The answer is to create an origin access identity (OAI) and grant it read access to the S3 bucket. This works because the OAI acts as a special CloudFront user, and when you attach a bucket policy that grants the OAI s3:GetObject permissions, the S3 bucket will reject any request that does not come from that specific CloudFront identity, effectively restricting S3 bucket access to only CloudFront. On the AWS Certified Solutions Architect Professional SAP-C02 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of securing origin access without exposing the bucket publicly; a common trap is confusing signed URLs or signed cookies—which control end-user access—with the OAI mechanism that secures the origin itself. Remember, OAI locks down the backend, while signed URLs lock down the frontend. A helpful memory tip: OAI stands for “Only Access from Inside” CloudFront.
SAP-C02 Continuous Improvement for Existing Solutions Practice Question
This SAP-C02 practice question tests your understanding of continuous improvement for existing solutions. 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 company uses Amazon CloudFront to deliver static content from an S3 bucket. They want to restrict access so that only CloudFront can access the S3 bucket. What configuration should they use?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Create an origin access identity (OAI) and grant it read access to the S3 bucket.
Option C is correct because origin access identity (OAI) allows CloudFront to access S3 securely. Option A is wrong because signed URLs are for end-user access. Option B is wrong because bucket policy with OAI is the right approach, but this option describes OAI. Option D is wrong because CloudFront does not use IAM roles for S3 access.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
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 the S3 bucket policy to allow access only from CloudFront's public IP ranges.
Why it's wrong here
CloudFront IPs change; OAI is the recommended method.
✓
Create an origin access identity (OAI) and grant it read access to the S3 bucket.
Why this is correct
OAI allows CloudFront to authenticate to S3.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Attach an IAM role to CloudFront distribution.
Why it's wrong here
CloudFront does not support IAM roles for origin access.
✗
Configure CloudFront signed URLs.
Why it's wrong here
Signed URLs control user access, not origin access.
Common exam traps
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.
Detailed technical explanation
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.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
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.
Identify which SAP-C02 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
Continuous Improvement for Existing Solutions — This question tests Continuous Improvement for Existing Solutions — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Create an origin access identity (OAI) and grant it read access to the S3 bucket. — Option C is correct because origin access identity (OAI) allows CloudFront to access S3 securely. Option A is wrong because signed URLs are for end-user access. Option B is wrong because bucket policy with OAI is the right approach, but this option describes OAI. Option D is wrong because CloudFront does not use IAM roles for S3 access.
What should I do if I get this SAP-C02 question wrong?
Identify which SAP-C02 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
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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 is using Amazon CloudFront to deliver static content from an S3 bucket. The company wants to ensure that users can only access content through CloudFront and not directly from the S3 bucket. What should the company do?
easy
✓ A.Use CloudFront Origin Access Control (OAC) and update the bucket policy to only allow access from the CloudFront distribution.
B.Set S3 Object Ownership to BucketOwnerPreferred.
C.Configure the S3 bucket policy to allow public read access.
D.Generate CloudFront key pairs and require signed URLs for all content.
Why A: Option C is correct by using Origin Access Control (OAC) to restrict S3 bucket access to only CloudFront. Option A is wrong because it does not restrict direct access. Option B is wrong because Object Ownership is not a security feature. Option D is wrong because CloudFront key pairs are for signed URLs, not bucket access.
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This SAP-C02 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 SAP-C02 exam.
Question Discussion
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