diff --git a/python/kvikio/kvikio/_lib/remote_handle.pyx b/python/kvikio/kvikio/_lib/remote_handle.pyx
index 357a965595..11563007dc 100644
--- a/python/kvikio/kvikio/_lib/remote_handle.pyx
+++ b/python/kvikio/kvikio/_lib/remote_handle.pyx
@@ -77,14 +77,15 @@ cdef class RemoteFile:
         return ret
 
     @classmethod
-    def open_s3_from_http_url(
+    def open_s3(
         cls,
-        url: str,
+        bucket_name: str,
+        object_name: str,
         nbytes: Optional[int],
     ):
         cdef RemoteFile ret = RemoteFile()
         cdef unique_ptr[cpp_S3Endpoint] ep = make_unique[cpp_S3Endpoint](
-            _to_string(url)
+            _to_string(bucket_name), _to_string(object_name)
         )
         if nbytes is None:
             ret._handle = make_unique[cpp_RemoteHandle](move(ep))
@@ -94,15 +95,14 @@ cdef class RemoteFile:
         return ret
 
     @classmethod
-    def open_s3(
+    def open_s3_from_http_url(
         cls,
-        bucket_name: str,
-        object_name: str,
+        url: str,
         nbytes: Optional[int],
     ):
         cdef RemoteFile ret = RemoteFile()
         cdef unique_ptr[cpp_S3Endpoint] ep = make_unique[cpp_S3Endpoint](
-            _to_string(bucket_name), _to_string(object_name)
+            _to_string(url)
         )
         if nbytes is None:
             ret._handle = make_unique[cpp_RemoteHandle](move(ep))
diff --git a/python/kvikio/kvikio/benchmarks/s3_io.py b/python/kvikio/kvikio/benchmarks/s3_io.py
index 6130885442..4311f5f012 100644
--- a/python/kvikio/kvikio/benchmarks/s3_io.py
+++ b/python/kvikio/kvikio/benchmarks/s3_io.py
@@ -91,7 +91,7 @@ def run_numpy_like(args, xp):
 
     def run() -> float:
         t0 = time.perf_counter()
-        with kvikio.RemoteFile.open_s3_from_http_url(url) as f:
+        with kvikio.RemoteFile.open_s3_url(url) as f:
             res = f.read(recv)
         t1 = time.perf_counter()
         assert res == args.nbytes, f"IO mismatch, expected {args.nbytes} got {res}"
diff --git a/python/kvikio/kvikio/remote_file.py b/python/kvikio/kvikio/remote_file.py
index 5227126278..c4f93d86d9 100644
--- a/python/kvikio/kvikio/remote_file.py
+++ b/python/kvikio/kvikio/remote_file.py
@@ -75,6 +75,26 @@ def open_s3(
         object_name: str,
         nbytes: Optional[int] = None,
     ) -> RemoteFile:
+        """Open a AWS S3 file from a bucket name and object name.
+
+        Please make sure to set the AWS environment variables:
+          - `AWS_DEFAULT_REGION`
+          - `AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID`
+          - `AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY`
+
+        Additionally, to overwrite the AWS endpoint, set `AWS_ENDPOINT_URL`.
+        See <https://docs.aws.amazon.com/cli/v1/userguide/cli-configure-envvars.html>
+
+        Parameters
+        ----------
+        bucket_name
+            The bucket name of the file.
+        object_name
+            The object name of the file.
+        nbytes
+            The size of the file. If None, KvikIO will ask the server
+            for the file size.
+        """
         return RemoteFile(
             _get_remote_module().RemoteFile.open_s3(bucket_name, object_name, nbytes)
         )
@@ -85,32 +105,39 @@ def open_s3_url(
         url: str,
         nbytes: Optional[int] = None,
     ) -> RemoteFile:
+        """Open a AWS S3 file from an URL.
+
+        The `url` can take two forms:
+          - A full http url such as "http://127.0.0.1/my/file", or
+          - A S3 url such as "s3://<bucket>/<object>".
+
+        Please make sure to set the AWS environment variables:
+          - `AWS_DEFAULT_REGION`
+          - `AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID`
+          - `AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY`
+
+        Additionally, if `url` is a S3 url, it is possible to overwrite the AWS endpoint
+        by setting `AWS_ENDPOINT_URL`.
+        See <https://docs.aws.amazon.com/cli/v1/userguide/cli-configure-envvars.html>
+
+        Parameters
+        ----------
+        url
+            Either a http url or a S3 url.
+        nbytes
+            The size of the file. If None, KvikIO will ask the server
+            for the file size.
+        """
         url = url.lower()
         if url.startswith("http://") or url.startswith("https://"):
-            return cls.open_s3_from_http_url(url, nbytes)
+            return RemoteFile(
+                _get_remote_module().RemoteFile.open_s3_from_http_url(url, nbytes)
+            )
         if url.startswith("s://"):
-            return cls.open_s3_from_s3_url(url, nbytes)
-        raise ValueError(f"Unsupported protocol in url: {url}")
-
-    @classmethod
-    def open_s3_from_http_url(
-        cls,
-        url: str,
-        nbytes: Optional[int] = None,
-    ) -> RemoteFile:
-        return RemoteFile(
-            _get_remote_module().RemoteFile.open_s3_from_http_url(url, nbytes)
-        )
-
-    @classmethod
-    def open_s3_from_s3_url(
-        cls,
-        url: str,
-        nbytes: Optional[int] = None,
-    ) -> RemoteFile:
-        return RemoteFile(
-            _get_remote_module().RemoteFile.open_s3_from_s3_url(url, nbytes)
-        )
+            return RemoteFile(
+                _get_remote_module().RemoteFile.open_s3_from_s3_url(url, nbytes)
+            )
+        raise ValueError(f"Unsupported protocol: {url}")
 
     def close(self) -> None:
         """Close the file"""
diff --git a/python/kvikio/tests/test_s3_io.py b/python/kvikio/tests/test_s3_io.py
index 2daab28700..1893d6b6d2 100644
--- a/python/kvikio/tests/test_s3_io.py
+++ b/python/kvikio/tests/test_s3_io.py
@@ -125,7 +125,7 @@ def test_read_with_file_offset(s3_base, xp, start, end):
         s3_base=s3_base, bucket=bucket_name, files={object_name: bytes(a)}
     ) as server_address:
         url = f"{server_address}/{bucket_name}/{object_name}"
-        with kvikio.RemoteFile.open_s3_from_http_url(url) as f:
+        with kvikio.RemoteFile.open_s3_url(url) as f:
             b = xp.zeros(shape=(end - start,), dtype=xp.int64)
             assert f.read(b, file_offset=start * a.itemsize) == b.nbytes
             xp.testing.assert_array_equal(a[start:end], b)