Key points

• S3 Glacier storage classes retain rarely accessed objects for archival use through S3 lifecycle policies.
• Retrieval expectations, retention, legal holds, and transition or expiration order must be decided before archiving.

Best-known use cases

• Archive historical datasets and logs that are rarely retrieved.
• Use S3 lifecycle policies to retain cold data at lower storage cost.

What candidates often confuse it with

• Glacier storage classes reduce archive storage cost; S3 Standard and other classes serve more frequently accessed objects.

Key takeaway

Choose a Glacier storage class for cold data only when retrieval and retention requirements tolerate archival access.

Relevant exam tasks

• D2.3 — Task 2.3: Manage the lifecycle of data
• 2.3.2 — Manage S3 Lifecycle policies to change the storage tier of S3 data.
• 2.3.3 — Expire data when it reaches a specific age by using S3 Lifecycle policies.

Learn more

• DEA-C01 in-scope services
• DEA-C01 Domain 2: Data Store Management