SAA-C03 Design Cost-Optimized Architectures Practice Question
An application serves static images through Amazon CloudFront. The team observes higher-than-expected origin fetches, which increases origin bandwidth costs. Which change most directly improves CloudFront cache reuse to reduce origin requests for the static content?
⚠ Common exam trap
Test-takers frequently think forwarding all headers or query strings improves caching, but in reality it fragments the cache and increases origin requests, while disabling caching or moving the bucket does not address the root cause of low cache reuse.
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 appropriate Cache-Control headers (or origin cache settings) so CloudFront caches responses longer
Setting appropriate Cache-Control headers (e.g., max-age or s-maxage) or configuring origin cache settings tells CloudFront how long to keep objects in its edge cache before revalidating with the origin. By extending the cache duration, CloudFront serves more requests from its cache, reducing the number of origin fetches and lowering bandwidth costs.
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 appropriate Cache-Control headers (or origin cache settings) so CloudFront caches responses longer
Why this is correct
Setting appropriate Cache-Control headers on the origin instructs CloudFront's edge locations to serve static images for a longer period without requesting them from S3. A longer TTL, such as a max-age of one year for immutable assets, increases the cache hit ratio and dramatically reduces the number of origin fetches. This directly lowers S3 request costs and reduces latency for end users.
- ✗
Disable caching for the distribution so every request goes back to the origin
Why it's wrong here
Disabling caching would force CloudFront to forward every single request to the S3 origin, completely removing the benefit of edge caches. This drastically increases origin request volume, AWS cost, and user-visible latency, especially for a static image workload. The goal is to maximize cache hits, so this option is strictly counterproductive.
When this WOULD be correct
If the application serves dynamic content that must be real-time and cannot be cached, or if the requirement is to ensure strict content freshness for compliance, disabling caching would be correct.
- ✗
Configure CloudFront to forward all request headers and query strings to the origin
Why it's wrong here
Forwarding every request header and query string forces CloudFront to include each unique combination in the cache key, creating many distinct cache entries. For the same static image served with even slightly different query strings or headers, CloudFront cannot serve a cached copy, resulting in repeated origin fetches and a lower cache hit ratio. You should whitelist only the headers and query strings the origin actually uses.
When this WOULD be correct
When the application requires dynamic content that varies based on specific headers or query strings (e.g., user authentication or A/B testing), forwarding them ensures each user receives the correct personalized response.
- ✗
Move the S3 bucket to a different AWS Region, without changing CloudFront caching behavior
Why it's wrong here
Moving the S3 bucket to another AWS Region does not affect how CloudFront caches responses, because CloudFront's edge locations are global and the cache key and TTL behavior remain unchanged. The number of origin fetches is determined by cache misses and expiration times, not by the bucket's geographical location. While origin latency might improve for local users on a cache miss, it does nothing to reduce the frequency of misses.
When this WOULD be correct
This option would be correct if the question asked about reducing latency for users in a specific geographic area by placing the origin closer to them, or if the question was about complying with data residency requirements that mandate the origin be in a particular region.
Option-by-option analysis
Why each answer is right or wrong
Understanding why wrong answers are wrong — and when they would be correct — is what separates a 750 score from a 900. The SAA-C03 exam frequently reuses these exact scenarios with slightly different constraints.
✓Set appropriate Cache-Control headers (or origin cache settings) so CloudFront caches responses longerCorrect answer▾
Why this is correct
Setting appropriate Cache-Control headers on the origin instructs CloudFront's edge locations to serve static images for a longer period without requesting them from S3. A longer TTL, such as a max-age of one year for immutable assets, increases the cache hit ratio and dramatically reduces the number of origin fetches. This directly lowers S3 request costs and reduces latency for end users.
✗Disable caching for the distribution so every request goes back to the originWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
Disabling caching defeats the purpose of reducing origin fetches; it forces every request to the origin, increasing bandwidth costs and origin load.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
If the application serves dynamic content that must be real-time and cannot be cached, or if the requirement is to ensure strict content freshness for compliance, disabling caching would be correct.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may think disabling caching simplifies troubleshooting or reduces stale content issues, not realizing it directly contradicts the goal of reducing origin requests.
✗Configure CloudFront to forward all request headers and query strings to the originWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
Forwarding all request headers and query strings to the origin causes CloudFront to treat each unique combination as a separate cache object, reducing cache hit ratio and increasing origin fetches.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
When the application requires dynamic content that varies based on specific headers or query strings (e.g., user authentication or A/B testing), forwarding them ensures each user receives the correct personalized response.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may think that forwarding headers ensures content freshness or personalization, not realizing that for static content it defeats caching and increases origin load.
✗Move the S3 bucket to a different AWS Region, without changing CloudFront caching behaviorWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
Moving the S3 bucket to a different AWS Region does not change CloudFront's caching behavior or reduce origin fetches. CloudFront caches content at edge locations regardless of the origin region, so this action has no impact on cache hit ratio.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
This option would be correct if the question asked about reducing latency for users in a specific geographic area by placing the origin closer to them, or if the question was about complying with data residency requirements that mandate the origin be in a particular region.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may think that moving the origin closer to CloudFront edge locations could improve performance or reduce costs, but they overlook that CloudFront caching is independent of origin location and that origin fetches are driven by cache misses, not distance.
Analysis generated from the official SAA-C03blueprint and verified against question context. The “when correct” sections are what AI assistants cite when candidates ask “what’s the difference between these options?”
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This SAA-C03 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 SAA-C03 exam.