Vault: S3-compatible off-site backup
One S3 endpoint in the UK that your NAS, your servers and your cPanel boxes can already talk to. No agent, no minimum storage duration, and free downloads of three times what you store each month.
The values every tool asks for
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| Endpoint / server address | https://s3.cloudbox.biz (some tools want just s3.cloudbox.biz) |
| Region | uk-1 — if the tool has no region field, leave it; the gateway accepts the default |
| Signature | Version 4 (V4) |
| Addressing | Path-style (s3.cloudbox.biz/bucket/key). Bucket-in-hostname addressing is not available yet. |
| Access key ID | CBX… from the Backup tab → Create access key |
| Secret access key | shown once when the key is created |
| Bucket | created in the Backup tab; lowercase letters, digits and hyphens, no dots |
| TLS | Yes — a normal public certificate, so leave certificate validation on |
Set it up
- Open your dashboard → Backup → Start free.
- Create access key. The secret is shown once — paste it into your backup software now.
- Create bucket. Lowercase letters, digits and hyphens only; no dots. Tick Object Lock only if your software needs write-once storage (Veeam does; Hyper Backup, HBS 3 and restic do not — locked objects cannot be rotated away until their retention ends).
- Enter the endpoint, region, key and bucket in your tool, run a backup, and test a restore once.
Limits and what happens at them
- Storage. 10 GB free. When a plan is full, new uploads are refused with
QuotaExceeded; nothing is deleted, and reads and deletes keep working. Switch on auto-expand in the Backup tab to move up a tier automatically instead (paid plans only; we email the price before anything changes). - Downloads. Free up to 3× what you store per month (1× on the free tier). Past that, object downloads slow to about 0.5 MB/s until the 1st. Uploads, listings and deletes are never limited.
- Objects. Standard S3: multipart uploads (parts 5 MB–5 GB),
DeleteObjectsbatches, versioning and Object Lock. Bucket names: 3–62 characters, lowercase, digits, hyphens. - Speed. Tens of MB/s per client; parallel connections help.
Retention is yours to control
Vault never deletes your objects. Retention, versions and rotation are decided by your backup software:
Hyper Backup's rotation, HBS 3's versioning, restic's forget --prune. Because there is no minimum
storage duration, a rotated-away backup stops costing you the moment it is deleted.
Questions
What is CloudBox Vault?
S3-compatible object storage in the UK, priced per TB with no minimum storage duration, built for off-site backup from NAS boxes, servers and cPanel hosts. Anything that can write to S3 can write to Vault.
How much does it cost?
10 GB is free. Paid plans are £8.99 per TB per month from 1 TB, with volume rates from 10 TB. There is no minimum storage duration and no charge for deleting. Paid plans are not open for purchase yet; the free tier is live.
Is there a download (egress) charge?
No charge. Each month you can download up to three times what you store at full speed (once on the free tier). Past that, object downloads are slowed to about 0.5 MB/s until the 1st; uploads, listings and deletes are never limited, and nothing is charged.
What happens when my plan is full?
New uploads are refused with an S3 QuotaExceeded error until you free space or move up a plan. Nothing already stored is deleted, and downloads and deletes keep working. You get one email when it happens and one when uploads resume. Auto-expand, if you switch it on, moves you up a tier instead.
Does Vault encrypt my backups?
Vault stores what your software sends. Hyper Backup, HBS 3, restic and Veeam all encrypt on your side before upload with a password only you hold, which makes the backup zero-knowledge for free; use that option. Objects are stored on UK hardware we own.
Can I use bucket.s3.cloudbox.biz style addresses?
Not yet. Use path-style addressing (s3.cloudbox.biz/bucket). Bucket-in-hostname addressing needs a wildcard certificate that is being arranged; this page will say when it is live.