diff --git a/openstack/cloud/openstackcloud.py b/openstack/cloud/openstackcloud.py
index 2290814fc..5a406b680 100755
--- a/openstack/cloud/openstackcloud.py
+++ b/openstack/cloud/openstackcloud.py
@@ -7429,7 +7429,7 @@ class OpenStackCloud(_normalize.Normalizer):
             self, container, name, filename=None,
             md5=None, sha256=None, segment_size=None,
             use_slo=True, metadata=None,
-            generate_checksums=True,
+            generate_checksums=None, data=None,
             **headers):
         """Create a file object.
 
@@ -7439,7 +7439,9 @@ class OpenStackCloud(_normalize.Normalizer):
             This container will be created if it does not exist already.
         :param name: Name for the object within the container.
         :param filename: The path to the local file whose contents will be
-            uploaded.
+            uploaded. Mutually exclusive with data.
+        :param data: The content to upload to the object. Mutually exclusive
+           with filename.
         :param md5: A hexadecimal md5 of the file. (Optional), if it is known
             and can be passed here, it will save repeating the expensive md5
             process. It is assumed to be accurate.
@@ -7462,10 +7464,25 @@ class OpenStackCloud(_normalize.Normalizer):
 
         :raises: ``OpenStackCloudException`` on operation error.
         """
+        if data is not None and filename:
+            raise ValueError(
+                "Both filename and data given. Please choose one.")
+        if data is not None and not name:
+            raise ValueError(
+                "name is a required parameter when data is given")
+        if data is not None and generate_checksums:
+            raise ValueError(
+                "checksums cannot be generated with data parameter")
+        if generate_checksums is None:
+            if data is not None:
+                generate_checksums = False
+            else:
+                generate_checksums = True
+
         if not metadata:
             metadata = {}
 
-        if not filename:
+        if not filename and data is None:
             filename = name
 
         # segment_size gets used as a step value in a range call, so needs
@@ -7473,7 +7490,10 @@ class OpenStackCloud(_normalize.Normalizer):
         if segment_size:
             segment_size = int(segment_size)
         segment_size = self.get_object_segment_size(segment_size)
-        file_size = os.path.getsize(filename)
+        if filename:
+            file_size = os.path.getsize(filename)
+        else:
+            file_size = len(data)
 
         if generate_checksums and (md5 is None or sha256 is None):
             (md5, sha256) = self._get_file_hashes(filename)
@@ -7487,10 +7507,17 @@ class OpenStackCloud(_normalize.Normalizer):
         # On some clouds this is not necessary. On others it is. I'm confused.
         self.create_container(container)
 
+        endpoint = '{container}/{name}'.format(container=container, name=name)
+
+        if data is not None:
+            self.log.debug(
+                "swift uploading data to %(endpoint)s",
+                {'endpoint': endpoint})
+
+            return self._upload_object_data(endpoint, data, headers)
+
         if self.is_object_stale(container, name, filename, md5, sha256):
 
-            endpoint = '{container}/{name}'.format(
-                container=container, name=name)
             self.log.debug(
                 "swift uploading %(filename)s to %(endpoint)s",
                 {'filename': filename, 'endpoint': endpoint})
@@ -7502,6 +7529,10 @@ class OpenStackCloud(_normalize.Normalizer):
                     endpoint, filename, headers,
                     file_size, segment_size, use_slo)
 
+    def _upload_object_data(self, endpoint, data, headers):
+        return self._object_store_client.put(
+            endpoint, headers=headers, data=data)
+
     def _upload_object(self, endpoint, filename, headers):
         return self._object_store_client.put(
             endpoint, headers=headers, data=open(filename, 'r'))
diff --git a/openstack/tests/unit/base.py b/openstack/tests/unit/base.py
index f4e3e3ee4..2b115a1ce 100644
--- a/openstack/tests/unit/base.py
+++ b/openstack/tests/unit/base.py
@@ -594,7 +594,7 @@ class TestCase(base.TestCase):
             key = '{method}|{uri}|{params}'.format(
                 method=method, uri=uri, params=kw_params)
             validate = to_mock.pop('validate', {})
-            valid_keys = set(['json', 'headers', 'params'])
+            valid_keys = set(['json', 'headers', 'params', 'data'])
             invalid_keys = set(validate.keys()) - valid_keys
             if invalid_keys:
                 raise TypeError(
diff --git a/openstack/tests/unit/cloud/test_object.py b/openstack/tests/unit/cloud/test_object.py
index b13d81446..6e08d52b6 100644
--- a/openstack/tests/unit/cloud/test_object.py
+++ b/openstack/tests/unit/cloud/test_object.py
@@ -950,3 +950,55 @@ class TestObjectUploads(BaseTestObject):
             generate_checksums=False)
 
         self.assert_calls()
+
+    def test_create_object_data(self):
+
+        self.register_uris([
+            dict(method='GET',
+                 uri='https://object-store.example.com/info',
+                 json=dict(
+                     swift={'max_file_size': 1000},
+                     slo={'min_segment_size': 500})),
+            dict(method='HEAD',
+                 uri='{endpoint}/{container}'.format(
+                     endpoint=self.endpoint,
+                     container=self.container),
+                 status_code=404),
+            dict(method='PUT',
+                 uri='{endpoint}/{container}'.format(
+                     endpoint=self.endpoint, container=self.container),
+                 status_code=201,
+                 headers={
+                     'Date': 'Fri, 16 Dec 2016 18:21:20 GMT',
+                     'Content-Length': '0',
+                     'Content-Type': 'text/html; charset=UTF-8',
+                 }),
+            dict(method='HEAD',
+                 uri='{endpoint}/{container}'.format(
+                     endpoint=self.endpoint, container=self.container),
+                 headers={
+                     'Content-Length': '0',
+                     'X-Container-Object-Count': '0',
+                     'Accept-Ranges': 'bytes',
+                     'X-Storage-Policy': 'Policy-0',
+                     'Date': 'Fri, 16 Dec 2016 18:29:05 GMT',
+                     'X-Timestamp': '1481912480.41664',
+                     'X-Trans-Id': 'tx60ec128d9dbf44b9add68-0058543271dfw1',
+                     'X-Container-Bytes-Used': '0',
+                     'Content-Type': 'text/plain; charset=utf-8'}),
+            dict(method='PUT',
+                 uri='{endpoint}/{container}/{object}'.format(
+                     endpoint=self.endpoint,
+                     container=self.container, object=self.object),
+                 status_code=201,
+                 validate=dict(
+                     headers={},
+                     data=self.content,
+                 )),
+        ])
+
+        self.cloud.create_object(
+            container=self.container, name=self.object,
+            data=self.content)
+
+        self.assert_calls()
diff --git a/releasenotes/notes/create-object-data-870cb543543aa983.yaml b/releasenotes/notes/create-object-data-870cb543543aa983.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..4e0255050
--- /dev/null
+++ b/releasenotes/notes/create-object-data-870cb543543aa983.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+features:
+  - |
+    Add a data parameter to ``openstack.connection.Connection.create_object``
+    so that data can be passed in directly instead of through a file.