Recover Accidentally Deleted AMIs with Least Overhead

SAA-C03 By islever Editorial Last updated Oct 14, 2026

Determine appropriate data security controls.

Short answer

C Create a retention rule in Recycle Bin to automatically protect AMIs from accidental deletion.

Question

A company stores multiple Amazon Machine Images (AMIs) in an AWS account to launch its Amazon EC2 instances. The AMIs contain critical data and configurations that are necessary for the company’s operations. The company wants to implement a solution that will recover accidentally deleted AMIs quickly and efficiently. Which solution will meet these requirements with the LEAST operational overhead?

Create Amazon Elastic Block Store (Amazon EBS) snapshots of the AMIs. Store the snapshots in a separate AWS account.
Copy all AMIs to another AWS account periodically.
Create a retention rule in Recycle Bin. Correct Answer
Upload the AMIs to an Amazon S3 bucket that has Cross-Region Replication.

Key Takeaways

The question tests knowledge of AWS data protection features for EC2, specifically identifying that EC2 Recycle Bin automates recovery without the complexity of cross-account management.

This page explains how to use Amazon EC2 Recycle Bin to protect critical AMIs from accidental deletion with minimal operational overhead. It establishes that creating retention rules is the most efficient method compared to cross-account replication or manual snapshots.

Common mistake: Many learners choose Option A or B because they are familiar with cross-account backup strategies for disaster recovery, but these options involve significantly higher operational overhead than a native retention rule.

Expert Analysis

Why the Answer Is Correct

Amazon EC2 Recycle Bin allows you to create retention rules that automatically retain deleted EBS-backed AMIs and EBS snapshots for a specified period. This feature directly addresses the requirement to recover accidentally deleted resources quickly and efficiently with the least operational overhead, as it requires no external tools or manual processes once configured.

Why the Other Options Are Wrong

Option A (EBS snapshots in a separate account) and Option B (Copying AMIs to another account) are valid backup strategies but require significant operational overhead for setup, maintenance, and monitoring across accounts. Option D is incorrect because AMIs are not stored in S3; while AMI components may be in S3, uploading the AMI itself to S3 is not a standard recovery mechanism and Cross-Region Replication does not handle deletion recovery.

Community Comment Notes

The community consensus strongly supports Option C, with comments highlighting that Recycle Bin is a specific feature designed to prevent accidental deletion of AMIs and snapshots. As user alawada noted, "Recycle Bin is a data recovery feature that enables you to restore accidentally deleted... AMIs," confirming its purpose. Another commenter pointed to the official AWS documentation, reinforcing that this is the intended solution for this scenario.

Official Reference

These links open the official vendor documentation in a new tab.

Exam Strategy

When asked for 'least operational overhead' for data protection, look for native AWS managed services like Recycle Bin or default lifecycle policies before considering custom scripts or cross-account architectures.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why isn't copying AMIs to another account the best choice?

Cross-account copying provides robust disaster recovery but involves high operational overhead for management, unlike the automated Retention Rules in Recycle Bin.

Can Recycle Bin recover AMIs deleted by malicious actors?

No, Recycle Bin protects against accidental deletions only. Malicious deletions bypass these retention rules unless additional IAM controls are in place.

More SAA-C03 FAQ →

Community Votes

100%

100% of anonymous learners picked answer C. Votes are pick records left by other test-takers — they are not the verified answer.

Discussion 6 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 6

alawada 👍 7 Answered C

Recycle Bin is a data recovery feature that enables you to restore accidentally deleted Amazon EBS snapshots and EBS-backed AMIs. When using Recycle Bin, if your resources are deleted, they are retained in the Recycle Bin for a time period that you specify before being permanently deleted. You can restore a resource from the Recycle Bin at any time before its retention period expires. This solution has the least operational overhead, as you do not need to create, copy, or upload any additional resources. You can also manage tags and permissions for AMIs in the Recycle Bin. AMIs in the Recycle Bin do not incur any additional charges.Reference:
Freddie26 👍 4

Option C is correct. Recycling bin is a new feature to protect snaps and AMIs from accidental or malicious deleting. Inside the recycling bin, set a retention policy, and then your images or snapshots are protected.
mestule 👍 4 Answered C

https://aws.amazon.com/about-aws/whats-new/2022/02/amazon-ec2-recycle-bin-machine-images/
[Removed] 👍 2 Answered C

Option C https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AWSEC2/latest/UserGuide/recycle-bin-working-with-rules.html
Andy_09 👍 3

Option C

Show 1 more comment

asdfcdsxdfc 👍 2 Answered C

C is correct

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