# Installing the aws\$1s3 extension
Installing the extension

Before you can use Amazon S3 with your RDS for PostgreSQL DB instance, you need to install the `aws_s3` extension. This extension provides functions for importing data from an Amazon S3. It also provides functions for exporting data from an RDS for PostgreSQL DB instance to an Amazon S3 bucket. For more information, see [Exporting data from an RDS for PostgreSQL DB instance to Amazon S3](postgresql-s3-export.md). The `aws_s3` extension depends on some of the helper functions in the `aws_commons` extension, which is installed automatically when needed. 

**To install the `aws_s3` extension**

1. Use psql (or pgAdmin) to connect to the RDS for PostgreSQL DB instance as a user that has `rds_superuser` privileges. If you kept the default name during the setup process, you connect as `postgres`.

   ```
   psql --host=111122223333.aws-region.rds.amazonaws.com --port=5432 --username=postgres --password
   ```

1. To install the extension, run the following command. 

   ```
   postgres=> CREATE EXTENSION aws_s3 CASCADE;
   NOTICE: installing required extension "aws_commons"
   CREATE EXTENSION
   ```

1. To verify that the extension is installed, you can use the psql `\dx` metacommand.

   ```
   postgres=> \dx
          List of installed extensions
       Name     | Version |   Schema   |                 Description
   -------------+---------+------------+---------------------------------------------
    aws_commons | 1.2     | public     | Common data types across AWS services
    aws_s3      | 1.1     | public     | AWS S3 extension for importing data from S3
    plpgsql     | 1.0     | pg_catalog | PL/pgSQL procedural language
   (3 rows)
   ```

The functions for importing data from Amazon S3 and exporting data to Amazon S3 are now available to use.