AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner (CLF-C02)Cloud Technology and ServicesMedium

A manufacturing company needs to store sensor data from IoT devices for long-term archival. The data is rarely accessed (perhaps once a year) but must be retained for compliance reasons for several decades. Cost-effectiveness is a primary concern, and retrieval times of several hours are acceptable. Which Amazon S3 storage class is MOST appropriate?

  1. AS3 Glacier
  2. BS3 Standard
  3. CS3 Glacier Deep Archive
  4. DS3 Standard-IA
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: C. S3 Glacier Deep Archive

S3 Glacier Deep Archive is the lowest-cost Amazon S3 storage class, ideal for long-term archives that are accessed rarely (e.g., once or twice a year). It offers retrieval options from 12 to 48 hours, aligning with the requirement for multi-decade retention and infrequent access.

Why the other options are wrong

  • A. S3 Glacier is for archival data accessed infrequently, with retrieval times from minutes to hours, but S3 Glacier Deep Archive is even more cost-effective for extremely rare access over decades.
  • B. S3 Standard is for frequently accessed data and is too expensive for rarely accessed archives.
  • D. S3 Standard-IA is for infrequently accessed data but still offers rapid retrieval (milliseconds) and is more expensive than Glacier classes for long-term, rare access.

S3 Glacier Deep Archive

The lowest-cost Amazon S3 storage class, ideal for long-term archives that are accessed rarely (e.g., once or twice a year), with retrieval times of 12-48 hours.

  • Lowest cost S3 storage class
  • Designed for rare access (once or twice a year)
  • Retrieval times: 12-48 hours
  • Suitable for multi-decade data retention

Memory trick: S3 classes: Standard for quick, IA for less, Glacier for deep, archive for success.

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