# Retrieving object versions from a versioning-enabled bucket
Versioning in Amazon S3 is a way of keeping multiple variants of an object in the same bucket. A simple `GET` request retrieves the current version of an object. The following figure shows how `GET` returns the current version of the object, `photo.gif`.
![\[Illustration that shows how GET returns the current version of the object.\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/AmazonS3/latest/userguide/images/versioning_GET_NoVersionID.png)
To retrieve a specific version, you have to specify its version ID. The following figure shows that a `GET versionId` request retrieves the specified version of the object (not necessarily the current one).
![\[Illustration that shows how a GET versionId request retrieves the specified version of the object.\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/AmazonS3/latest/userguide/images/versioning_GET_Versioned.png)
You can retrieve object versions in Amazon S3 using the console, AWS SDKs, or REST API.
**Note**
To access object versions older than 300 versions, you must use the AWS CLI or the object's URL.
## Using the S3 console
1. Sign in to the AWS Management Console and open the Amazon S3 console at [https://console.aws.amazon.com/s3/](https://console.aws.amazon.com/s3/).
1. In the **Buckets** list, choose the name of the bucket that contains the object.
1. In the **Objects** list, choose the name of the object.
1. Choose **Versions**.
Amazon S3 shows all the versions for the object.
1. Select the check box next to the **Version ID** for the versions that you want to retrieve.
1. Choose **Actions**, choose **Download**, and save the object.
You also can view, download, and delete object versions in the object overview panel. For more information, see [Viewing object properties in the Amazon S3 console](view-object-properties.md).
**Important**
You can undelete an object only if it was deleted as the latest (current) version. You can't undelete a previous version of an object that was deleted. For more information, see [Retaining multiple versions of objects with S3 Versioning](Versioning.md).
## Using the AWS SDKs
The examples for uploading objects in nonversioned and versioning-enabled buckets are the same. However, for versioning-enabled buckets, Amazon S3 assigns a version number. Otherwise, the version number is null.
For examples of downloading objects using AWS SDKs for Java, .NET, and PHP, see [Downloading objects](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AmazonS3/latest/userguide/download-objects.html).
For examples of listing the version of objects using AWS SDKs for .NET and Rust, see [List the version of objects in an Amazon S3 bucket](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/code-library/latest/ug/s3_example_s3_ListObjectVersions_section.html).
## Using the REST API
**To retrieve a specific object version**
1. Set `versionId` to the ID of the version of the object that you want to retrieve.
1. Send a `GET Object versionId` request.
**Example — Retrieving a versioned object**
The following request retrieves version `L4kqtJlcpXroDTDmpUMLUo` of `my-image.jpg`.
```
1. GET /my-image.jpg?versionId=L4kqtJlcpXroDTDmpUMLUo HTTP/1.1
2. Host: bucket.s3.amazonaws.com
3. Date: Wed, 28 Oct 2009 22:32:00 GMT
4. Authorization: AWS AKIAIOSFODNN7EXAMPLE:0RQf4/cRonhpaBX5sCYVf1bNRuU=
```
You can retrieve just the metadata of an object (not the content). For information, see [Retrieving the metadata of an object version](RetMetaOfObjVersion.md).
For information about restoring a previous object version, see [Restoring previous versions](RestoringPreviousVersions.md).
# Retrieving the metadata of an object version
If you only want to retrieve the metadata of an object (and not its content), you use the `HEAD` operation. By default, you get the metadata of the most recent version. To retrieve the metadata of a specific object version, you specify its version ID.
**To retrieve the metadata of an object version**
1. Set `versionId` to the ID of the version of the object whose metadata you want to retrieve.
1. Send a `HEAD Object versionId` request.
**Example — Retrieving the metadata of a versioned object**
The following request retrieves the metadata of version `3HL4kqCxf3vjVBH40Nrjfkd` of `my-image.jpg`.
```
1. HEAD /my-image.jpg?versionId=3HL4kqCxf3vjVBH40Nrjfkd HTTP/1.1
2. Host: bucket.s3.amazonaws.com
3. Date: Wed, 28 Oct 2009 22:32:00 GMT
4. Authorization: AWS AKIAIOSFODNN7EXAMPLE:0RQf4/cRonhpaBX5sCYVf1bNRuU=
```
The following shows a sample response.
```
1. HTTP/1.1 200 OK
2. x-amz-id-2: ef8yU9AS1ed4OpIszj7UDNEHGran
3. x-amz-request-id: 318BC8BC143432E5
4. x-amz-version-id: 3HL4kqtJlcpXroDTDmjVBH40Nrjfkd
5. Date: Wed, 28 Oct 2009 22:32:00 GMT
6. Last-Modified: Sun, 1 Jan 2006 12:00:00 GMT
7. ETag: "fba9dede5f27731c9771645a39863328"
8. Content-Length: 434234
9. Content-Type: text/plain
10. Connection: close
11. Server: AmazonS3
```
# Restoring previous versions
You can use versioning to retrieve previous versions of an object. There are two approaches to doing so:
+ Copy a previous version of the object into the same bucket.
The copied object becomes the current version of that object and all object versions are preserved.
+ Permanently delete the current version of the object.
When you delete the current object version, you, in effect, turn the previous version into the current version of that object.
Because all object versions are preserved, you can make any earlier version the current version by copying a specific version of the object into the same bucket. In the following figure, the source object (ID = 111111) is copied into the same bucket. Amazon S3 supplies a new ID (88778877) and it becomes the current version of the object. So, the bucket has both the original object version (111111) and its copy (88778877). For more information about getting a previous version and then uploading it to make it the current version, see [Retrieving object versions from a versioning-enabled bucket](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AmazonS3/latest/userguide/RetrievingObjectVersions.html) and [Uploading objects](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AmazonS3/latest/userguide/upload-objects.html).
![\[Illustration that shows copying a specific version of an object into the same bucket to make it the current version.\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/AmazonS3/latest/userguide/images/versioning_COPY2.png)
A subsequent `GET` retrieves version 88778877.
The following figure shows how deleting the current version (121212) of an object leaves the previous version (111111) as the current object. For more information about deleting an object, see [Deleting a single object](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AmazonS3/latest/userguide/delete-objects.html).
![\[Illustration that shows deleting the current version of an object leaves the previous version as the current object.\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/AmazonS3/latest/userguide/images/versioning_COPY_delete2.png)
A subsequent `GET` retrieves version 111111.
**Note**
To restore object versions in batches, you can [use the `CopyObject` operation](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AmazonS3/latest/userguide/batch-ops-copy-object.html). The `CopyObject` operation copies each object that is specified in the manifest. However, be aware that objects aren't necessarily copied in the same order as they appear in the manifest. For versioned buckets, if preserving current/non-current version order is important, you should copy all non-current versions first. Then, after the first job is complete, copy the current versions in a subsequent job.
## To restore previous object versions
For more guidance on restoring deleted objects, see [How can I retrieve an Amazon S3 object that was deleted in a versioning-enabled bucket?](https://repost.aws/knowledge-center/s3-undelete-configuration) in the AWS re:Post Knowledge Center.
### Using the S3 console
1. Sign in to the AWS Management Console and open the Amazon S3 console at [https://console.aws.amazon.com/s3/](https://console.aws.amazon.com/s3/).
1. In the **Buckets** list, choose the name of the bucket that contains the object.
1. In the **Objects** list, choose the name of the object.
1. Choose **Versions**.
Amazon S3 shows all the versions for the object.
1. Select the check box next to the **Version ID** for the versions that you want to retrieve.
1. Choose **Actions**, choose **Download**, and save the object.
You also can view, download, and delete object versions in the object overview panel. For more information, see [Viewing object properties in the Amazon S3 console](view-object-properties.md).
**Important**
You can undelete an object only if it was deleted as the latest (current) version. You can't undelete a previous version of an object that was deleted. For more information, see [Retaining multiple versions of objects with S3 Versioning](Versioning.md).
### Using the AWS SDKs
For information about using other AWS SDKs, see the [AWS Developer Center](https://aws.amazon.com/code/).
------
#### [ Python ]
The following Python code example restores a versioned object's previous version by deleting all versions that occurred after the specified rollback version.
```
def rollback_object(bucket, object_key, version_id):
"""
Rolls back an object to an earlier version by deleting all versions that
occurred after the specified rollback version.
Usage is shown in the usage_demo_single_object function at the end of this module.
:param bucket: The bucket that holds the object to roll back.
:param object_key: The object to roll back.
:param version_id: The version ID to roll back to.
"""
# Versions must be sorted by last_modified date because delete markers are
# at the end of the list even when they are interspersed in time.
versions = sorted(
bucket.object_versions.filter(Prefix=object_key),
key=attrgetter("last_modified"),
reverse=True,
)
logger.debug(
"Got versions:\n%s",
"\n".join(
[
f"\t{version.version_id}, last modified {version.last_modified}"
for version in versions
]
),
)
if version_id in [ver.version_id for ver in versions]:
print(f"Rolling back to version {version_id}")
for version in versions:
if version.version_id != version_id:
version.delete()
print(f"Deleted version {version.version_id}")
else:
break
print(f"Active version is now {bucket.Object(object_key).version_id}")
else:
raise KeyError(
f"{version_id} was not found in the list of versions for " f"{object_key}."
)
```
------