DVA-C02 Development with AWS Services Practice Question
A developer needs to store a large number of binary files (e.g., images) that are accessed infrequently but must be retrievable within minutes. The storage solution should be cost-effective. Which Amazon S3 storage class is MOST suitable?
⚠ Common exam trap
Test-takers frequently confuse 'retrievable within minutes' with the longer retrieval times of S3 Glacier Flexible Retrieval (minutes to hours) or S3 Glacier Deep Archive (hours), and overlook that S3 Glacier Instant Retrieval provides millisecond retrieval while still being cost-effective for infrequently accessed data.
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 Instant Retrieval
S3 Glacier Instant Retrieval is the most suitable because it is designed for long-lived, infrequently accessed data that requires retrieval in milliseconds (within minutes), offering a lower storage cost than S3 Standard while still providing rapid access. The question specifies 'retrievable within minutes' and 'cost-effective,' which aligns with Glacier Instant Retrieval's sub-second retrieval times and lower storage price point compared to S3 Standard or Intelligent-Tiering for data accessed rarely.
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 Intelligent-Tiering
Why it's wrong here
S3 Intelligent-Tiering automatically moves data between access tiers to optimize costs for changing or unknown access patterns. However, it incurs a small monthly monitoring and automation fee per object, which can accumulate significantly for a "large number of binary files" if the access pattern is consistently infrequent. While versatile, it is not the most cost-effective solution when the access pattern is known to be infrequent and instant retrieval is still a priority.
- ✗
S3 One Zone-Infrequent Access
Why it's wrong here
S3 One Zone-Infrequent Access stores data in a single Availability Zone, providing lower durability (99.5%) compared to other S3 storage classes. This reduced durability makes it unsuitable for critical data or a "large number of binary files" where data loss is unacceptable. Although it offers lower storage costs than S3 Standard-IA, the inherent risk of losing an entire AZ's data makes it a poor choice for general-purpose, important binary file storage.
- ✓
S3 Glacier Instant Retrieval
Why this is correct
S3 Glacier Instant Retrieval is specifically designed for long-lived, infrequently accessed data that requires millisecond retrieval, making it ideal for a "large number of binary files." It offers a significantly lower per-GB storage cost than S3 Standard or S3 Standard-IA, while still providing high durability across multiple Availability Zones. This class perfectly balances cost-efficiency for infrequent access with the necessity of immediate data availability when needed.
- ✗
S3 Standard
Why it's wrong here
S3 Standard is optimized for frequently accessed data, delivering high throughput and low latency for objects accessed multiple times a month. Its per-GB storage cost is considerably higher than storage classes designed for infrequent access. Storing a "large number of binary files" that are likely accessed infrequently in S3 Standard would result in unnecessarily high operational expenses, making it an economically inefficient choice for this use case.
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 |
Go deeper
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This DVA-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 DVA-C02 exam.