Question 1easymultiple choice
Full question →easymultiple choiceObjective-mapped
Your team serves static JavaScript and CSS files from an S3 origin through CloudFront. After a release, the CloudFront cache hit ratio dropped because clients keep re-downloading the same assets. What is the best next change to improve caching performance?
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Good practice is not just finding the correct option. The wrong answers often show the exact trap the exam wants you to fall into.
A
Best answer
Update origin responses to include long-lived Cache-Control headers (for example, max-age) so CloudFront can cache objects
CloudFront will only reuse cached objects when the origin response is cacheable. Adding/adjusting Cache-Control (and related directives such as public and s-maxage where appropriate) to allow long-lived caching enables edge reuse and increases cache hit ratio.
B
Distractor review
Switch the S3 bucket to S3 Glacier so objects are not frequently accessed
Glacier is designed for archival storage and introduces retrieval delays. Static website assets delivered via CloudFront would suffer significant latency and would not meet the low-latency caching goal.
C
Distractor review
Disable CloudFront compression to reduce CPU usage at the edge
Compression affects transfer size, not whether the response is cacheable. Disabling compression may increase bandwidth and slow downloads, but it does not correct the reason clients are missing cache entries.
D
Distractor review
Set CloudFront to forward all query strings to the origin to ensure the latest assets are returned
Forwarding query strings increases cache fragmentation by creating more unique cache keys, which typically reduces cache hit ratio. It also does not solve cacheability issues caused by short/no-cache headers.
Common exam trap
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.
Technical deep dive
How to think about this question
This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
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.
- Use explanations to understand the rule behind the answer.
TExam Day Tips
- Underline the problem statement mentally.
- 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.
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More questions from this exam
Keep practising from the same exam bank, or move into a focused topic page if this question exposed a weak area.
Question 1
A team needs to distribute TCP traffic (not HTTP) across multiple services. The services must see the original client source IP for auditing. Which AWS load balancer is the best fit?
Question 2
A team wants to run containerized services with AWS-managed orchestration and autoscaling. They do NOT require Kubernetes compatibility. Which AWS service choice is most appropriate to meet these goals?
Question 3
A solutions architect is designing an S3 bucket for a IoT ingestion API. The objects must never be publicly accessible, even if a developer later adds an overly broad bucket policy. What should the architect configure? The design must avoid adding custom operational scripts.
Question 4
A solutions architect is designing an S3 bucket for a claims portal. The objects must never be publicly accessible, even if a developer later adds an overly broad bucket policy. What should the architect configure?
Question 5
A team wants to delegate IAM management to developers, but must ensure developers can never grant themselves permissions beyond a specific limit. Which AWS mechanism best matches this requirement?
Question 6
A solutions architect is designing an S3 bucket for a healthcare document service. The objects must never be publicly accessible, even if a developer later adds an overly broad bucket policy. What should the architect configure?
FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SAA-C03 question test?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Update origin responses to include long-lived Cache-Control headers (for example, max-age) so CloudFront can cache objects — CloudFront caching is driven by whether responses are cacheable and how cache keys and behaviors are configured. If the origin sends Cache-Control directives that effectively prevent caching (for example, very short max-age or no-cache), CloudFront will revalidate or refetch objects, lowering hit ratio. Updating the origin to return appropriate long-lived Cache-Control headers for static assets (commonly for versioned filenames) makes those objects eligible to remain in edge caches, improving cache hit ratio and reducing latency. In practice, long caching should be paired with cache-busting/versioned asset names so updates still reach clients after deployments. Moving to Glacier breaks the static asset delivery model by adding high retrieval latency. Disabling compression does not restore caching behavior because it does not change cache-control directives. Forwarding query strings increases the number of cache keys and usually decreases hit ratio rather than fixing missing cache reuse.
What should I do if I get this SAA-C03 question wrong?
Then try more questions from the same exam bank and focus on understanding why the wrong options are tempting.
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