Quick Answer
The answer is S3 Cross-Region Replication with versioning enabled. This configuration automatically copies every object uploaded to the source bucket into a destination bucket in a different AWS Region, creating a durable, low-latency disaster recovery copy without any manual intervention. Versioning must be enabled on both buckets because it tracks every version of an object, ensuring that overwrites and deletes are consistently replicated and that the destination remains an exact, recoverable mirror of the source. On the SAA-C03 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of CRR versus Same-Region Replication (SRR) and the mandatory prerequisite of versioning—a common trap is forgetting that versioning must be active on both sides. A useful memory tip: “Cross-Region needs Versioning on both ends to keep the copy consistent.”
This SAA-C03 practice question tests your understanding of design resilient architectures. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. 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 trading dashboard stores uploaded documents in S3. The business requires a copy in another AWS Region for disaster recovery. What should be configured?
An EBS snapshot schedule
Why wrong: EBS snapshots do not apply to S3 objects.
S3 Cross-Region Replication with versioning enabled
CRR asynchronously replicates objects to a bucket in another Region and requires versioning.
S3 lifecycle transition to Glacier Flexible Retrieval
Why wrong: Lifecycle transition changes storage class, not Region.
A CloudFront distribution
Why wrong: CloudFront caches content but is not a durable DR copy.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
S3 Cross-Region Replication with versioning enabled
S3 Cross-Region Replication (CRR) with versioning enabled automatically replicates objects to a destination bucket in a different AWS Region, providing a durable, low-latency disaster recovery copy. Versioning must be enabled on both source and destination buckets to track object changes and ensure consistency during replication. This meets the requirement for a cross-region copy without manual intervention.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
An EBS snapshot schedule
Why it's wrong here
EBS snapshots do not apply to S3 objects.
S3 Cross-Region Replication with versioning enabled
Why this is correct
CRR asynchronously replicates objects to a bucket in another Region and requires versioning.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
S3 lifecycle transition to Glacier Flexible Retrieval
Why it's wrong here
Lifecycle transition changes storage class, not Region.
A CloudFront distribution
Why it's wrong here
CloudFront caches content but is not a durable DR copy.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates may confuse lifecycle transitions (which change storage class within the same region) with cross-region replication (which copies data to a different region), or assume EBS snapshots apply to S3 storage.
Detailed technical explanation
S3 CRR uses asynchronous replication, meaning there is a slight delay (typically seconds to minutes) before objects are available in the destination region, governed by the S3 Replication Time Control (RTC) SLA of 15 minutes for 99.99% of objects. Replication rules can filter by prefix, tags, or object size, and require IAM roles with permissions to read from the source and write to the destination. Under the hood, S3 replicates only new objects after the rule is enabled unless you use S3 Batch Replication for existing objects.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
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
Design Resilient Architectures — This question tests Design Resilient Architectures — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: S3 Cross-Region Replication with versioning enabled — S3 Cross-Region Replication (CRR) with versioning enabled automatically replicates objects to a destination bucket in a different AWS Region, providing a durable, low-latency disaster recovery copy. Versioning must be enabled on both source and destination buckets to track object changes and ensure consistency during replication. This meets the requirement for a cross-region copy without manual intervention.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Same concept, more angles
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Variation 1. A trading dashboard stores uploaded documents in S3. The business requires a copy in another AWS Region for disaster recovery. What should be configured? The design must avoid adding custom operational scripts.
mediumWhy B: S3 Cross-Region Replication (CRR) automatically replicates objects to a destination bucket in a different AWS Region, meeting the disaster recovery requirement without custom scripts. Versioning must be enabled on both source and destination buckets for CRR to function, as it tracks object versions and ensures consistency during replication.
Variation 2. A trading dashboard stores uploaded documents in S3. The business requires a copy in another AWS Region for disaster recovery. What should be configured? The team wants the control to be enforceable during normal operations.
mediumWhy B: S3 Cross-Region Replication (CRR) automatically replicates objects to a destination bucket in a different AWS Region, providing a disaster recovery copy. Enabling versioning on both source and destination buckets is required for CRR to function, and replication can be enforced during normal operations by applying an IAM policy that denies `s3:PutObject` unless the request includes the `x-amz-server-side-encryption` header or by using a bucket policy that requires replication. This meets the business requirement for an enforceable, automated DR copy.
Variation 3. A trading dashboard stores uploaded documents in S3. The business requires a copy in another AWS Region for disaster recovery. What should be configured? The architecture review board prefers a managed AWS-native control.
mediumWhy B: S3 Cross-Region Replication (CRR) is the correct AWS-native managed solution for automatically replicating objects from a source S3 bucket in one region to a destination bucket in another region, meeting the disaster recovery requirement. Versioning must be enabled on both source and destination buckets for CRR to function, as replication relies on version IDs to track and copy objects. This provides asynchronous, automatic replication without custom scripting or third-party tools.
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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
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