Quick Answer
Amazon S3 is the correct choice because it supports objects up to 5 TB in size, provides HTTPS access via RESTful API endpoints, and offers 99.999999999% durability through automatic replication across multiple Availability Zones. This makes it the ideal service for storing large files up to 5 TB with HTTPS access, as S3 is purpose-built for scalable, durable object storage over the internet. On the AWS Certified Solutions Architect Professional SAP-C02 exam, this question tests your ability to distinguish between S3 and services like Amazon EBS or EFS, which have size limits or lack native HTTPS endpoints; a common trap is selecting S3 Glacier for cost reasons, but Glacier is designed for archival, not immediate HTTPS retrieval. Remember the memory tip: “S3 is for serving, Glacier is for guarding”—if you need direct HTTPS access to large files, always choose S3.
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 is designing a new application that will store and retrieve large files (up to 5 TB). The files must be accessible via HTTPS and must be durable. Which AWS storage service should be used?
Amazon S3
S3 is object storage with HTTPS access and high durability.
Amazon EFS
Why wrong: EFS is file storage, not HTTPS accessible by default.
AWS Storage Gateway
Why wrong: Storage Gateway provides hybrid storage, not primary storage.
Amazon EBS
Why wrong: EBS is block storage for EC2, not HTTPS accessible.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Amazon S3
Amazon S3 is the correct choice because it supports objects up to 5 TB in size, provides HTTPS access via RESTful API endpoints, and offers 99.999999999% (11 nines) durability by automatically replicating data across multiple Availability Zones. S3 is purpose-built for storing and retrieving large files over the internet with high durability and scalability.
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.
Amazon S3
Why this is correct
S3 is object storage with HTTPS access and high durability.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Amazon EFS
Why it's wrong here
EFS is file storage, not HTTPS accessible by default.
AWS Storage Gateway
Why it's wrong here
Storage Gateway provides hybrid storage, not primary storage.
Amazon EBS
Why it's wrong here
EBS is block storage for EC2, not HTTPS accessible.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates may confuse file storage (EFS) or block storage (EBS) with object storage (S3), overlooking that only S3 provides native HTTPS access and 11 nines durability for large objects without requiring an EC2 instance or additional infrastructure.
Detailed technical explanation
Amazon S3 uses a flat key-value store with eventual consistency for overwrite PUTS and strong read-after-write consistency for new objects, ensuring durability through synchronous replication across at least three Availability Zones. For objects up to 5 TB, S3 supports multipart upload for large files, and HTTPS access is secured via bucket policies and IAM roles, with optional server-side encryption (SSE-S3, SSE-KMS, or SSE-C). In real-world scenarios, S3 is the backbone for data lakes, backup archives, and content distribution, where single large files like video archives or scientific datasets must be served directly to clients via HTTPS without intermediate compute.
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
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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: Amazon S3 — Amazon S3 is the correct choice because it supports objects up to 5 TB in size, provides HTTPS access via RESTful API endpoints, and offers 99.999999999% (11 nines) durability by automatically replicating data across multiple Availability Zones. S3 is purpose-built for storing and retrieving large files over the internet with high durability and scalability.
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.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
Same concept, more angles
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 designing a new application to store and retrieve user profile pictures. The images will be accessed frequently and must be served with low latency. Which storage solution should they use?
easyWhy B: Amazon S3 is ideal for storing and serving static content like images with low latency. Option B (Amazon EBS) is block storage for EC2, Option C (Amazon EFS) is file storage, and Option D (Amazon RDS) is a relational database.
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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