Quick Answer
The answer is S3 Event Notifications, which is the correct feature to trigger Lambda on S3 upload. This native integration allows you to configure S3 to publish events like s3:ObjectCreated:Put directly to a Lambda function, eliminating the need for polling or custom code. On the AWS Certified Solutions Architect Professional SAP-C02 exam, this concept tests your understanding of serverless event-driven architectures and the seamless S3-to-Lambda pathway, often appearing in scenario-based questions that require you to identify the simplest, most cost-effective solution. A common trap is selecting S3 batch operations or lifecycle policies, which handle different tasks, or suggesting a custom polling solution with CloudWatch Events, which adds unnecessary complexity. Remember the memory tip: "S3 Event Notifications are the direct trigger—no middleman needed."
This SAP-C02 practice question tests your understanding of design for new 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 wants to implement a serverless architecture where an AWS Lambda function is triggered whenever a new object is uploaded to an S3 bucket. Which S3 feature should they use?
S3 Object Lock
Why wrong: Prevents object deletion.
S3 Transfer Acceleration
Why wrong: Accelerates uploads, does not trigger events.
S3 Event Notifications
S3 can send events to Lambda on object creation.
S3 Inventory
Why wrong: Provides inventory reports.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
S3 Event Notifications
S3 Event Notifications allow you to configure S3 to publish events (e.g., s3:ObjectCreated:Put) to AWS Lambda, SQS, or SNS whenever an object is uploaded. This is the native serverless integration that triggers a Lambda function directly from S3 without polling or custom code.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
S3 Object Lock
Why it's wrong here
Prevents object deletion.
S3 Transfer Acceleration
Why it's wrong here
Accelerates uploads, does not trigger events.
S3 Event Notifications
Why this is correct
S3 can send events to Lambda on object creation.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
S3 Inventory
Why it's wrong here
Provides inventory reports.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates may confuse S3 Event Notifications with S3 Inventory or S3 Object Lock, thinking any S3 feature that 'tracks' or 'protects' objects can trigger code, but only Event Notifications provide real-time, push-based triggers to Lambda.
Detailed technical explanation
S3 Event Notifications are delivered as JSON event records via SNS, SQS, or Lambda, with a typical latency of seconds. Notifications can be filtered by prefix or suffix (e.g., only .jpg files), and you can configure multiple destinations per bucket. Under the hood, S3 uses internal event streams that guarantee at-least-once delivery, so Lambda functions should be idempotent to handle duplicate invocations.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
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
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Design for New Solutions — study guide chapter
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FAQ
Design for New Solutions — This question tests Design for New Solutions — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: S3 Event Notifications — S3 Event Notifications allow you to configure S3 to publish events (e.g., s3:ObjectCreated:Put) to AWS Lambda, SQS, or SNS whenever an object is uploaded. This is the native serverless integration that triggers a Lambda function directly from S3 without polling or custom code.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 24, 2026
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.
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