← SOA-C02·Amazon Web Services

Question 662 of 1,546

Networking and Content Delivery →easyMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped

Troubleshooting S3 Static Website Custom Domain: Route53 Alias Record Misconfiguration

This SOA-C02 practice question tests your understanding of networking and content delivery. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. 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 hosts a static website on Amazon S3 with public read access enabled. The website is accessed via a custom domain name that uses Amazon Route 53. The domain name points to the S3 bucket's website endpoint. Users report that they can access the website using the S3 bucket URL but not the custom domain name. What is the most likely cause?

Clue words in this question

Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.

Clue: "most likely"
Why it matters: Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.

A
The S3 bucket policy does not allow public access.
Why wrong: The question states public read access is enabled.
B
The website does not support HTTPS and the browser blocks it.
Why wrong: S3 website endpoints support HTTP only, but browsers do not block HTTP unless forced.
C
The Route 53 alias record points to the S3 bucket's regional endpoint instead of the website endpoint.
For static website hosting, the alias target must be the S3 website endpoint (e.g., bucket-name.s3-website-region.amazonaws.com), not the bucket's regional endpoint (s3.amazonaws.com).
D
The DNS TTL is too long and the changes have not propagated.
Why wrong: If the alias record is correct, propagation would eventually work. The issue is likely the target.

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

✓

The Route 53 alias record points to the S3 bucket's regional endpoint instead of the website endpoint.

The most likely cause is that the Route 53 alias record points to the S3 bucket's regional endpoint (e.g., s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com) instead of the website endpoint (e.g., bucket-name.s3-website-us-east-1.amazonaws.com). To serve a static website, an S3 bucket must be configured for static website hosting, and the alias record must point to the S3 website endpoint. The regional endpoint is used for direct API access, not for website hosting. Option A is incorrect because public read access is enabled, so the bucket policy allows access. Option B is incorrect because the issue is DNS resolution, not HTTPS; S3 website endpoints support HTTP. Option D is incorrect because DNS propagation delays are unlikely to cause complete failure to resolve; the alias record type is the issue.

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.

✗
The S3 bucket policy does not allow public access.
Why it's wrong here
The question states public read access is enabled.
✗
The website does not support HTTPS and the browser blocks it.
Why it's wrong here
S3 website endpoints support HTTP only, but browsers do not block HTTP unless forced.
✓
The Route 53 alias record points to the S3 bucket's regional endpoint instead of the website endpoint.
Why this is correct
For static website hosting, the alias target must be the S3 website endpoint (e.g., bucket-name.s3-website-region.amazonaws.com), not the bucket's regional endpoint (s3.amazonaws.com).
Clue confirmation
The clue word "most likely" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
The DNS TTL is too long and the changes have not propagated.
Why it's wrong here
If the alias record is correct, propagation would eventually work. The issue is likely the target.

Common exam traps

Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword

Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.

Detailed technical explanation

How to think about this question

This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.

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.
Use explanations to understand the rule behind the answer.

TExam Day Tips

Underline the problem statement mentally.
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.

Visual reference

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 SOA-C02 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.

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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: The Route 53 alias record points to the S3 bucket's regional endpoint instead of the website endpoint. — The most likely cause is that the Route 53 alias record points to the S3 bucket's regional endpoint (e.g., s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com) instead of the website endpoint (e.g., bucket-name.s3-website-us-east-1.amazonaws.com). To serve a static website, an S3 bucket must be configured for static website hosting, and the alias record must point to the S3 website endpoint. The regional endpoint is used for direct API access, not for website hosting. Option A is incorrect because public read access is enabled, so the bucket policy allows access. Option B is incorrect because the issue is DNS resolution, not HTTPS; S3 website endpoints support HTTP. Option D is incorrect because DNS propagation delays are unlikely to cause complete failure to resolve; the alias record type is the issue.

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

Are there clue words in this question I should notice?

Yes — watch for: "most likely". Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.

What is the key concept behind this question?

Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.

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