AWS (Amazon Web Services) Certification Practice Exam

What feature does S3 versioning provide?

1. Automatic backup of S3 buckets

2. Allows multiple versions of the same object to exist

3. Improves data retrieval speed

4. Reduces data storage costs

The correct answer is: Allows multiple versions of the same object to exist

S3 versioning is a critical feature that allows multiple versions of the same object to coexist within a single bucket. When versioning is enabled on an Amazon S3 bucket, every time an object is uploaded with the same key name, a new version is created instead of overwriting the existing object. This capability enables you to preserve, retrieve, and restore every version of an object whenever needed. Essentially, it acts as a safeguard against accidental deletions or overwrites, as you can revert to a previous version of an object easily. This feature is particularly useful in scenarios where data integrity and retention are crucial, allowing users to maintain historical records of changes and ensuring data recovery even if a later version is not desired. The ability to view and manage different versions enhances flexibility in data management within S3. The other choices relate to different aspects of S3 but do not accurately describe the specific feature of versioning. For instance, while S3 does provide a way to manage data, it does not automatically back up buckets or improve retrieval speed inherently due to versioning. Data storage costs can also be affected by versioning since storing multiple versions of an object typically incurs increased costs.