Which S3 Storage Class Meets Minute Retrieval and 7-Year Retention Cost-Effectively?
Short answer
A Store the files in an Amazon S3 bucket. Use the S3 Glacier Instant Retrieval storage class. Create an S3 Lifecycle policy to transition the files to the S3 Glacier Deep Archive storage class after 1 year.
Question
Key Takeaways
This question tests two principles: matching retrieval latency to the right S3 storage class and using lifecycle policies to lower costs over long retention periods — the trap is choosing Standard storage for the first year.
The correct answer is to store files in S3 Glacier Instant Retrieval and transition to S3 Glacier Deep Archive after one year, making it ideal for rarely accessed data with millisecond retrieval needs and long-term retention. Community consensus and exam votes unanimously support Option A.
Common mistake: Choosing Option B (S3 Standard then Glacier Flexible Retrieval) is a common mistake because it seems to satisfy the one-year retrieval requirement, but it ignores that S3 Glacier Instant Retrieval is cheaper for infrequent access and still provides the same millisecond retrieval speed.
Expert Analysis
Why the Answer Is Correct
Option A correctly pairs S3 Glacier Instant Retrieval with a lifecycle transition to S3 Glacier Deep Archive after one year. Glacier Instant Retrieval is designed for rarely accessed data that still needs retrieval in milliseconds, so it satisfies the "within minutes" requirement for the first year at a lower storage cost than S3 Standard. After the first year, the lifecycle policy automatically moves the data to Deep Archive, the lowest-cost storage class, meeting the 7-year retention requirement cost-effectively. This directly addresses the access pattern and cost optimization goals.
Why the Other Options Are Wrong
Option B keeps files in S3 Standard during the first year, which is more expensive for gigabytes of rarely accessed data, then transitions to Glacier Flexible Retrieval where retrieval can take minutes to hours. Option C uses EBS snapshots, which are block-level backups not designed for individual file access and result in higher costs and operational overhead. Option D uses EFS with Standard-IA, which still costs more than Glacier Instant Retrieval and does not provide a deep archive tier for the 7-year retention. Only Option A optimizes both retrieval time and long-term cost.
Community Comment Notes
The community is unanimous: all voters selected Option A. One comment linked directly to the S3 storage classes documentation, confirming the characteristics of each storage class. Another comment reminded readers that Glacier is built for long-term storage, reinforcing why the lifecycle transition to Deep Archive is the correct cost-saving step. No votes or comments supported any other option, indicating a clear consensus in favor of the Glacier Instant Retrieval plus Deep Archive strategy.
Official Reference
- https://aws.amazon.com/s3/storage-classes/
- https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AmazonS3/latest/userguide/object-lifecycle-mgmt.html
These links open the official vendor documentation in a new tab.
Exam Strategy
When evaluating S3 storage classes, first identify the retrieval latency requirement and the frequency of access. For data that is rarely accessed but must be immediately available, choose Glacier Instant Retrieval, then use an S3 Lifecycle policy to transition to Deep Archive as soon as long retrieval times become acceptable.
Community Votes
100% of anonymous learners picked answer A. Votes are pick records left by other test-takers — they are not the verified answer.
Discussion 5 contributions
Compiled from public community threads and reader submissions, lightly edited for clarity. Handles and vote tallies are shown as recorded, and comments reflect the views of individual contributors.
From public community threads 5
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KarBiswa 👍 3 Answered Ahttps://aws.amazon.com/s3/storage-classes/
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Saudis 👍 1 Answered AGlacier for archiving = long time storge
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CrescentShared 👍 4 Answered AMust be A
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65703c1 👍 3 Answered AA is the correct answer.
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monishvster 👍 3 Answered AShould be A
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