diff --git a/docs/features/techdocs/configuration.md b/docs/features/techdocs/configuration.md
index 8c1a024f33..acd8f700e6 100644
--- a/docs/features/techdocs/configuration.md
+++ b/docs/features/techdocs/configuration.md
@@ -66,15 +66,22 @@ techdocs:
     # Required when techdocs.publisher.type is set to 'awsS3'. Skip otherwise.
 
     awsS3:
-      # An API key is required to write to a storage bucket.
+      # (Required) AWS S3 Bucket Name
+      bucketName: 'techdocs-storage'
+
+      # (Optional) An API key is required to write to a storage bucket.
+      # If not set, environment variables or aws config file will be used to authenticate.
+      # https://docs.aws.amazon.com/sdk-for-javascript/v3/developer-guide/loading-node-credentials-environment.html
+      # https://docs.aws.amazon.com/sdk-for-javascript/v3/developer-guide/loading-node-credentials-shared.html
       credentials:
         accessKeyId:
           $env: TECHDOCS_AWSS3_ACCESS_KEY_ID_CREDENTIAL
         secretAccessKey:
           $env: TECHDOCS_AWSS3_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY_CREDENTIAL
-      region:
-        $env: AWSS3_REGION
 
-      # AWS S3 Bucket Name
-      bucketName: 'techdocs-storage'
+      # (Optional) AWS Region of the bucket.
+      # If not set, AWS_REGION environment variable or aws config file will be used.
+      # https://docs.aws.amazon.com/sdk-for-javascript/v3/developer-guide/setting-region.html
+      region:
+        $env: AWS_REGION
 ```
diff --git a/packages/techdocs-common/src/stages/publish/awsS3.ts b/packages/techdocs-common/src/stages/publish/awsS3.ts
index b7982a9ccd..4f273f0600 100644
--- a/packages/techdocs-common/src/stages/publish/awsS3.ts
+++ b/packages/techdocs-common/src/stages/publish/awsS3.ts
@@ -39,30 +39,47 @@ const streamToString = (stream: Readable): Promise<string> => {
 
 export class AwsS3Publish implements PublisherBase {
   static fromConfig(config: Config, logger: Logger): PublisherBase {
-    let region = null;
-    let accessKeyId = null;
-    let secretAccessKey = null;
     let bucketName = '';
     try {
-      accessKeyId = config.getString(
-        'techdocs.publisher.awsS3.credentials.accessKeyId',
-      );
-      secretAccessKey = config.getString(
-        'techdocs.publisher.awsS3.credentials.secretAccessKey',
-      );
-      region = config.getOptionalString('techdocs.publisher.awsS3.region');
       bucketName = config.getString('techdocs.publisher.awsS3.bucketName');
     } catch (error) {
       throw new Error(
         "Since techdocs.publisher.type is set to 'awsS3' in your app config, " +
-          'credentials and bucketName are required in techdocs.publisher.awsS3 ' +
-          'required to authenticate with AWS S3.',
+          'techdocs.publisher.awsS3.bucketName is required.',
       );
     }
 
+    // Credentials is an optional config. If missing, default AWS environment variables
+    // or AWS config file in ~/.aws/config will be used to authenticate
+    // https://docs.aws.amazon.com/sdk-for-javascript/v3/developer-guide/loading-node-credentials-environment.html
+    // https://docs.aws.amazon.com/sdk-for-javascript/v3/developer-guide/loading-node-credentials-shared.html
+    const credentials = config.getOptionalConfig(
+      'techdocs.publisher.awsS3.credentials',
+    );
+    let accessKeyId = undefined;
+    let secretAccessKey = undefined;
+    if (credentials) {
+      accessKeyId = credentials.getOptionalString('accessKeyId');
+      secretAccessKey = credentials.getOptionalString('secretAccessKey');
+    }
+
+    // AWS Region is an optional config. If missing, default AWS env variable AWS_REGION
+    // or AWS config file in ~/.aws/config will be used. But the AWS SDK v3 client needs
+    // to have the AWS Region information for it to work.
+    const region = config.getOptionalString('techdocs.publisher.awsS3.region');
+
     const storageClient = new S3({
-      credentials: { accessKeyId, secretAccessKey },
-      ...(region && { region }),
+      ...(credentials &&
+        accessKeyId &&
+        secretAccessKey && {
+          credentials: {
+            accessKeyId,
+            secretAccessKey,
+          },
+        }),
+      ...(region && {
+        region,
+      }),
     });
 
     // Check if the defined bucket exists. Being able to connect means the configuration is good
@@ -75,11 +92,12 @@ export class AwsS3Publish implements PublisherBase {
         if (err) {
           logger.error(
             `Could not retrieve metadata about the AWS S3 bucket ${bucketName}. ` +
-              'Make sure the AWS project and the bucket exists and the access key located at the path ' +
-              "techdocs.publisher.awsS3.credentials defined in app config has the role 'Storage Object Creator'. " +
-              'Refer to https://backstage.io/docs/features/techdocs/using-cloud-storage',
+              'Make sure the bucket exists. Also make sure that authentication is setup either by ' +
+              'explicitly defining credentials and region in techdocs.publisher.awsS3 in app config or ' +
+              'by using environment variables. Refer to https://backstage.io/docs/features/techdocs/using-cloud-storage',
           );
-          throw new Error(`from AWS client library: ${err.message}`);
+          logger.error(`from AWS client library: ${err.message}`);
+          throw new Error();
         } else {
           logger.info(
             `Successfully connected to the AWS S3 bucket ${bucketName}.`,
diff --git a/plugins/techdocs/config.d.ts b/plugins/techdocs/config.d.ts
index fc05d79339..d484f2245f 100644
--- a/plugins/techdocs/config.d.ts
+++ b/plugins/techdocs/config.d.ts
@@ -78,10 +78,13 @@ export interface Config {
            */
           awsS3?: {
             /**
-             * Credentials used to access a storage bucket
+             * (Optional) Credentials used to access a storage bucket.
+             * If not set, environment variables or aws config file will be used to authenticate.
+             * https://docs.aws.amazon.com/sdk-for-javascript/v3/developer-guide/loading-node-credentials-environment.html
+             * https://docs.aws.amazon.com/sdk-for-javascript/v3/developer-guide/loading-node-credentials-shared.html
              * @visibility secret
              */
-            credentials: {
+            credentials?: {
               /**
                * User access key id
                * attr: 'accessKeyId' - accepts a string value
@@ -98,11 +101,13 @@ export interface Config {
             /**
              * Cloud Storage Bucket Name
              * attr: 'bucketName' - accepts a string value
-             * @visibility secret
+             * @visibility backend
              */
             bucketName: string;
             /**
-             * AWS Region
+             * (Optional) AWS Region.
+             * If not set, AWS_REGION environment variable or aws config file will be used.
+             * https://docs.aws.amazon.com/sdk-for-javascript/v3/developer-guide/setting-region.html
              * attr: 'region' - accepts a string value
              * @visibility secret
              */
@@ -125,7 +130,7 @@ export interface Config {
             /**
              * (Required) Cloud Storage Bucket Name
              * attr: 'bucketName' - accepts a string value
-             * @visibility secret
+             * @visibility backend
              */
             bucketName: string;
             /**