The correct answer is to add a bucket policy that allows s3:GetObject for Principal "*" on the bucket, because this explicitly grants anonymous read access to all objects, which is required for anyone on the internet to view the static website content. While enabling static website hosting on the S3 bucket is a prerequisite to generate the website endpoint and handle index/error documents, it does not by itself make objects public; the bucket policy is what actually opens read access to the public. On the AWS Certified Developer Associate DVA-C02 exam, this question tests your understanding that S3 bucket policies override default private permissions, and a common trap is confusing the "Make public" ACL option with the bucket policy—ACLs are legacy and less secure for static sites. Remember the memory tip: "Policy for public, hosting for routing"—the policy controls who can read, while the hosting setting controls how the site is served.
DVA-C02 Security Practice Question
This DVA-C02 practice question tests your understanding of security. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. 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 developer is configuring an S3 bucket to host a static website. The bucket must be accessible to anyone on the internet, but only for reading objects. Which THREE steps are necessary? (Choose THREE.)
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Enable static website hosting on the bucket.
Option C is correct because enabling static website hosting on the S3 bucket is a prerequisite for serving content as a website. Without this setting, the bucket cannot serve HTTP requests for web pages, even if objects are publicly readable. This configuration provides an endpoint URL and allows index and error document routing.
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.
✗
Set the bucket ACL to public-read.
Why it's wrong here
ACLs are not required and may conflict.
✗
Create an Amazon CloudFront distribution with the bucket as origin.
Why it's wrong here
Optional, not necessary.
✓
Enable static website hosting on the bucket.
Why this is correct
Required for website access.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✓
Disable S3 Block Public Access settings for the bucket.
Why this is correct
Allows public access.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✓
Add a bucket policy that allows s3:GetObject for Principal "*" on the bucket.
Why this is correct
Grants read access to public.
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 assume setting a bucket ACL to public-read (Option A) is sufficient, but they forget that S3 Block Public Access settings must be disabled first, and ACLs are deprecated in favor of bucket policies for this use case.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
S3 Block Public Access settings act as a security override that prevents any public access, even if a bucket policy or ACL allows it. Disabling these settings (Option D) is necessary before a bucket policy granting s3:GetObject to Principal '*' (Option E) can take effect. The bucket policy explicitly defines the allowed action and principal, making it the modern, preferred method over ACLs for granting public read access.
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 media company stores terabytes of video archives that are accessed once a year for audit purposes. Moving these objects to a cold storage tier (Azure Archive, S3 Glacier, or Google Nearline) costs a fraction of hot storage. Questions like this test whether you understand storage tiers, access frequency tradeoffs, and retrieval latency requirements.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Security — This question tests Security — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Enable static website hosting on the bucket. — Option C is correct because enabling static website hosting on the S3 bucket is a prerequisite for serving content as a website. Without this setting, the bucket cannot serve HTTP requests for web pages, even if objects are publicly readable. This configuration provides an endpoint URL and allows index and error document routing.
What should I do if I get this DVA-C02 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
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These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. A developer is configuring an S3 bucket to host a static website. The bucket policy allows public read access. However, users receive a 403 Forbidden error when accessing the website. What is the most likely cause?
medium
A.The bucket is located in a different AWS region than the website endpoint.
B.The bucket name does not match the domain name.
✓ C.The bucket has 'Block all public access' settings enabled.
D.The bucket is not configured with CloudFront as a content delivery network.
Why C: Option C is correct because the 'Block all public access' settings in the S3 bucket's Permissions tab override any bucket policy that grants public read access. Even if the bucket policy explicitly allows s3:GetObject for Principal "*", enabling any of the four block public access settings (especially 'Block public access to buckets and objects granted through new public bucket policies' or 'Block public and cross-account access to buckets and objects through any public bucket policies') will cause S3 to reject all anonymous requests, resulting in a 403 Forbidden error when accessing the static website endpoint.
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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.
Question Discussion
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