MinIO uses a key-management-system (KMS) to support SSE-S3. If a client requests SSE-S3, or auto-encryption is enabled, the MinIO server encrypts each object with an unique object key which is protected by a master key managed by the KMS.
MinIO supports multiple KMS implementations via our [KES](https://github.com/minio/kes#kes) project. We run a KES instance at `https://play.min.io:7373` for you to experiment and quickly get started. To run MinIO with a KMS just fetch the root identity, set the following environment variables and then start your MinIO server. If you havn't installed MinIO, yet, then follow the MinIO [install instructions](https://docs.min.io/docs/minio-quickstart-guide) first.
In a given setup, there are `n` MinIO instances talking to `m` KES servers but only `1` central KMS. The most simple setup consists of `1` MinIO server or cluster talking to `1` KMS via `1` KES server.
The main difference between various MinIO-KMS deployments is the KMS implementation. The following table helps you select the right option for your use case:
The MinIO-KES configuration is always the same - regardless of the underlying KMS implementation. Checkout the MinIO-KES [configuration example](https://github.com/minio/kes/wiki/MinIO-Object-Storage).
MinIO automatically encrypts all objects on buckets if KMS is successfully configured and bucket encryption configuration is enabled for each bucket as shown below:
> NOTE: The following ENV might be removed in future, you are advised to move to the previously recommended approach using `mc encrypt`. S3 gateway supports encryption at gateway layer which may be dropped in favor of simplicity at a later time. It is advised that S3 gateway users migrate to MinIO server mode or enable encryption at REST at the backend.