Compliance requires application logs kept 7 years and queryable, but CloudWatch Logs costs too much at that retention. What's the cost-effective archive pattern?
A.Set the log group to never expire and accept the cost
Keeping 7 years in CloudWatch Logs is the expensive path.
B.Export logs to S3 (subscription/export task) and transition to Glacier storage classes for long-term retention
Correct. S3+Glacier archival is the standard cheap long-term pattern.
C.Delete logs after 30 days
Deletion violates the retention requirement.
D.Move logs to a larger CloudWatch log group
Log group size doesn't change retention pricing.
Why this answer
The cost pattern: short retention in CloudWatch for operational queries, export to S3 for the archive tier, then lifecycle-transition to Glacier Flexible/Deep Archive for years-long retention at pennies per GB.
Correct answer: B · Last reviewed 2026-10-26
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