A media company stores large video files in Amazon S3. These files are frequently accessed for the first 30 days after upload, then rarely accessed for the next 60 days, and finally need to be archived for long-term retention beyond 90 days. The company wants to minimize storage costs while maintaining accessibility according to this access pattern. Which S3 Lifecycle policy configuration should the SysOps Administrator implement?
- ATransition objects to S3 Glacier Deep Archive after 30 days.
- BTransition objects to S3 Intelligent-Tiering after 30 days, then to S3 Glacier Deep Archive after 90 days.
- CTransition objects to S3 Standard-IA after 30 days, then to S3 Glacier Flexible Retrieval after 90 days.
- DTransition objects to S3 One Zone-IA after 30 days, then delete them after 90 days.
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: C. Transition objects to S3 Standard-IA after 30 days, then to S3 Glacier Flexible Retrieval after 90 days.
S3 Standard-IA is suitable for data accessed less frequently but requiring rapid access (the 'rarely accessed for 60 days' period). S3 Glacier Flexible Retrieval is ideal for long-term archiving where retrieval times of minutes to hours are acceptable and costs are low. This combination aligns with the specified access patterns and cost optimization goals.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. Transitioning directly to Glacier Deep Archive after 30 days skips the 'rarely accessed' but still needs quick retrieval period, and Deep Archive retrievals are very slow.
- B. S3 Intelligent-Tiering automatically moves objects between tiers but might not be as cost-effective as direct transitions for well-defined access patterns, and Deep Archive has very slow retrieval times which might not fit 'archived for long-term retention' if some access is still needed.
- D. One Zone-IA is not highly available, which may not be suitable for critical media files, and deleting after 90 days does not meet the 'long-term retention' requirement.
S3 Lifecycle for Cost Optimization
S3 Lifecycle policies automate the transition of objects between storage classes or their expiration, allowing for cost optimization based on access patterns and retention requirements.
- Define rules based on object age or prefixes.
- Transition to less expensive storage classes (e.g., Standard-IA, Glacier).
- Can also be used to expire (delete) objects.
- Helps meet compliance and cost reduction goals.
Memory trick: Standard -> Infrequent -> Glacier: Follow the access, save the money.