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SAA-039
Regulatory requirements state that objects in an S3 bucket must also be retained in another Region. Which configuration is the most appropriate so that newly uploaded objects are replicated automatically and versions are retained at the destination as well?
Choices
Explanation and answer
Read the explanation and correct answer (spoiler — try answering first)
Correct answer: C. Enable versioning on both the source and destination buckets and configure an S3 cross-Region replication rule
Explanation
S3 cross-Region replication (CRR) automatically and asynchronously copies new objects to a bucket in another Region. Versioning must be enabled on both the source and the destination as a prerequisite, which is what keeps versions at the destination as well.
Per-choice explanations
A. Schedule an AWS DataSync task once per day to synchronize the two buckets
Incorrect. DataSync can copy between buckets, but because it runs as a scheduled batch it has too much delay for the requirement that new objects be replicated automatically, and changes between runs are not protected.
B. Create an Amazon EFS file system in another Region, mount the S3 bucket, and synchronize it
Incorrect. Amazon S3 is object storage and is not mounted as an EFS file system. This option is not technically viable.
C. Enable versioning on both the source and destination buckets and configure an S3 cross-Region replication rule
Correct. Versioning is a mandatory requirement for CRR, and replication copies objects while preserving version IDs.
D. Configure an S3 Lifecycle rule that moves objects to a bucket in another Region after a certain period
Incorrect. S3 Lifecycle rules can only transition storage classes and expire objects; there is no feature that moves objects to a bucket in another Region.
Practical Use
S3 Replication automatically and asynchronously copies objects to another bucket according to rules configured on the bucket. When the destination is in another Region it is called cross-Region replication (CRR), and when it is in the same Region it is called same-Region replication (SRR). CRR is used for disaster recovery, latency reduction, and geographic compliance requirements, while SRR is used for log aggregation, providing data from production to test environments, and cross-account backups. Replication copies objects while preserving version IDs, metadata, and ACLs, and can change the storage class or owner at the destination if needed. It is worth knowing the prerequisites and quirks. First, versioning must be enabled on both the source and destination buckets. Second, by default only new objects uploaded after the rule is created are in scope; to replicate existing objects you must run S3 Batch Replication separately. Third, because replication is asynchronous, the time to completion is not guaranteed. When you need a time guarantee, enabling S3 Replication Time Control (S3 RTC) replicates 99.99% of objects within 15 minutes and adds replication metrics and notifications. Also, when replicating objects encrypted with SSE-KMS, you must grant the replication role permissions on the KMS key in the destination Region. Replication of delete markers is disabled by default and must be enabled explicitly. On SAA-C03, contexts such as "keep a copy of data in another Region" and "geographic redundancy is a requirement" make CRR the correct answer. Lifecycle rules are a frequent distractor, but the distinction that lifecycle handles only storage class transitions and expiration and never copies across Regions is the deciding factor. The fact that versioning is mandatory and that existing objects need Batch Replication are also commonly asked.