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Question 573 of 1,040

Design High-Performing Architectures →easyMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped

Quick Answer

The answer is to use versioned filenames with a long TTL, as this most directly increases the cache-hit ratio for static assets while avoiding stale content. By appending a unique hash or version string to filenames like app.abc123.js, each new file version creates a distinct URL, forcing a cache miss that fetches fresh content from the origin. This allows you to set an aggressive Cache-Control max-age TTL—often a year—without ever serving outdated files, because the old URL is simply no longer requested. On the SAA-C03 exam, this concept tests your understanding of cache invalidation strategies versus TTL management; a common trap is choosing a short TTL or purging the cache, which reduces hit ratios or adds complexity. Remember the key insight: version the URL, not the content. A useful memory tip is “hash the name, not the age”—meaning you change the filename to invalidate the cache rather than shortening the TTL.

SAA-C03 Design High-Performing Architectures Practice Question

This SAA-C03 practice question tests your understanding of design high-performing architectures. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. A key principle to apply: versioned filenames enable aggressive, long-duration caching (long TTL).. 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 company serves mostly static images and JavaScript files from an origin in one AWS Region. They want to reduce origin load and improve global performance. Which change most directly increases cache-hit ratio for static assets while avoiding stale content?

Question 1easymultiple choice

Full question →

A
Set Cache-Control headers on the origin to always be no-cache so clients revalidate frequently.
Why wrong: No-cache forces frequent revalidation, which reduces CloudFront cache usefulness and increases origin requests.
B
Use versioned file names (e.g., app.abc123.js) and configure a long TTL with appropriate revalidation behavior.
Versioned assets allow long caching with confidence, while new filenames trigger updates when code changes.
C
Disable query string forwarding so all URLs without query strings share one cached object even when content differs.
Why wrong: This can cause incorrect content delivery if different query parameters generate different responses.
D
Forward all headers, including cookies, to maximize personalization in edge cached responses.
Why wrong: Forwarding cookies and all headers typically reduces cache hits and increases cache fragmentation.

Full breakdown with real-world context →

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

✓

Use versioned file names (e.g., app.abc123.js) and configure a long TTL with appropriate revalidation behavior.

Option B is correct because using versioned file names (e.g., app.abc123.js) allows you to set a long Cache-Control max-age TTL (e.g., one year) without risking stale content. When the file changes, the versioned name changes, creating a new URL that forces a cache miss and fetches the fresh content. This directly increases the cache-hit ratio for static assets while ensuring clients never serve outdated files.

Key principle: Versioned filenames enable aggressive, long-duration caching (long TTL).

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 Cache-Control headers on the origin to always be no-cache so clients revalidate frequently.
Why it's wrong here
No-cache forces frequent revalidation, which reduces CloudFront cache usefulness and increases origin requests.
✓
Use versioned file names (e.g., app.abc123.js) and configure a long TTL with appropriate revalidation behavior.
Why this is correct
Versioned assets allow long caching with confidence, while new filenames trigger updates when code changes.
Related concept
Versioned filenames enable aggressive, long-duration caching (long TTL).
✗
Disable query string forwarding so all URLs without query strings share one cached object even when content differs.
Why it's wrong here
This can cause incorrect content delivery if different query parameters generate different responses.
✗
Forward all headers, including cookies, to maximize personalization in edge cached responses.
Why it's wrong here
Forwarding cookies and all headers typically reduces cache hits and increases cache fragmentation.

Common exam traps

Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword

The trap here is that candidates may think disabling query strings or forwarding all headers helps caching, but in reality, these actions either cause cache collisions or fragment the cache, reducing the cache-hit ratio.

Detailed technical explanation

How to think about this question

Under the hood, CDNs like CloudFront use the cache key (URL + headers + query strings) to determine if a cached object can be served. Versioned file names exploit the fact that a new URL is a completely new cache entry, so you can safely set a max-age of 31536000 seconds (1 year) without needing revalidation. This pattern is often combined with immutable directives (RFC 8246) to tell clients never to revalidate, maximizing cache efficiency.

KKey Concepts to Remember

Versioned filenames enable aggressive, long-duration caching (long TTL).
Changing the filename forces CloudFront to fetch the new version from the origin.
This strategy maximizes cache-hit ratio for static assets.
It avoids stale content by treating new versions as distinct objects.

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

Versioned filenames enable aggressive, long-duration caching (long TTL).

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.

Review versioned filenames enable aggressive, long-duration caching (long TTL)., then practise related SAA-C03 questions on the same topic to reinforce the concept.

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FAQ

Questions learners often ask

What does this SAA-C03 question test?

Design High-Performing Architectures — This question tests Design High-Performing Architectures — Versioned filenames enable aggressive, long-duration caching (long TTL)..

What is the correct answer to this question?

The correct answer is: Use versioned file names (e.g., app.abc123.js) and configure a long TTL with appropriate revalidation behavior. — Option B is correct because using versioned file names (e.g., app.abc123.js) allows you to set a long Cache-Control max-age TTL (e.g., one year) without risking stale content. When the file changes, the versioned name changes, creating a new URL that forces a cache miss and fetches the fresh content. This directly increases the cache-hit ratio for static assets while ensuring clients never serve outdated files.

What should I do if I get this SAA-C03 question wrong?

Review versioned filenames enable aggressive, long-duration caching (long TTL)., then practise related SAA-C03 questions on the same topic to reinforce the concept.

What is the key concept behind this question?

Versioned filenames enable aggressive, long-duration caching (long TTL).

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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 company serves mostly static images and JavaScript files from an origin in one AWS Region. They want to reduce origin load and improve global performance. Which change most directly increases cache-hit ratio for static assets while avoiding stale content?

easy

A.Set Cache-Control headers on the origin to always be no-cache so clients revalidate frequently.
✓ B.Use versioned file names (e.g., app.abc123.js) and configure a long TTL with appropriate revalidation behavior.
C.Disable query string forwarding so all URLs without query strings share one cached object even when content differs.
D.Forward all headers, including cookies, to maximize personalization in edge cached responses.

Why B: Option B is correct because using versioned file names (e.g., app.abc123.js) allows you to set a long Cache-Control max-age TTL (e.g., one year) without risking stale content. When the file changes, the new version gets a new URL, so clients and edge caches immediately fetch the fresh object, maximizing cache hits for unchanged assets while avoiding stale content.

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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.