The answer is Amazon CloudFront with the S3 bucket as the origin. This is the most cost-effective solution because CloudFront is a global CDN that caches static content at edge locations worldwide, dramatically reducing latency for end users while minimizing data transfer costs from the origin S3 bucket. On the AWS Certified Solutions Architect Professional SAP-C02 exam, this question tests your understanding of cost-optimized content delivery patterns—specifically that a CDN like CloudFront reduces egress charges from S3 and offloads repeated requests to edge caches. A common trap is confusing Global Accelerator (which optimizes network paths but does not cache) with a CDN, or assuming S3 alone provides low-latency global delivery. Remember the memory tip: “Cache at the edge, save on the egress.”
SAP-C02 Design for New Solutions Practice Question
This SAP-C02 practice question tests your understanding of design for new solutions. 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. 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 serve static content (images and videos) to users worldwide with low latency. The content is stored in an Amazon S3 bucket. What is the most cost-effective solution?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Use Amazon CloudFront with the S3 bucket as the origin.
Option C is correct because Amazon CloudFront is a CDN that caches content at edge locations, reducing latency and cost for data transfer. Option A is wrong because S3 alone does not provide edge caching. Option B is wrong because Global Accelerator improves network path but does not cache content. Option D is wrong because EC2 instances would require management and scaling.
Key principle: NAT direction and interface roles matter as much as the IP address mapping. Inside/outside designation controls which traffic is translated.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✗
Use AWS Global Accelerator with endpoints pointing to the S3 bucket.
Why it's wrong here
Global Accelerator improves network routing but does not cache content; CloudFront is the appropriate CDN.
✗
Deploy EC2 instances in multiple Regions and use a load balancer.
Why it's wrong here
This adds complexity and cost; CloudFront is simpler and cost-effective for static content.
✓
Use Amazon CloudFront with the S3 bucket as the origin.
Why this is correct
CloudFront caches content at edge locations, reducing latency and data transfer costs.
Related concept
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
✗
Host the content directly from the S3 bucket and use S3 Transfer Acceleration.
Why it's wrong here
Transfer Acceleration speeds up uploads, not downloads; it does not cache content globally.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: NAT rules depend on direction and matching traffic
NAT is not only about the public address. The inside/outside interface roles and the ACL or rule that matches traffic are just as important.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
NAT questions usually test address translation, overload/PAT behaviour, static mappings and whether the right traffic is being translated. Read the interface direction and address terms carefully.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
PAT allows many inside hosts to share one public address using ports.
Inside local and inside global describe the private and translated addresses.
NAT ACLs identify traffic for translation, not always security filtering.
TExam Day Tips
→Identify inside and outside interfaces first.
→Check whether the scenario needs static NAT, dynamic NAT or PAT.
→Do not confuse NAT matching ACLs with normal packet-filtering intent.
Key takeaway
NAT direction and interface roles matter as much as the IP address mapping. Inside/outside designation controls which traffic is translated.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A startup's cloud architect reviews their monthly bill and notices costs are higher than expected for a long-running batch job. Switching from on-demand instances to Reserved Instances — or using Spot/Preemptible VMs — can reduce compute costs by up to 72 %. Questions like this test whether you understand the tradeoffs between commitment, flexibility, and cost across cloud pricing models.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Review the four NAT address types (inside local, inside global, outside local, outside global), PAT port overload, and static vs dynamic NAT use cases. Then practise related SAP-C02 NAT questions on configuration and troubleshooting.
Design for New Solutions — This question tests Design for New Solutions — Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Use Amazon CloudFront with the S3 bucket as the origin. — Option C is correct because Amazon CloudFront is a CDN that caches content at edge locations, reducing latency and cost for data transfer. Option A is wrong because S3 alone does not provide edge caching. Option B is wrong because Global Accelerator improves network path but does not cache content. Option D is wrong because EC2 instances would require management and scaling.
What should I do if I get this SAP-C02 question wrong?
Review the four NAT address types (inside local, inside global, outside local, outside global), PAT port overload, and static vs dynamic NAT use cases. Then practise related SAP-C02 NAT questions on configuration and troubleshooting.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
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Question Discussion
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