S3 lifecycle rules in AWS - Step-by-Step Execution

Process Flow - S3 lifecycle rules

Start: Object Created in S3 Bucket

↓

Check Lifecycle Rules

↓

Transition

↓

Move to

↓

End

When an object is created, S3 checks lifecycle rules to decide if it should move storage class, expire, or abort uploads.

Execution Sample

AWS

Rule:
  - Transition to Glacier after 30 days
  - Expire after 365 days
Object created on Day 0

This lifecycle rule moves the object to Glacier after 30 days and deletes it after 365 days.

Process Table

Day	Object State	Lifecycle Rule Checked	Action Taken	Resulting State
0	Standard Storage	Transition after 30 days?	No	Standard Storage
1	Standard Storage	Transition after 30 days?	No	Standard Storage
29	Standard Storage	Transition after 30 days?	No	Standard Storage
30	Standard Storage	Transition after 30 days?	Yes	Move to Glacier
31	Glacier Storage	Expire after 365 days?	No	Glacier Storage
364	Glacier Storage	Expire after 365 days?	No	Glacier Storage
365	Glacier Storage	Expire after 365 days?	Yes	Delete Object
366	Object Deleted	No further checks	N/A	No Object

💡 Object deleted on day 365, lifecycle ends.

Status Tracker

Variable	Day 0	Day 30	Day 365	Day 366
Object Storage Class	Standard	Glacier	Glacier	Deleted
Object Exists	Yes	Yes	Yes	No

Key Moments - 3 Insights

Why does the object stay in Standard storage until day 30?

Because the transition rule triggers only after 30 days, so before that, no action is taken (see execution_table rows Day 0 to Day 29).

What happens on day 365 to the object?

The expiration rule triggers and deletes the object (see execution_table row Day 365).

Why is there no action on day 366?

Because the object was deleted on day 365, so no object exists to check lifecycle rules (see execution_table row Day 366).

Visual Quiz - 3 Questions

Look at the execution table, what is the storage class of the object on day 31?

A Standard

B Deleted

C Glacier

D Infrequent Access

💡 Hint

Check the 'Object Storage Class' variable on Day 31 in variable_tracker or execution_table row for Day 31.

At which day does the object get deleted according to the lifecycle rules?

A Day 30

B Day 365

C Day 366

D Day 0

💡 Hint

See execution_table row where 'Action Taken' is 'Delete Object'.

If the transition rule was set to 10 days instead of 30, what would change in the execution table?

A Object would move to Glacier on day 10

B Object would be deleted on day 10

C No change, still moves on day 30

D Object would never move to Glacier

💡 Hint

Look at the 'Transition after 30 days?' condition and imagine it triggers at day 10 instead.

Concept Snapshot

S3 Lifecycle Rules:
- Define actions on objects over time
- Transition moves objects to cheaper storage after set days
- Expiration deletes objects after set days
- Rules apply automatically based on object age
- Helps save cost and manage data lifecycle

Full Transcript

S3 lifecycle rules automatically manage objects in a bucket over time. When an object is created, S3 checks if any lifecycle rules apply. For example, a rule can move the object to Glacier storage after 30 days to save cost. Later, after 365 days, another rule can delete the object to free space. The execution table shows day-by-day checks and actions. Variables track the object's storage class and existence. Key moments clarify why actions happen on specific days. Quizzes test understanding of when transitions and deletions occur. This helps beginners see how lifecycle rules automate data management in S3.

Practice

1. What is the main purpose of an S3 lifecycle rule?

easy

A. To automatically move or delete files based on time to save costs

B. To manually upload files to S3 buckets

C. To create backups of files in S3

D. To encrypt files stored in S3

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand lifecycle rule purpose

   S3 lifecycle rules automate management of files by moving or deleting them after a set time.

2. Step 2: Compare options with lifecycle rule function

   Only To automatically move or delete files based on time to save costs describes automatic moving or deleting files to save costs, which matches lifecycle rules.

3. Final Answer:

   To automatically move or delete files based on time to save costs -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Lifecycle rules automate file management = C [OK]

Hint: Lifecycle rules automate file moves or deletes by time [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing lifecycle rules with manual upload
• Thinking lifecycle rules create backups
• Assuming lifecycle rules encrypt files

2. Which of the following is the correct JSON snippet to define a lifecycle rule that deletes objects after 30 days?

easy

A. {"Rules": [{"Status": "Disabled", "Expiration": {"Days": 30}}]}

B. {"Rules": [{"Status": "Enabled", "Transition": {"Days": 30}}]}

C. {"Rules": [{"Status": "Enabled", "Expiration": {"Days": 30}}]}

D. {"Rules": [{"Status": "Enabled", "Expiration": {"Date": 30}}]}

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify correct lifecycle rule syntax for expiration

   The expiration action uses "Expiration" with "Days" key and rule must be "Enabled".

2. Step 2: Check each option for correct keys and values

   {"Rules": [{"Status": "Enabled", "Expiration": {"Days": 30}}]} uses "Expiration" with "Days":30 and "Status":"Enabled" which is correct. {"Rules": [{"Status": "Enabled", "Transition": {"Days": 30}}]} uses "Transition" which is for storage class change, not deletion. {"Rules": [{"Status": "Disabled", "Expiration": {"Days": 30}}]} disables the rule. {"Rules": [{"Status": "Enabled", "Expiration": {"Date": 30}}]} uses "Date" instead of "Days" which is invalid.

3. Final Answer:

   {"Rules": [{"Status": "Enabled", "Expiration": {"Days": 30}}]} -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Expiration with Days and Enabled status = A [OK]

Hint: Expiration uses "Days" and rule must be enabled [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using Transition instead of Expiration for deletion
• Setting rule status to Disabled
• Using Date instead of Days for expiration

3. Given this lifecycle rule snippet, what happens to objects after 60 days?

{
  "Rules": [{
    "Status": "Enabled",
    "Prefix": "logs/",
    "Transition": {"Days": 60, "StorageClass": "GLACIER"}
  }]
}

medium

A. Objects in the 'logs/' folder are moved to Glacier storage after 60 days

B. Objects in the 'logs/' folder are deleted after 60 days

C. All objects in the bucket are moved to Glacier after 60 days

D. Objects in the 'logs/' folder are archived immediately

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the Transition action with Prefix

   The rule targets objects with prefix "logs/" and transitions them to Glacier after 60 days.

2. Step 2: Analyze options against rule behavior

   Objects in the 'logs/' folder are moved to Glacier storage after 60 days correctly states objects in 'logs/' move to Glacier after 60 days. Objects in the 'logs/' folder are deleted after 60 days incorrectly says deletion. All objects in the bucket are moved to Glacier after 60 days incorrectly applies to all objects, not just prefix. Objects in the 'logs/' folder are archived immediately says immediate archive which is wrong.

3. Final Answer:

   Objects in the 'logs/' folder are moved to Glacier storage after 60 days -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Transition with prefix moves files after days = A [OK]

Hint: Transition moves files after days, prefix limits target [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing Transition with Expiration (deletion)
• Ignoring the prefix filter
• Assuming all bucket objects are affected

4. You wrote this lifecycle rule but it does not delete files after 90 days:

{
  "Rules": [{
    "Status": "Enabled",
    "Expiration": {"Days": 90}
  }]
}

What is the likely problem?

medium

A. Missing a required rule ID

B. Status should be set to Disabled to activate

C. Expiration action cannot be used without Transition

D. Rule is missing a filter or prefix to target objects

Solution

1. Step 1: Recall S3 lifecycle rule required fields

   Every lifecycle rule requires a unique "ID" field only if using AWS CLI or SDKs; however, in JSON configuration for S3 console, "ID" is optional. Filter or prefix is required to target objects; otherwise, the rule applies to all objects.

2. Step 2: Analyze given rule

   The rule lacks a filter or prefix, so it applies to all objects. If files are not deleting, likely the rule is not targeting the intended objects. Missing "ID" is not always mandatory (A wrong). Status "Enabled" is correct (B wrong). Expiration works standalone (C wrong). Filter or prefix is needed to target specific objects (D correct).

3. Final Answer:

   Rule is missing a filter or prefix to target objects -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Missing filter or prefix means rule may not target intended objects = D [OK]

Hint: Filter or prefix is needed to target objects for deletion [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Believing filter or prefix is optional (A)
• Thinking Expiration requires Transition (C)
• Status should be Disabled to activate (B)

5. You want to save costs by moving files older than 30 days to STANDARD_IA storage and delete files older than 365 days, but only for files in the archive/ folder. Which lifecycle rule setup achieves this?

hard

A. {
"Rules": [{
"Status": "Enabled",
"Prefix": "archive/",
"Transition": {"Days": 365, "StorageClass": "STANDARD_IA"},
"Expiration": {"Days": 30}
}]
}

B. {
"Rules": [{
"Status": "Enabled",
"Filter": {"Prefix": "archive/"},
"Transitions": [{"Days": 30, "StorageClass": "STANDARD_IA"}],
"Expiration": {"Days": 365}
}]
}

C. {
"Rules": [{
"Status": "Enabled",
"Filter": {"Prefix": "archive/"},
"Transition": {"Days": 365, "StorageClass": "STANDARD_IA"},
"Expiration": {"Days": 30}
}]
}

D. {
"Rules": [{
"Status": "Enabled",
"Filter": {"Prefix": "archive/"},
"Transitions": [{"Days": 365, "StorageClass": "STANDARD_IA"}],
"Expiration": {"Days": 30}
}]
}

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify correct keys for multiple transitions and expiration

   Multiple transitions require "Transitions" array. Expiration is separate. Filter with Prefix targets 'archive/'.

2. Step 2: Check each option for correct days and storage class order

   { "Rules": [{ "Status": "Enabled", "Prefix": "archive/", "Transition": {"Days": 365, "StorageClass": "STANDARD_IA"}, "Expiration": {"Days": 30} }] } reverses days and expiration. { "Rules": [{ "Status": "Enabled", "Filter": {"Prefix": "archive/"}, "Transitions": [{"Days": 30, "StorageClass": "STANDARD_IA"}], "Expiration": {"Days": 365} }] } correctly uses "Transitions" array with 30 days to STANDARD_IA and expiration at 365 days, with filter prefix. { "Rules": [{ "Status": "Enabled", "Filter": {"Prefix": "archive/"}, "Transition": {"Days": 365, "StorageClass": "STANDARD_IA"}, "Expiration": {"Days": 30} }] } uses singular "Transition" but reverses days (365 to IA, expire 30). { "Rules": [{ "Status": "Enabled", "Filter": {"Prefix": "archive/"}, "Transitions": [{"Days": 365, "StorageClass": "STANDARD_IA"}], "Expiration": {"Days": 30} }] } reverses days and expiration.

3. Step 3: Choose best practice with multiple transitions

   { "Rules": [{ "Status": "Enabled", "Filter": {"Prefix": "archive/"}, "Transitions": [{"Days": 30, "StorageClass": "STANDARD_IA"}], "Expiration": {"Days": 365} }] } uses "Transitions" array which is best practice for multiple transitions, even if only one here, and matches requirements.

4. Final Answer:

   Rule with Filter prefix 'archive/', Transitions at 30 days to STANDARD_IA, Expiration at 365 days -> Option B

5. Quick Check:

   Multiple transitions use "Transitions" array, filter prefix set = B [OK]

Hint: Use "Transitions" array for multiple moves, filter prefix to target folder [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing Transition singular vs Transitions array
• Mixing up days for transition and expiration
• Not using filter or prefix to limit scope