Step 1: Create the Storage Bucket

The storage bucket is where files will be uploaded. It’s also the source of events that trigger our function.

What is a Storage Bucket?

A bucket is a container for files. Think of it like a folder in the cloud:

• You can upload files to it
• Files have names and paths
• You can organize files in folders
• Access can be public or private

Bucket Properties

When creating a bucket, you’ll configure:

Region - Where the bucket is stored geographically

• Choose a region close to you (lower latency)
• Or close to your users (better performance)
• Common choices: US East, EU West, Asia Pacific

Access Level - Who can access files

• Private: Only you (and your functions) can access
• Public: Anyone with the URL can access
• For this tutorial: Keep it private

Naming - Bucket names must be unique globally

• AWS S3: Globally unique across all AWS accounts
• Azure: Unique within your subscription
• GCP: Globally unique across all GCP projects

Create Bucket: AWS (S3)

Using AWS Console

1. Go to AWS Console
2. Navigate to S3 service
3. Click Create bucket
4. Enter bucket name (e.g., my-notifications-bucket-2025)
5. Select region (e.g., us-east-1)
6. Block Public Access: Keep enabled (private bucket)
7. Click Create bucket

Using AWS CLI

# Install AWS CLI (if not installed)
# macOS: brew install awscli
# Linux: pip install awscli
# Windows: Download from aws.amazon.com/cli

# Configure credentials
aws configure

# Create bucket
aws s3 mb s3://my-notifications-bucket-2025 --region us-east-1

# Verify bucket created
aws s3 ls

# Install Azure CLI (if not installed)
# macOS: brew install azure-cli
# Linux: curl -sL https://aka.ms/InstallAzureCLIDeb | sudo bash
# Windows: Download from azure.microsoft.com/cli

# Login
az login

# Create resource group (if needed)
az group create --name notifications-rg --location eastus

# Create storage account
az storage account create \
--name mynotifications2025 \
--resource-group notifications-rg \
--location eastus \
--sku Standard_LRS

# Create blob container
az storage container create \
--name uploads \
--account-name mynotifications2025 \
--auth-mode login

# Install gcloud CLI (if not installed)
# macOS: brew install google-cloud-sdk
# Linux: curl https://sdk.cloud.google.com | bash
# Windows: Download from cloud.google.com/sdk

# Initialize and login
gcloud init
gcloud auth login

# Create bucket
gsutil mb -p my-project-id -c STANDARD -l us-east1 gs://my-notifications-bucket-2025

# Verify bucket created
gsutil ls

Create Bucket: Azure (Blob Storage)

Using Azure Portal

1. Go to Azure Portal
2. Click Create a resource → Storage account
3. Fill in details:
   • Subscription: Your subscription
   • Resource group: Create new or use existing
   • Storage account name: mynotifications2025 (lowercase, numbers only)
   • Region: Choose closest to you
   • Performance: Standard
   • Redundancy: LRS (Locally Redundant Storage)
4. Click Review + create → Create

Create Container

After storage account is created:

1. Go to your storage account
2. Click Containers in left menu
3. Click + Container
4. Name: uploads
5. Public access level: Private
6. Click Create

Create Bucket: GCP (Cloud Storage)

Using GCP Console

1. Go to GCP Console
2. Navigate to Cloud Storage → Buckets
3. Click Create bucket
4. Enter bucket name (e.g., my-notifications-bucket-2025)
5. Choose location type: Region
6. Select region (e.g., us-east1)
7. Storage class: Standard
8. Access control: Uniform
9. Public access: Prevent public access
10. Click Create

Bucket Structure (Optional)

You can organize files in folders:

bucket-name/
├── incoming/          # New uploads
├── processed/         # After processing
└── archive/           # Old files

For this tutorial, we’ll keep it simple and use the root of the bucket.

Verify Bucket Creation

Test that your bucket works:

# List buckets
aws s3 ls

# Upload a test file
echo "Hello, World!" > test.txt
aws s3 cp test.txt s3://my-notifications-bucket-2025/

# List files in bucket
aws s3 ls s3://my-notifications-bucket-2025/

# Delete test file
aws s3 rm s3://my-notifications-bucket-2025/test.txt

# List containers
az storage container list \
--account-name mynotifications2025 \
--auth-mode login

# Upload a test file
echo "Hello, World!" > test.txt
az storage blob upload \
--account-name mynotifications2025 \
--container-name uploads \
--name test.txt \
--file test.txt \
--auth-mode login

# List files
az storage blob list \
--account-name mynotifications2025 \
--container-name uploads \
--auth-mode login

# Delete test file
az storage blob delete \
--account-name mynotifications2025 \
--container-name uploads \
--name test.txt \
--auth-mode login

# List buckets
gsutil ls

# Upload a test file
echo "Hello, World!" > test.txt
gsutil cp test.txt gs://my-notifications-bucket-2025/

# List files in bucket
gsutil ls gs://my-notifications-bucket-2025/

# Delete test file
gsutil rm gs://my-notifications-bucket-2025/test.txt

Important Settings

Keep It Private

For this tutorial, keep your bucket private:

• Only you (and your functions) can access files
• Prevents unauthorized access
• More secure for real applications

Region Selection

Choose a region based on:

• Your location: Lower latency for you
• Your users: Better performance for them
• Cost: Some regions are cheaper
• Compliance: Some data must stay in specific regions

Naming Best Practices

Good bucket names:

• my-notifications-bucket-2025
• company-uploads-prod
• project-name-storage

Avoid:

• Generic names like bucket1 (might be taken)
• Special characters (some providers don’t allow)
• Uppercase letters (some providers require lowercase)

Checklist

Before moving to the next page:

• Bucket created in your cloud provider
• Region selected (note which one you chose)
• Access level reviewed (should be private)
• Bucket name saved (you’ll need it later)
• Test upload successful (verified bucket works)

What’s Next?

Now that you have a storage bucket, let’s write the serverless function. In the next page, you’ll create code that receives events and processes file information.