title: How do I upload to AWS S3 from iOS without Cognito?
body: <p><strong>My Goal:</strong></p>
  
  <p>Upload photos from iOS to a common AWS S3 bucket with the simplest code possible</p>
  
  <hr>
  
  <p><strong>What I've Tried:</strong></p>
  
  <ul>
  <li>Reading the <a href="https://github.com/aws/aws-sdk-ios" rel="noreferrer">aws-sdk-ios repo</a></li>
  <li>Reading the <a href="http://docs.aws.amazon.com/mobile/sdkforios/developerguide/s3transfermanager.html" rel="noreferrer">S3 Upload Files page</a></li>
  <li>Reading the <a href="http://docs.aws.amazon.com/mobile/sdkforios/developerguide/cognito-auth.html" rel="noreferrer">Cognito FAQ page</a></li>
  <li>Reading <a href="http://shrikar.com/ios-app-development-upload-images-to-aws-s3/" rel="noreferrer">various</a> <a href="http://sledgedev.com/aws-s3-image-upload-using-aws-sdk-for-ios-v2/" rel="noreferrer">blogs</a> and SO questions</li>
  <li>Creating a Cognito pool with a client app</li>
  </ul>
  
  <hr>
  
  <p><strong>Assumptions of Best Practices:</strong></p>
  
  <p>I assume that Cognito is the default way to set up image uploading after all of the reading I've done. However, I have two problems with doing it this way:</p>
  
  <ol>
  <li>It seems overly complicated for something where I should just need to pass the image, bucket, key, and secret.</li>
  <li>I have already done this through a server before with just key and secret, so I don't see a reason to use or pay for Cognito.</li>
  </ol>
  
  <hr>
  
  <p><strong>My Questions:</strong></p>
  
  <ul>
  <li>Is there a way to upload from iOS to AWS S3 without using Cognito?</li>
  <li>If any of my above assumptions or questions are not the best way to realize my goal, then what is the simplest way to do so? </li>
  </ul>