- A
Create an origin access identity (OAI) and update the S3 bucket policy to grant access only to the OAI
This restricts S3 bucket access to CloudFront only.
- B
Use AWS WAF to block requests that do not include the CloudFront distribution's domain name
Why wrong: WAF does not prevent direct S3 access; it filters requests at CloudFront edge locations.
- C
Create an AWS Lambda@Edge function to validate headers
Why wrong: Lambda@Edge can check headers but does not prevent direct S3 access.
- D
Use S3 Block Public Access to prevent all public access
Why wrong: This would block direct S3 access but also block CloudFront if not configured with an OAI.
Question 703 of 1,546
How to Restrict S3 Access to CloudFront with Origin Access Identity (OAI)
This SOA-C02 practice question tests your understanding of networking and content delivery. 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 uses Amazon CloudFront to deliver its static website hosted on Amazon S3. The security team notices that users are able to access the S3 bucket directly via the S3 endpoint, bypassing CloudFront. What should be done to ensure that content is only accessible through CloudFront?
Answer choices
Why each option matters
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 update the S3 bucket policy to grant access only to the OAI
Option A is correct because an Origin Access Identity (OAI) is a special CloudFront user that can be associated with a CloudFront distribution. By updating the S3 bucket policy to grant read access only to that OAI's canonical user ID, the bucket becomes inaccessible via direct S3 endpoints, while CloudFront can still fetch and serve the content. This enforces that all traffic must go through CloudFront.
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.
- ✓
Create an origin access identity (OAI) and update the S3 bucket policy to grant access only to the OAI
Why this is correct
This restricts S3 bucket access to CloudFront only.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Use AWS WAF to block requests that do not include the CloudFront distribution's domain name
Why it's wrong here
WAF does not prevent direct S3 access; it filters requests at CloudFront edge locations.
- ✗
Create an AWS Lambda@Edge function to validate headers
Why it's wrong here
Lambda@Edge can check headers but does not prevent direct S3 access.
- ✗
Use S3 Block Public Access to prevent all public access
Why it's wrong here
This would block direct S3 access but also block CloudFront if not configured with an OAI.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse OAI with S3 Block Public Access, thinking that blocking all public access will still allow CloudFront access, but Block Public Access applies to all principals including CloudFront unless the bucket policy explicitly grants access to the OAI.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, the OAI is represented by a canonical user ID (e.g., an AWS account ID) that CloudFront uses to sign requests to S3. The S3 bucket policy must explicitly grant the `s3:GetObject` action to that principal. A common subtlety is that if the bucket policy also allows public access (e.g., via a `Principal: "*"` statement), the OAI restriction is bypassed; the policy must be carefully written to deny all except the OAI. In real-world scenarios, this is critical for compliance with data sovereignty or cost control, as direct S3 access bypasses CloudFront's caching and logging.
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.
TExam Day Tips
- 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.
Quick reference
AWS S3 Storage Class Comparison
| Storage Class | Min Duration | Retrieval | Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|
| S3 Standard | None | Immediate | Frequently accessed data |
| S3 Standard-IA | 30 days | Immediate | Infrequent access, rapid retrieval |
| S3 One Zone-IA | 30 days | Immediate | Non-critical infrequent data |
| S3 Intelligent-Tiering | None | Immediate–hours | Unknown or changing access patterns |
| S3 Glacier Instant | 90 days | Milliseconds | Archive with instant retrieval |
| S3 Glacier Flexible | 90 days | Minutes–hours | Archive, flexible retrieval |
| S3 Glacier Deep Archive | 180 days | Hours | Long-term compliance archive |
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SOA-C02 question test?
Networking and Content Delivery — This question tests Networking and Content Delivery — 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 update the S3 bucket policy to grant access only to the OAI — Option A is correct because an Origin Access Identity (OAI) is a special CloudFront user that can be associated with a CloudFront distribution. By updating the S3 bucket policy to grant read access only to that OAI's canonical user ID, the bucket becomes inaccessible via direct S3 endpoints, while CloudFront can still fetch and serve the content. This enforces that all traffic must go through CloudFront.
What should I do if I get this SOA-C02 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 2026
This SOA-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 SOA-C02 exam.
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