new object it is stored using the Standard class by default, but you can configure rules to move objects to cheaper tiers over time.
Select your bucket from the sidebar and open the Versioning tab in the inspector panel. Below the versioning switch, you will find a table of lifecycle rules. Click Add Rule to create a new transition or expiration policy. Each rule has these labels:
Use Save to apply the lifecycle configuration. When objects meet a rule’s criteria, S3 automatically moves them to the chosen class or deletes them. While S3 Explorer does not yet support Intelligent-Tiering or Deep Archive, you can still plan cost savings by moving rarely accessed data to Glacier tiers.
The click path for setting up a lifecycle rule is: Sidebar → choose bucket → Inspector panel → Versioning tab → Add Rule. Each column in the rule editor has an inline explanation so you know exactly what it affects. For example, the Transition Class drop-down lists only the tiers supported by the app, and tooltips describe when each tier is best.
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