- A
S3 Standard
Why wrong: S3 Standard is designed for frequently accessed data and is the most expensive storage class. Using it for data that is never accessed over 7 years results in unnecessary cost.
- B
S3 Standard-IA
Why wrong: S3 Standard-IA is for infrequently accessed data but still has higher per-GB storage costs than Glacier tiers. For data that is never accessed over 7 years, Glacier Deep Archive is far cheaper.
- C
S3 Glacier Flexible Retrieval
Why wrong: S3 Glacier Flexible Retrieval is for archival data with retrieval times of minutes to hours. It is cheaper than Standard-IA but more expensive than Deep Archive for long-term retention where cost is the primary concern.
- D
S3 Glacier Deep Archive
S3 Glacier Deep Archive offers the lowest storage cost in Amazon S3, purpose-built for data retained for 7–10 years that is rarely or never retrieved. It meets the 7-year compliance requirement at the minimum cost.
S3 Glacier Deep Archive: Cheapest Storage for Rare Access
This CLF-C02 practice question tests your understanding of cloud technology and services. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
A company stores compliance logs in Amazon S3. After 90 days, logs are never accessed again but must be retained for 7 years to meet regulatory requirements. Which S3 storage class provides the lowest storage cost for this long-term archival requirement?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue:
"never"Why it matters: Absolute qualifier. True only if the statement has zero exceptions — be cautious of options that seem obvious but break down in edge cases.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
S3 Glacier Deep Archive
Amazon S3 Glacier Deep Archive is designed for long-term retention of data that is accessed extremely rarely, with a retrieval time of 12 hours or more. It offers the lowest storage cost among all S3 storage classes, making it the most cost-effective choice for compliance logs that must be retained for 7 years but are never accessed after 90 days.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
S3 Standard
Why it's wrong here
S3 Standard is designed for frequently accessed data and is the most expensive storage class. Using it for data that is never accessed over 7 years results in unnecessary cost.
- ✗
S3 Standard-IA
Why it's wrong here
S3 Standard-IA is for infrequently accessed data but still has higher per-GB storage costs than Glacier tiers. For data that is never accessed over 7 years, Glacier Deep Archive is far cheaper.
- ✗
S3 Glacier Flexible Retrieval
Why it's wrong here
S3 Glacier Flexible Retrieval is for archival data with retrieval times of minutes to hours. It is cheaper than Standard-IA but more expensive than Deep Archive for long-term retention where cost is the primary concern.
- ✓
S3 Glacier Deep Archive
Why this is correct
S3 Glacier Deep Archive offers the lowest storage cost in Amazon S3, purpose-built for data retained for 7–10 years that is rarely or never retrieved. It meets the 7-year compliance requirement at the minimum cost.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "never" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often choose S3 Glacier Flexible Retrieval (Option C) because they see 'Glacier' and assume it is the cheapest archival option, but they overlook that Glacier Deep Archive is specifically designed for even lower-cost, longer-term archival with retrieval times of 12+ hours.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
S3 Glacier Deep Archive uses a distributed, durable storage system with erasure coding (not replication) to achieve 99.999999999% durability, and data is stored on high-density tape-equivalent media in AWS data centers. The minimum storage duration charge for Glacier Deep Archive is 180 days, which aligns with the 7-year retention requirement, and objects are automatically transitioned via lifecycle policies. A real-world scenario is a financial institution retaining trade records for 7 years under SEC Rule 17a-4, where Glacier Deep Archive provides the lowest cost while meeting compliance mandates.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
- Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
- Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
- Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A startup's cloud architect reviews their monthly bill and notices costs are higher than expected for a long-running batch job. Switching from on-demand instances to Reserved Instances — or using Spot/Preemptible VMs — can reduce compute costs by up to 72 %. Questions like this test whether you understand the tradeoffs between commitment, flexibility, and cost across cloud pricing models.
Quick reference
AWS S3 Storage Class Comparison
| Storage Class | Min Duration | Retrieval | Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|
| S3 Standard | None | Immediate | Frequently accessed data |
| S3 Standard-IA | 30 days | Immediate | Infrequent access, rapid retrieval |
| S3 One Zone-IA | 30 days | Immediate | Non-critical infrequent data |
| S3 Intelligent-Tiering | None | Immediate–hours | Unknown or changing access patterns |
| S3 Glacier Instant | 90 days | Milliseconds | Archive with instant retrieval |
| S3 Glacier Flexible | 90 days | Minutes–hours | Archive, flexible retrieval |
| S3 Glacier Deep Archive | 180 days | Hours | Long-term compliance archive |
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this CLF-C02 question test?
Cloud Technology and Services — This question tests Cloud Technology and Services — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: S3 Glacier Deep Archive — Amazon S3 Glacier Deep Archive is designed for long-term retention of data that is accessed extremely rarely, with a retrieval time of 12 hours or more. It offers the lowest storage cost among all S3 storage classes, making it the most cost-effective choice for compliance logs that must be retained for 7 years but are never accessed after 90 days.
What should I do if I get this CLF-C02 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "never". Absolute qualifier. True only if the statement has zero exceptions — be cautious of options that seem obvious but break down in edge cases.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
This CLF-C02 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Amazon Web Services certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the CLF-C02 exam.
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