← SOA-C02·Amazon Web Services

Question 1,511 of 1,546

Cost and Performance Optimization →hardMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped

Optimizing S3 Storage Costs for Log Files with Lifecycle Policies

This SOA-C02 practice question tests your understanding of cost and performance optimization. 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. A key principle to apply: s3 Lifecycle policy. 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 SysOps administrator is reviewing cost reports and notices that costs for Amazon S3 have increased significantly. The bucket stores log files that are accessed once a month for auditing. The logs are written daily, and each object is about 10 MB. The company needs to keep logs for 7 years. Which action will optimize costs while meeting retention requirements?

A
Use an S3 Lifecycle policy to transition objects to S3 Glacier Deep Archive after 30 days and expire after 7 years.
Correct. An S3 Lifecycle policy can transition objects to S3 Glacier Deep Archive after 30 days and expire them after 7 years, reducing costs while retaining logs as required.
B
Store the logs in an Amazon EBS volume.
Why wrong: Wrong. Amazon EBS volumes are block-level storage for EC2 instances, not cost-effective for storing logs long-term, and they lack built-in lifecycle management.
C
Transition the logs to S3 Glacier Flexible Retrieval after 30 days.
Why wrong: Wrong. While S3 Glacier Flexible Retrieval is cheaper than Standard, it is more expensive than Deep Archive and does not provide the lowest cost for 7-year retention of rarely accessed data.
D
Store the logs in S3 Standard and delete after 7 years.
Why wrong: Wrong. Keeping logs in S3 Standard for 7 years would incur high storage costs since the logs are rarely accessed; lifecycle transitions to lower-cost classes are needed.

Full breakdown with real-world context →

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

✓

Use an S3 Lifecycle policy to transition objects to S3 Glacier Deep Archive after 30 days and expire after 7 years.

Option A is correct. S3 Lifecycle policies can automate the transition of objects to lower-cost storage classes after a specified period. For log files that are accessed rarely (once a month), transitioning to S3 Glacier Deep Archive after 30 days minimizes storage costs while still meeting the 7-year retention requirement (expiration after 7 years). Option B is incorrect because Amazon EBS volumes are not designed for durable, cost-effective long-term storage of log files and would be more expensive. Option C is incorrect because S3 Glacier Flexible Retrieval is more expensive than S3 Glacier Deep Archive for long-term archival storage. Option D is incorrect because storing logs in S3 Standard for 7 years would incur high costs; a lifecycle policy to transition to cheaper storage is more cost-effective.

Key principle: S3 Lifecycle policy

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 an S3 Lifecycle policy to transition objects to S3 Glacier Deep Archive after 30 days and expire after 7 years.
Why this is correct
Correct. An S3 Lifecycle policy can transition objects to S3 Glacier Deep Archive after 30 days and expire them after 7 years, reducing costs while retaining logs as required.
Related concept
S3 Lifecycle policy
✗
Store the logs in an Amazon EBS volume.
Why it's wrong here
Wrong. Amazon EBS volumes are block-level storage for EC2 instances, not cost-effective for storing logs long-term, and they lack built-in lifecycle management.
✗
Transition the logs to S3 Glacier Flexible Retrieval after 30 days.
Why it's wrong here
Wrong. While S3 Glacier Flexible Retrieval is cheaper than Standard, it is more expensive than Deep Archive and does not provide the lowest cost for 7-year retention of rarely accessed data.
✗
Store the logs in S3 Standard and delete after 7 years.
Why it's wrong here
Wrong. Keeping logs in S3 Standard for 7 years would incur high storage costs since the logs are rarely accessed; lifecycle transitions to lower-cost classes are needed.

Common exam traps

Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword

Candidates may think that S3 Glacier Deep Archive is not suitable because of retrieval times, but the logs are only accessed once a month, so retrieval speed is not critical. The key is to use the lowest-cost storage class for data that is rarely accessed.

Detailed technical explanation

How to think about this question

Treat this as a scenario question. Identify the problem, the constraint, and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.

KKey Concepts to Remember

S3 Lifecycle policy
S3 Glacier Deep Archive
Cost optimization

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

S3 Lifecycle policy

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.

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.

Review s3 Lifecycle policy, then practise related SOA-C02 questions on the same topic to reinforce the concept.

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FAQ

Questions learners often ask

What does this SOA-C02 question test?

Cost and Performance Optimization — This question tests Cost and Performance Optimization — S3 Lifecycle policy.

What is the correct answer to this question?

The correct answer is: Use an S3 Lifecycle policy to transition objects to S3 Glacier Deep Archive after 30 days and expire after 7 years. — Option A is correct. S3 Lifecycle policies can automate the transition of objects to lower-cost storage classes after a specified period. For log files that are accessed rarely (once a month), transitioning to S3 Glacier Deep Archive after 30 days minimizes storage costs while still meeting the 7-year retention requirement (expiration after 7 years). Option B is incorrect because Amazon EBS volumes are not designed for durable, cost-effective long-term storage of log files and would be more expensive. Option C is incorrect because S3 Glacier Flexible Retrieval is more expensive than S3 Glacier Deep Archive for long-term archival storage. Option D is incorrect because storing logs in S3 Standard for 7 years would incur high costs; a lifecycle policy to transition to cheaper storage is more cost-effective.

What should I do if I get this SOA-C02 question wrong?

Review s3 Lifecycle policy, then practise related SOA-C02 questions on the same topic to reinforce the concept.

What is the key concept behind this question?

S3 Lifecycle policy

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Same concept, more angles

1 more ways this is tested on SOA-C02

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 SysOps administrator notices that an S3 bucket's storage costs have increased significantly. The bucket stores log files and is configured with S3 Standard storage class. Most logs are accessed only once after 30 days. Which action will reduce costs without affecting data retrieval?

hard

A.Create a lifecycle policy to transition objects to S3 Standard-IA after 30 days.
B.Create a lifecycle policy to transition objects to S3 Glacier Deep Archive after 30 days.
✓ C.Create a lifecycle policy to transition objects to S3 Glacier Instant Retrieval after 30 days.
D.Create a lifecycle policy to transition objects to S3 One Zone-IA after 30 days.

Why C: Option C is correct because transitioning to S3 Glacier Instant Retrieval after 30 days reduces storage cost while maintaining millisecond access. Option A is wrong because S3 Standard-IA has retrieval fees that might increase cost for single access. Option B is wrong because S3 Glacier Deep Archive has long retrieval times (hours), making it unsuitable for logs that may need to be accessed occasionally. Option D is wrong because S3 One Zone-IA is less durable (does not replicate across AZs) and may not be appropriate for log data.

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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.