AWS Certified Solutions Architect – ProfessionalDesign for New SolutionsEasy

A media company is developing a new video streaming platform on AWS. They anticipate millions of concurrent viewers during live events and require a highly scalable, low-latency solution for delivering video content globally. The content must be secured against unauthorized access and support dynamic adaptive bitrate streaming. Which combination of AWS services should a Solutions Architect recommend to meet these requirements effectively?

  1. AAmazon EBS for storage, Amazon CloudFront for content delivery, and AWS Shield Advanced for security.
  2. BAmazon S3 for storage, Amazon CloudFront for content delivery, and AWS Elemental MediaLive/MediaPackage for processing.
  3. CAmazon S3 for storage, Amazon EC2 for streaming, and AWS WAF for security.
  4. DAmazon EFS for storage, Amazon EC2 with Auto Scaling for streaming, and AWS IAM for access control.
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: B. Amazon S3 for storage, Amazon CloudFront for content delivery, and AWS Elemental MediaLive/MediaPackage for processing.

This solution leverages Amazon S3 for durable and scalable storage of video assets. AWS Elemental MediaLive and MediaPackage are purpose-built for live video processing, encoding, and packaging for adaptive bitrate streaming. Amazon CloudFront, a global CDN, ensures low-latency delivery to millions of concurrent viewers and provides security features like signed URLs/cookies.

Why the other options are wrong

  • A. EBS is block storage, not suitable for cost-effective, scalable video asset storage. AWS Shield Advanced is primarily for DDoS protection, not comprehensive content delivery security for streaming.
  • C. EC2 for streaming is less efficient and scalable than specialized media services and a CDN for global delivery. AWS WAF is good for web application protection but not the primary solution for content delivery security for streaming content.
  • D. EFS is network file storage, less suitable than S3 for large-scale video asset storage. EC2 with Auto Scaling can host streaming servers but lacks the specialized features, global reach, and cost-effectiveness of a CDN and dedicated media services for video streaming.

Video Streaming Architecture on AWS

A common pattern for building scalable, low-latency video streaming platforms using AWS services like S3, Media Services, and CloudFront.

  • S3 for cost-effective, durable video asset storage.
  • AWS Elemental Media Services for video processing (encoding, packaging).
  • CloudFront for global, low-latency content delivery and security.
  • Supports adaptive bitrate streaming and DRM.

Memory trick: Store it in S3, process it with Media, deliver it with CloudFront.

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