How to Make MinIO temporaryUrl() Work in Laravel

Laravel’s Storage::disk('s3')->temporaryUrl() method generates signed URLs for private files stored in MinIO, an S3-compatible object storage. When running MinIO inside Docker, you need a proper setup to ensure the signed URLs work seamlessly.

This guide provides a minimal and effective configuration for integrating Laravel with MinIO.

🔹 Step 1: Set a Stable Container Name

Modify your MinIO service in docker-compose.yml to set a fixed container name:

minio:
  image: "minio/minio:latest"
  ports:
    - "9000:9000"
    - "8900:8900"
  container_name: dev.minio.example.com
  environment:
    MINIO_ROOT_USER: "example"
    MINIO_ROOT_PASSWORD: "password"
  volumes:
    - "example-minio:/data/minio"
  networks:
    - example-network
  command: minio server /data/minio --console-address ":8900"

Why does this work?

• Setting container_name: dev.minio.example.com ensures that Laravel can always reach MinIO inside Docker.
• This setup eliminates the need for VIRTUAL_HOST, VIRTUAL_PORT, or network aliases.

🔹 Step 2: Update /etc/hosts for Local Access

On your local machine, add the following entry to /etc/hosts (Linux/macOS) or C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts (Windows):

127.0.0.1 dev.minio.example.com

This entry ensures that when you access http://dev.minio.example.com, it correctly points to your local MinIO instance.

🔹 Step 3: Generate MinIO Credentials

Instead of using the default credentials, generate a new access key from the MinIO console (default URL: http://localhost:8900):

1. Open the MinIO Console: http://localhost:8900
2. Log in with:
   • Username: example
   • Password: password
3. Navigate to Identity > Users.
4. Click “Create User” and generate:
   • AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID
   • AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY
5. Assign read and write policies to the user.

🔹 Step 4: Configure Laravel

Update your .env file with the new MinIO credentials and the correct AWS_URL:

AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID=your_generated_access_key
AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY=your_generated_secret_key
AWS_DEFAULT_REGION=us-east-1
AWS_BUCKET=test-storage
AWS_URL=http://dev.marketplace-api.example.com:9000/test-storage
AWS_ENDPOINT=http://dev.minio.example.com:9000
AWS_USE_PATH_STYLE_ENDPOINT=true

Explanation:

After updating the .env file, clear Laravel’s configuration and cache:

php artisan config:clear
php artisan cache:clear

🔹 Step 5: Generate a Temporary URL in Laravel

Now you can generate a temporary signed URL in Laravel:

use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Storage;
use Carbon\Carbon;

$filePath = 'documents/sample.pdf';
$expiration = Carbon::now()->addMinutes(60); // URL expires in 1 hour

$url = Storage::disk('s3')->temporaryUrl($filePath, $expiration);

return response()->json(['temporary_url' => $url]);

🎯 Summary

✔ Set a fixed MinIO container name in docker-compose.yml
✔ Update /etc/hosts to map MinIO to 127.0.0.1
✔ Generate AWS credentials from MinIO console (localhost:8900)
✔ Set AWS_URL as your_application_url:minioport/bucketname
✔ Use Storage::disk('s3')->temporaryUrl() to generate signed URLs

Your Laravel app is now fully integrated with MinIO for temporary signed URLs! This setup not only simplifies your configuration but also paves the way for a robust, scalable storage solution. Keep pushing forward, and happy coding! 🚀🚀