SAP-C02 Design for New Solutions Practice Question
A company is building a serverless application using AWS Lambda. The Lambda function needs to process files uploaded to an S3 bucket. The function should be triggered as soon as a new object is created. How should the architect configure this?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is that candidates may overcomplicate the solution by introducing intermediate services like SNS or SQS, not realizing that S3 can directly invoke Lambda with no additional components, which is the simplest and most cost-effective design.
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
✓
Configure S3 to send event notifications to the Lambda function directly
Amazon S3 can directly invoke an AWS Lambda function via event notifications when a new object is created. This is the simplest and most direct integration, requiring no intermediate services. S3 publishes an event to Lambda, which then executes the function synchronously, ensuring near-real-time processing of uploaded files.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Configure S3 to send event notifications to the Lambda function directly
Why this is correct
S3 event notifications natively push s3:ObjectCreated events to Lambda through a resource-based policy, invoking the function the moment an object lands. This direct integration satisfies the requirement for immediate, serverless triggering without polling or intermediary services.
- ✗
Configure S3 to send event notifications to an SNS topic, which triggers the Lambda function
Why it's wrong here
SNS adds a fan-out hop and cannot filter on object-created events with the granularity S3 needs here; it is designed for notifying many subscribers, not for direct bucket-to-function invocation. The stem requires immediate triggering on object creation, which S3 event notifications to Lambda deliver natively.
- ✗
Configure S3 to send event notifications to an SQS queue, and have the Lambda function poll the queue
Why it's wrong here
Configuring S3 to send event notifications to an SQS queue introduces latency because the Lambda function must poll the queue, which prevents near-instantaneous invocation upon object creation. The requirement demands immediate processing triggered by the event, which S3 event notifications sent directly to Lambda achieve without polling delays. This approach is tempting because SQS decouples processing and handles high-throughput or batch workloads, making it correct when asynchronous, buffered consumption is acceptable.
- ✗
Configure S3 to send event notifications to Amazon CloudWatch Events, which triggers the Lambda function
Why it's wrong here
CloudWatch Events is not the typical trigger for S3 events.
Quick reference
AWS S3 Storage Class Comparison
| Storage Class | Min Duration | Retrieval | Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|
| S3 Standard | None | Immediate | Frequently accessed data |
| S3 Standard-IA | 30 days | Immediate | Infrequent access, rapid retrieval |
| S3 One Zone-IA | 30 days | Immediate | Non-critical infrequent data |
| S3 Intelligent-Tiering | None | Immediate–hours | Unknown or changing access patterns |
| S3 Glacier Instant | 90 days | Milliseconds | Archive with instant retrieval |
| S3 Glacier Flexible | 90 days | Minutes–hours | Archive, flexible retrieval |
| S3 Glacier Deep Archive | 180 days | Hours | Long-term compliance archive |
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