Two S3 features the architect exam loves: lifecycle rules (automatically move or delete objects over time) and replication (copy objects to another bucket or Region). They solve cost and resilience problems respectively.
Lifecycle vs replication
Lifecycle rules transition objects to cheaper classes or expire them on a schedule — a cost tool. Cross-Region Replication (CRR) copies objects to a bucket in another Region — for disaster recovery, compliance, or lower-latency access elsewhere. Same-Region Replication (SRR) copies within a Region for log aggregation or account separation.
Test yourself
A company must keep a copy of all S3 data in a second AWS Region for disaster recovery. What should they enable?
- An S3 lifecycle rule
- S3 Cross-Region Replication
- S3 Versioning only
- S3 Transfer Acceleration
👉 Click to reveal the answer & explanation
Correct answer: B. Cross-Region Replication automatically copies objects to a bucket in another Region — exactly what DR requires. Lifecycle rules (A) manage cost within a bucket; versioning (C) keeps object history but not a regional copy; Transfer Acceleration (D) speeds uploads.
Related topics
Amazon S3 · S3 storage classes · Amazon CloudFront
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