- A
Set long-lived Cache-Control headers, such as a high max-age and immutable policy, on the versioned assets.
Versioned assets are ideal for long cache lifetimes because their URLs change when the content changes. Strong Cache-Control headers let CloudFront serve more requests from edge locations instead of repeatedly fetching the same files from S3.
- B
Configure the CloudFront cache policy to avoid forwarding unnecessary query strings, headers, and cookies.
A smaller cache key improves the cache hit rate because more viewer requests map to the same cached object. Avoiding unnecessary request attributes also reduces origin fetches and lowers the bandwidth sent to the origin.
- C
Move the static assets to an EC2 web server behind an Application Load Balancer.
Why wrong: This adds infrastructure cost and operational overhead without addressing the root cause of the problem. The issue is poor cache efficiency, not the inability of S3 to serve the files.
- D
Disable CloudFront caching so every request always reaches the origin.
Why wrong: Disabling caching would increase origin traffic and make the bill worse. The scenario specifically needs fewer origin fetches, so this is the opposite of the desired outcome.
- E
Add more viewer-facing headers to the cache key so each browser variation gets a unique cached object.
Why wrong: Expanding the cache key usually lowers the hit rate because more requests become unique. That increases origin traffic and defeats the purpose of using CloudFront to reduce cost.
Quick Answer
The answer is to configure long-lived Cache-Control headers like `max-age=31536000` and `immutable` on your versioned assets, and to adjust the CloudFront cache policy to stop forwarding unnecessary query strings, headers, or cookies. This works because versioned assets have unique URLs that never change, so aggressive caching at both the CloudFront edge and the browser eliminates redundant origin fetches, directly reducing your S3 origin bill. On the SAA-C03 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of how to optimize CloudFront performance and cost for static content, often appearing as a multi-select question where one trap is choosing to shorten the TTL or enable compression instead. Remember the key insight: if the file URL changes with each version, you can safely set an extremely long cache duration. A useful memory tip is "Versioned URLs = Immutable Cache" — treat them like a library book with a unique barcode that never needs re-scanning.
SAA-C03 Design Cost-Optimized Architectures Practice Question
This SAA-C03 practice question tests your understanding of design cost-optimized architectures. 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 marketing site serves versioned JavaScript and CSS files from Amazon S3 through CloudFront. The origin bill is rising because CloudFront keeps fetching the same files too often, and the application never changes a file at the same URL once it is published. Which two changes should you make? Select two.
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
Set long-lived Cache-Control headers, such as a high max-age and immutable policy, on the versioned assets.
Option A is correct because setting long-lived Cache-Control headers (e.g., `max-age=31536000` and `immutable`) on versioned assets tells CloudFront and browsers to cache the files aggressively. Since the application never changes a file at the same URL, this eliminates redundant origin fetches, directly reducing the origin bill.
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 long-lived Cache-Control headers, such as a high max-age and immutable policy, on the versioned assets.
Why this is correct
Versioned assets are ideal for long cache lifetimes because their URLs change when the content changes. Strong Cache-Control headers let CloudFront serve more requests from edge locations instead of repeatedly fetching the same files from S3.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "never" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✓
Configure the CloudFront cache policy to avoid forwarding unnecessary query strings, headers, and cookies.
Why this is correct
A smaller cache key improves the cache hit rate because more viewer requests map to the same cached object. Avoiding unnecessary request attributes also reduces origin fetches and lowers the bandwidth sent to the origin.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "never" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Move the static assets to an EC2 web server behind an Application Load Balancer.
Why it's wrong here
This adds infrastructure cost and operational overhead without addressing the root cause of the problem. The issue is poor cache efficiency, not the inability of S3 to serve the files.
- ✗
Disable CloudFront caching so every request always reaches the origin.
Why it's wrong here
Disabling caching would increase origin traffic and make the bill worse. The scenario specifically needs fewer origin fetches, so this is the opposite of the desired outcome.
- ✗
Add more viewer-facing headers to the cache key so each browser variation gets a unique cached object.
Why it's wrong here
Expanding the cache key usually lowers the hit rate because more requests become unique. That increases origin traffic and defeats the purpose of using CloudFront to reduce cost.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates may think disabling caching (Option D) or adding more cache key variations (Option E) will improve performance, but both increase origin load and costs, while the correct approach is to leverage versioned URLs with aggressive caching headers.
Trap categories for this question
Scenario analysis trap
Disabling caching would increase origin traffic and make the bill worse. The scenario specifically needs fewer origin fetches, so this is the opposite of the desired outcome.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
The `immutable` directive (RFC 8246) instructs browsers to skip revalidation for the file's lifetime, while `max-age` sets the freshness lifetime in seconds. CloudFront respects these headers and uses them to determine cache duration; with versioned URLs (e.g., `app-abc123.js`), the file never changes, so a high `max-age` (e.g., 1 year) is safe and optimal. In practice, this reduces CloudFront origin requests to near zero after the initial cache fill, slashing S3 request costs.
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
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SAA-C03 question test?
Design Cost-Optimized Architectures — This question tests Design Cost-Optimized Architectures — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Set long-lived Cache-Control headers, such as a high max-age and immutable policy, on the versioned assets. — Option A is correct because setting long-lived Cache-Control headers (e.g., `max-age=31536000` and `immutable`) on versioned assets tells CloudFront and browsers to cache the files aggressively. Since the application never changes a file at the same URL, this eliminates redundant origin fetches, directly reducing the origin bill.
What should I do if I get this SAA-C03 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.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
Same concept, more angles
1 more ways this is tested on SAA-C03
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 marketing site serves versioned JavaScript and CSS files from an Amazon S3 origin through Amazon CloudFront. After a frontend release, the CloudFront cache hit ratio dropped because browsers now send an Authorization header on every static asset request even though the assets are public and do not require authentication. The team wants to lower origin load and improve cache efficiency. Which two actions should it take? Select two.
medium- ✓ A.Create a separate CloudFront behavior for static assets with a cache policy and origin request policy that exclude the Authorization header.
- ✓ B.Use hashed or versioned object names and long Cache-Control max-age values for immutable assets.
- C.Forward the Authorization header to the origin for all static asset requests.
- D.Set the cache TTL to zero so browsers always revalidate content.
- E.Store the static assets in Amazon EFS so CloudFront can cache them more effectively.
Why A: Option A is correct because creating a separate CloudFront behavior for static assets allows you to attach a cache policy and an origin request policy that explicitly exclude the Authorization header. By not forwarding the Authorization header to the S3 origin, CloudFront can treat all requests for the same asset as cache hits, regardless of the header value, which restores the cache hit ratio and reduces origin load.
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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
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