DEA-C01 S3 Lifecycle Expiration Practice Question
Network Topology
Refer to the exhibit. A company has an S3 bucket 'my-data-lake' with the lifecycle policy shown. Objects under the 'logs/' prefix are being moved to GLACIER after 30 days and expire after 365 days. A data engineer notices that objects older than 365 days are still present in the bucket and are not being deleted. What is the most likely cause?
⚠ Common exam trap
A common trap is to assume that expiration days always count from the object creation date. However, when a transition action is present, the expiration counter resets to the transition date.
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
✓
The expiration days count from the transition date, not the object creation date
When a lifecycle rule includes both transition to GLACIER and expiration, the expiration days count from the transition date, not from the object creation date. In this scenario, objects transition to GLACIER at 30 days, so the expiration at 365 days actually triggers after 395 days from creation (30 + 365). Therefore, objects older than 365 days from creation but younger than 395 days are not yet expired, explaining why they remain.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Lifecycle expiration does not apply to objects in GLACIER storage class
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. S3 lifecycle expiration policies can apply to objects in the GLACIER storage class. They are deleted automatically without requiring restoration.
- ✗
The rule status is disabled
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. The rule status is not mentioned as disabled, and objects are successfully transitioned to GLACIER, indicating the rule is enabled.
- ✗
The prefix filter does not match the objects
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. The prefix filter 'logs/' matches the objects, as evidenced by their successful transition to GLACIER.
- ✓
The expiration days count from the transition date, not the object creation date
Why this is correct
Correct. The expiration days are counted from the transition date, so objects transitioned after 30 days will expire 365 days later (395 days from creation), causing objects older than 365 days from creation to still be present.
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 |
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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