Which S3 storage solution archives private documents at the lowest cost?

SAP-C02 By islever Editorial Last updated

Determine a cost optimization strategy to meet solution goals and objectives. Determine security controls based on requirements.

Short answer

A Use S3 One Zone-IA as the default storage class for the private archive bucket accessed through the S3 interface endpoint.

Question

A company is planning to store a large number of archived documents and make the documents available to employees through the corporate intranet. Employees will access the system by connecting through a client VPN service that is attached to a VPC. The data must not be accessible to the public.
The documents that the company is storing are copies of data that is held on physical media elsewhere. The number of requests will be low. Availability and speed of retrieval are not concerns of the company.
Which solution will meet these requirements at the LOWEST cost?
  1. Create an Amazon S3 bucket. Configure the S3 bucket to use the S3 One Zone-Infrequent Access (S3 One Zone-IA) storage class as default. Configure the S3 bucket for website hosting. Create an S3 interface endpoint. Configure the S3 bucket to allow access only through that endpoint. Correct Answer
  2. Launch an Amazon EC2 instance that runs a web server. Attach an Amazon Elastic File System (Amazon EFS) file system to store the archived data in the EFS One Zone-Infrequent Access (EFS One Zone-IA) storage class Configure the instance security groups to allow access only from private networks.
  3. Launch an Amazon EC2 instance that runs a web server Attach an Amazon Elastic Block Store (Amazon EBS) volume to store the archived data. Use the Cold HDD (sc1) volume type. Configure the instance security groups to allow access only from private networks.
  4. Create an Amazon S3 bucket. Configure the S3 bucket to use the S3 Glacier Deep Archive storage class as default. Configure the S3 bucket for website hosting. Create an S3 interface endpoint. Configure the S3 bucket to allow access only through that endpoint.

Key Takeaways

The exam tests choosing an S3 storage class by access pattern, cost, and retrieval latency, not by picking the absolute cheapest storage tier; the trap is Glacier Deep Archive's restore workflow and website-hosting incompatibility.

This SAP-C02 scenario asks for the lowest-cost way to serve archived documents privately to employees through a VPC-attached client VPN. S3 One Zone-IA is the correct answer because the archive is a copy, requests are low, and one-zone durability is acceptable when speed and availability are not concerns.

Common mistake: Many learners choose Glacier Deep Archive (D) because it has the lowest per-GB storage price, overlooking restore delays, retrieval costs, and the fact that archived objects cannot be served directly by S3 website hosting.

Expert Analysis

Why the Answer Is Correct

Option A is the best fit because S3 One Zone-IA is designed for infrequently accessed, re-creatable data that does not need multi-AZ resilience. The scenario explicitly says the documents are copies of data held on physical media elsewhere, requests are low, and availability/speed are not concerns, so paying for Standard or multi-AZ storage is unnecessary. S3 also avoids running and patching an EC2 web server plus EFS/EBS, and the interface endpoint gives private access from the VPC-attached client VPN without exposing the bucket publicly. Although the website-hosting wording is technically awkward with an interface endpoint, A still uses the correct low-cost storage class and private S3 access pattern.

Why the Other Options Are Wrong

Option B uses EFS One Zone-IA, which is far more expensive per GB than S3 One Zone-IA and requires an EC2 server, so it cannot be lowest cost. Option C uses EBS sc1 on a single EC2 instance; sc1 is cheap per GB but still needs an EC2 server, is limited by volume size, and does not provide S3's durable object-storage model. Option D uses Glacier Deep Archive, whose per-GB price is lower, but objects must be restored before they can be read; S3 website hosting cannot serve an unrestored Deep Archive object, and a restore/notification workflow would add complexity and retrieval costs. The exam's "lowest cost" means the lowest total solution that actually makes documents available, not the cheapest storage line item.

Community Comment Notes

Learners split mainly between A and D. tman22 initially noted that "Glacier Deep Archive can't be used for web hosting," while also considering D if the intranet triggers restores; a54b16f argued that using Glacier would require a separate restore application, saying you "Need to develop a whole new application" to request unarchiving. Maria2023 and Dimidrol reinforced A from the website-hosting angle, with Dimidrol reporting an actual "operation invalid for object storage class" error when serving archived objects. OnePunchExam's D-leaning point is fair that the frontend could handle restores, but the question gives no such workflow, so A is the safer exam answer for immediate, private, low-cost access.

Official Reference

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

Exam Strategy

When an SAP-C02 question says "lowest cost," compare total cost, not just storage price: Glacier Deep Archive adds restore latency and retrieval fees. Also separate archive storage from the serving path: if users must browse documents through an intranet, the storage class must allow on-demand reads or include a restore workflow.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is S3 Glacier Deep Archive not the lowest-cost answer here?

Its per-GB storage is cheaper, but restoring archived objects takes hours and adds retrieval/request costs; without a restore workflow the intranet cannot serve them directly.

Why does S3 One Zone-IA fit data copied from physical media?

Because the archive is a secondary copy, losing one Availability Zone does not lose the only copy, and One Zone-IA costs less than Standard-IA.

More SAP-C02 FAQ →

Discussion 146 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 30 of 146

  1. zhangyu20000 👍 23
    A is correct. HA is not required here. D use Glacier deep archive that need hours to access that will cause time out for web
  2. tman22 👍 18
    Nevermind, I go for D. It should be technically possible - and mostly dependent on the intranet web application logic - It could present users with the ability to start file retrieval, for then to later access the data.
  3. OnePunchExam 👍 8 Answered D
    When tackling AWS questions, always note the key requirement which is the LOWEST cost. It even says number of requests is low, availability and speed are not of concern. Also don't make assumptions of the methods retrieval, it can always be a frontend to trigger restore and then once restore is complete, notify user to download. Frontend is not the main point of the question, here we want to provide solution for storage archival at CHEAPEST cost.
  4. a54b16f 👍 8 Answered A
    pay attention to "copies of data that is held on physical media elsewhere", this is hint for one zone. Using Glacier is possible in theory, but won't work out of box. Need to develop a whole new application to submit unarchive request when user request a file, wait for up to 48 hour, create the s3 link, notify the user and ask user to come back to view the file. This is ANOTHER application
  5. Dimidrol 👍 8
    A , i created bucket with web hosting and put some html pages in glacier deep archive and had 403 error, operation invalid for object storage class
Show 25 more comments
  1. Maria2023 👍 5 Answered A
    I vote for A, mostly based on that sentence "Create an Amazon S3 bucket. Configure the S3 bucket to use the S3 Glacier Deep Archive storage class as default" - I do not believe you can configure S3 bucket to use Glacier Deep Archive storage class as default. You need to set up lifecycle rules to transfer data to glacier. Plus the "website hosting" part
  2. kiran15789 👍 5 Answered A
    will go with A considering following hints 1) data is copy of somethign stored else where (hints to One zone) 2) traffic is low (but it still exist) 3) minimum storage duration D might alos be correct but i will select A in exam
  3. Maja1 👍 5 Answered A
    Glacier can't handle web hosting. It's a trick question.
  4. c73bf38 👍 4 Answered A
    The requirements are to store a large number of archived documents that are not publicly accessible, and make them available to employees through a corporate intranet. As the number of requests is low and speed of retrieval is not a concern, we can use the low-cost S3 One Zone-Infrequent Access (S3 One Zone-IA) storage class. We can configure the S3 bucket for website hosting and create an S3 interface endpoint to allow access to the documents only through the corporate intranet. This solution is the lowest cost as it eliminates the need to launch and manage EC2 instances. Option B and C involve launching an EC2 instance which increases the operational overhead and is more expensive than using S3. Also, EFS One Zone-IA storage class is not recommended for storing large files. Option D involves using the S3 Glacier Deep Archive storage class which is intended for long-term archival storage of data and not suitable for retrieving data frequently.
  5. 8693a49 👍 4
    You cannot have a website on Glacier, so D is clearly wrong. To retrieve documents from Glacier you need to first call 'restore' on it. The object becomes available after considerable amount of time in standard storage class a for a limited duration. This wouldn't work on a static website. I suppose technically you could build a non-static application to manage restoring files for users, but it's awkward, and the solution would likely cost more due to development costs. Glacier's purpose is to store data that you never want to see again, but there is a 0.001% chance you might actually need it at some point. It is comparable to tape storage. ChatGPT cannot answer these questions accurately because it is unable to reason.
  6. zejou1 👍 4 Answered A
    https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AmazonS3/latest/userguide/storage-class-intro.html Store large number of archived docs, and available through corp intranet. Copies of data held on physical media elsewhere (could be re-created). Requests low (but it doesn't say RARE so think monthly/quarterly). "AVAILABILITY" and speed of retrieval are not concerns. It is A, yes Glacier is "cheaper", but I have to leave the archives for at least 180 days, would be available on corp intranet and it is more cost-effective if I want to migrate the data to Glacier if I monitor use and see it is "rarely" touched and know I have to hold it due to regulatory for at minimal 180 days.
  7. hobokabobo 👍 4 Answered A
    While D is most probably the cheapest solution. When you try to download an object in deep archive you get a warning that it is not possible. You need to retrieve it: got to actions and restore which will need at least 12 hours for deep archive. Only after that you can access the document. The answer D says enable webhosting: thats afaik not going to work but users will end up in above mentioned warning. Therefore we need to go for A which is not as cheap but users can access the documents.
  8. titi_r 👍 4
    How can “A” or “D” be correct even though interface endpoint (PrivateLink) for S3 does NOT support Website endpoints!? https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AmazonS3/latest/userguide/privatelink-interface-endpoints.html#privatelink-limitations
  9. bititan 👍 4 Answered A
    web hosting not possible with deep archive objects. so I go for option A. Question is not about archival solution. it's about accessing data from vpc based application whilst maintaining lowest
  10. masetromain 👍 4 Answered D
    The number of requests will be low. Availability and speed of retrieval are not concerns of the company. Which solution will meet these requirements at the LOWEST cost? I go with D
  11. Sarutobi 👍 4 Answered A
    I will use A, but the question does not specify how often the files are retrieved. If they are retrieved frequently A for sure if they aren't then D.
  12. bur4an 👍 3 Answered A
    Given the requirements and the need for the lowest cost solution, the best option would be: A. Create an Amazon S3 bucket. Configure the S3 bucket to use the S3 One Zone-Infrequent Access (S3 One Zone-IA) storage class as default. Configure the S3 bucket for website hosting. Create an S3 interface endpoint. Configure the S3 bucket to allow access only through that endpoint. Options B and C involve launching EC2 instances which would add unnecessary complexity and cost since the company's priority is to minimize costs. Additionally, option D involves using the S3 Glacier Deep Archive storage class which is intended for long-term archival data and has longer retrieval times, making it less suitable for the given requirements.
  13. ahhatem 👍 3 Answered D
    Buckets do not have a storage class... objects do! You can enable web hosting on any bucket and retrieve the objects (when available) over HTTP, whether the objects are available instantly or not that is another question. For glacier, you will have to request a restore and wait but when the object is eventually ready, you can download it directly over HTTP. So, the answer is D.
  14. eboehm 👍 3 Answered C
    Its really interesting reading all of these answers. I honestly think this question is messed up or intended to really trick you. No one in all of these answers ever mention that if you use static web hosting you CANNOT connect it to an s3 interface endpoint. This makes C the only valid low cost option.
  15. arisa_seobomi 👍 3 Answered A
    I tried it out. I uploaded identical HTML files to an S3 bucket, specifying each storage class. When using the Glacier storage class, I received a 403 error when accessing the web. Therefore, the answer is the One Zone-Infrequent Access (S3 One Zone-IA) storage class, and option A is correct.
  16. Ajani 👍 3
    https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/s3-standard-more-cost-effective-than-glacier-jon-bonso; Definitely A: Glacier has the highest minimum storage duration, which is 180 days, it becomes cost prohibitive if you factor in retrieval costs
  17. eberhe900 👍 3 Answered D
    The question does not require website hosting. Its focus is on securely storing documents so employees can access them via VPN without exposing them to the public Internet. So Glacier Deep Archive is more cost-saving
  18. career360guru 👍 3
    Option A is the only cost effective solution. Deep Archive can't be used for Web-Hosting. Anyone who thinks that is possible should try it once before selecting that option.
  19. dev112233xx 👍 3 Answered A
    A makes more sense than D.. Deep Archive retrieval time is 12 hours and I’m not sure it’s possible to host static website in such long retrieval time!
  20. b0969fd 👍 3 Answered A
    Ok, for those answering D, try to create an S3 bucket and "configure the S3 bucket to use the S3 Glacier Deep Archive storage class as default."
  21. senthilsekaran 👍 3
    Will go with Option D as it has clearly mentioned company want to move archived documents
  22. brfc 👍 3
    I was going for D but due to retrieval costs I'm now leaning towards A
  23. atirado 👍 2 Answered A
    Option A - This option will work and S3 One Zone is a cheap storage solution for a large number of documents Option B - This option might not work: Nothing is said in the question about whether the Client VPN is connecting to a private subnet. Moreover, EFS might not be a cheap storage solution for a large number of documents Option C - This option might not work: Nothing is said in the question about whether the Client VPN is connecting to a private subnet. Moreover, EBS Cold HDD might not be a cheap storage solution for a large number of documents Option D - This option will not work: S3 Deep Glacier Vaults cannot be configured for static hosting. You would need to write an application for accessing the archives.
  24. karma4moksha 👍 2
    Option D: Create an Amazon S3 bucket. Configure the S3 bucket to use the S3 Glacier Deep Archive storage class as default. Configure the S3 bucket for website hosting. Create an S3 interface endpoint. Configure the S3 bucket to allow access only through that endpoint. This option would be less expensive than using other S3 storage classes, but it would still be more expensive than using S3 One Zone-IA storage. Additionally, using the S3 Glacier Deep Archive storage class would make retrieval of the documents slow and expensive, which does not meet the company's requirements. Therefore, this option is not the best fit for the company's requirements.Hence A
  25. ninomfr64 👍 2 Answered D
    In the exam I would go for D, but both A and D have an issue: you do not need to enable static website hosting on the bucket, as this is only for public website endpoints. However, having static website hosting enabled doesn't prevent you from access the bucket using API. See https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/networking-and-content-delivery/hosting-internal-https-static-websites-with-alb-s3-and-privatelink/#:~:text=You%20do%20not%20need%20to%20enable%20static%20website%20hosting%20on%20the%20bucket%2C%20as%20this%20is%20only%20for%20public%20website%20endpoints.%20Requests%20to%20the%20bucket%20will%20be%20going%20through%20a%20private%20REST%20API%20instead.

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