S3 storage class optimization in AWS - Mini Project: Build & Apply

S3 Storage Class Optimization

📖 Scenario: You manage a company's data storage on AWS S3. The company wants to save money by moving older files to cheaper storage classes automatically.

🎯 Goal: Build an AWS S3 lifecycle configuration that moves objects older than 30 days to the STANDARD_IA storage class and deletes objects older than 365 days.

📋 What You'll Learn

Create an S3 bucket lifecycle configuration dictionary

Add a rule to transition objects to STANDARD_IA after 30 days

Add a rule to expire objects after 365 days

Ensure the lifecycle configuration is valid for deployment

💡 Why This Matters

🌍 Real World

Companies use S3 lifecycle policies to optimize storage costs by automatically moving or deleting files based on age.

💼 Career

Cloud engineers and DevOps professionals often configure S3 lifecycle rules to manage data efficiently and reduce expenses.

1

Create the initial lifecycle configuration dictionary

Create a variable called lifecycle_configuration as a dictionary with a key Rules set to an empty list.

AWS

lifecycle_configuration = {
    "Rules": []
}
# Your code here

Need a hint?

Think of lifecycle_configuration as a container for rules that manage your S3 objects over time.

2

Add a lifecycle rule to transition objects to STANDARD_IA after 30 days

Add a dictionary to lifecycle_configuration["Rules"] with the following keys and values: ID set to "TransitionToStandardIA", Status set to "Enabled", Filter set to an empty dictionary, and Transitions set to a list with one dictionary containing Days set to 30 and StorageClass set to "STANDARD_IA".

AWS

lifecycle_configuration = {
    "Rules": [
        # Add transition rule here
    ]
}
# Your code here

Need a hint?

Each rule needs an ID and status. The transition tells AWS when and where to move the files.

3

Add a lifecycle rule to expire objects after 365 days

Add another dictionary to lifecycle_configuration["Rules"] with ID set to "ExpireAfterOneYear", Status set to "Enabled", Filter set to an empty dictionary, and Expiration set to a dictionary with Days set to 365.

AWS

lifecycle_configuration = {
    "Rules": [
        {
            "ID": "TransitionToStandardIA",
            "Status": "Enabled",
            "Filter": {},
            "Transitions": [
                {
                    "Days": 30,
                    "StorageClass": "STANDARD_IA"
                }
            ]
        },
        # Add expiration rule here
    ]
}
# Your code here

Need a hint?

Expiration removes files after a set time to save space and cost.

4

Complete the lifecycle configuration for deployment

Ensure the lifecycle_configuration dictionary is complete and valid with both rules inside the Rules list, ready to be used in AWS SDK calls.

AWS

lifecycle_configuration = {
    "Rules": [
        {
            "ID": "TransitionToStandardIA",
            "Status": "Enabled",
            "Filter": {},
            "Transitions": [
                {
                    "Days": 30,
                    "StorageClass": "STANDARD_IA"
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "ID": "ExpireAfterOneYear",
            "Status": "Enabled",
            "Filter": {},
            "Expiration": {
                "Days": 365
            }
        }
    ]
}
# Your code here

Need a hint?

Double-check the structure matches AWS lifecycle configuration requirements.