Quick Answer
The answer is S3 Lifecycle policies. This is the correct choice because S3 Lifecycle policies allow you to define rules that automatically expire objects after a specified retention period—in this case, 7 years—by setting an expiration action that permanently deletes the objects without any manual intervention. On the AWS Certified Solutions Architect Professional SAP-C02 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of automating data lifecycle management, often appearing as a distractor against manual deletion scripts or S3 Object Lock, which is designed for compliance retention rather than automatic deletion. A common trap is confusing S3 Lifecycle policies with S3 Glacier retrieval or versioning; remember that expiration actions handle deletion, not storage class transitions. Memory tip: think of Lifecycle as your “set-and-forget” janitor—it cleans up data exactly when you tell it to, no reminders needed.
This SAP-C02 practice question tests your understanding of design for new solutions. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. 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 solution that uses Amazon S3 to store large amounts of archival data. The data must be retained for 7 years and then automatically deleted. Which S3 feature should they use?
S3 Replication
Why wrong: Replication copies objects to another bucket, not deletion.
S3 Versioning
Why wrong: Versioning keeps multiple versions, not automatic deletion.
S3 Object Lock
Why wrong: Object Lock prevents deletion or modification, not automatic deletion.
S3 Lifecycle policies
Lifecycle policies can automatically delete objects after a set period.
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 Lifecycle policies
S3 Lifecycle policies allow you to define rules that automatically expire objects after a specified period, such as 7 years. This directly meets the requirement to retain archival data for a fixed duration and then delete it without manual intervention.
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 Replication
Why it's wrong here
Replication copies objects to another bucket, not deletion.
S3 Versioning
Why it's wrong here
Versioning keeps multiple versions, not automatic deletion.
S3 Object Lock
Why it's wrong here
Object Lock prevents deletion or modification, not automatic deletion.
S3 Lifecycle policies
Why this is correct
Lifecycle policies can automatically delete objects after a set period.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates often confuse S3 Object Lock's retention period with automatic deletion, not realizing that Object Lock only prevents deletion during the retention window and requires a separate lifecycle rule to actually remove the objects afterward.
Detailed technical explanation
S3 Lifecycle policies use XML-based rules with `Expiration` actions that can be set to a specific number of days after object creation. The `CurrentVersionExpiration` and `NoncurrentVersionExpiration` actions handle versioned buckets, ensuring that even if versioning is enabled, old versions are cleaned up after the retention period. A common real-world scenario is combining lifecycle expiration with S3 Glacier or S3 Deep Archive storage class transitions to optimize costs before deletion.
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: S3 Lifecycle policies — S3 Lifecycle policies allow you to define rules that automatically expire objects after a specified period, such as 7 years. This directly meets the requirement to retain archival data for a fixed duration and then delete it without manual intervention.
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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