Replace MinIO with an alternative S3-compatible storage for local development

Start by reviewing docker-compose.yml and the current S3 integration, then compare Garage and LocalStack against the listed GET, PUT, DELETE, and LIST needs. Test the selected alternative with boto3 and django-storages, including local media uploads. Done means docker-compose.yml, CLAUDE.md, README, and any MinIO references use the chosen solution and local development remains compatible with production S3.

Problem

MinIO has entered maintenance mode and is no longer actively developed for the open-source community. The MinIO team is now focusing on a commercial, paid version.

Reference: https://github.com/minio/minio/commit/27742d469462e1561c776f88ca7a1f26816d69e2

This means that for local development, we should migrate away from MinIO to ensure we have a well-maintained and actively supported S3-compatible storage solution.

Current Usage

MinIO is currently used in our docker-compose.yml for local S3-compatible object storage during development. This allows developers to test S3 integration locally without needing AWS credentials.

Proposed Alternatives

1. Garage (Recommended to investigate first)

Website: https://garagehq.deuxfleurs.fr/
GitHub: https://git.deuxfleurs.fr/Deuxfleurs/garage

Pros:

• Lightweight and designed for self-hosting
• S3-compatible API
• Active development by Deuxfleurs
• Open-source (AGPL-3.0)
• Good documentation

Cons:

• Smaller community compared to MinIO
• Need to evaluate maturity and stability

2. LocalStack

Website: https://localstack.cloud/
GitHub: https://github.com/localstack/localstack

Pros:

• Very popular for local AWS development
• Emulates multiple AWS services (not just S3)
• Well-documented
• Large community
• Actively maintained

Cons:

• More heavyweight (emulates many AWS services we don't need)
• Some advanced features require a paid license
• May be overkill if we only need S3

3. Other Options to Consider

• MinIO fork: Check if there's an active community fork
• AWS S3 LocalStack: Use only the S3 component of LocalStack
• SeaweedFS: Another distributed storage system with S3 compatibility
• Ceph with RGW: More complex but enterprise-grade

Tasks

• Research and compare Garage vs LocalStack for our specific use case
• Test chosen alternative with our current S3 integration
• Update docker-compose.yml to use the new solution
• Update development documentation (CLAUDE.md, README)
• Test that media uploads work correctly in local development
• Ensure compatibility with production S3 usage (boto3, django-storages)

Additional Context

Our production setup uses AWS S3 with boto3 and django-storages. The local development alternative must be compatible with the same boto3 S3 API to ensure consistency between development and production environments.

Files to update:

• docker-compose.yml
• CLAUDE.md (development setup instructions)
• Any scripts or documentation referencing MinIO

Questions

1. Do we need any S3 features beyond basic object storage (GET, PUT, DELETE, LIST)?
2. Are there any MinIO-specific configurations we're using that need equivalent support?
3. Should we prioritize lightweight (Garage) or feature-complete (LocalStack)?