Chapter 3 of 5 · AWS SAP-C03
Cost-Optimized Architecture Design
Purchase options, compute and AI costs, data transfer, storage tiering, tagging, chargeback and cost monitoring.
- 8topics
- 46 minfast track
- 15%of the exam
Topics in this chapter
Take them in order, or jump to the one you need.
- 1Purchase Options and CommitmentsMatch AWS purchase options to usage: Savings Plans, Reserved Instances, Spot, capacity reservations, DynamoDB modes and Database…6 min
- 2Cost Optimized Compute and RightsizingDesign lower cost compute with Graviton, Lambda and Step Functions Standard or Express, then rightsize with Compute Optimizer…5 min
- 3AI and ML Cost OptimizationCut Amazon Bedrock and SageMaker AI costs with service tiers, batch inference, prompt caching, right endpoint types and cross…6 min
- 4Content Delivery and Multi Region ReplicationDesign cost aware CloudFront delivery with Origin Shield, cache policies and origin failover, and replicate data with S3 CRR and…6 min
- 5Data Transfer and Network CostsReduce AWS data transfer and network spend with VPC endpoints, AZ aware design, NAT gateway placement, Transit Gateway processing…5 min
- 6Storage Tiering, Block Storage and BackupCut storage cost with S3 Intelligent-Tiering, lifecycle rules, Glacier classes, EFS lifecycle, gp3 volumes and AWS Backup or DLM…6 min
- 7Cost Allocation Tagging and ChargebackDesign cost allocation tags, enforce them with tag policies, SCPs and AWS Config, and build chargeback with cost categories and…6 min
- 8Cost Reporting, Monitoring and ObservabilityAnalyze billing data with Cost Explorer and CUR 2.0, alert with AWS Budgets and Cost Anomaly Detection, and cut CloudWatch log…6 min
About this chapter
What this chapter covers
This chapter is 15% of the AWS Certified Solutions Architect Professional SAP-C03 exam. It tests whether you can design an estate that meets every stated requirement at the lowest sensible cost, across many accounts and Regions.
It covers purchase options and commitments, cost aware compute, AI and ML spend, content delivery, data transfer and replication, storage and backup tiering, tagging and chargeback, and cost reporting, alerting and observability.
Questions are long multi account scenarios with no exhibits. Most have a single answer, and multiple response questions state the count, such as "Which TWO". Watch for discriminators like MOST cost-effective or LEAST operational overhead.
How the topics fit together
Cost work runs in a loop: see where the money goes, cut the waste, commit to what is left, and keep watching.
- Allocation comes first, because nobody fixes spend they cannot see as their own.
- Architecture choices decide most cost: compute model, AI tier, network path and storage class.
- Commitments are bought last, on the steady baseline that remains after rightsizing.
- Monitoring closes the loop with alerts and cheap, well tuned observability.
The right answer is the cheapest design that still meets every requirement in the scenario, including availability, RPO, data residency and security. Rule out any option that saves money by breaking one of them.
How to use these pages
Each topic page has the same shape, so you can skim for what you need.
- What it is: the idea in plain words.
- How it works: the mechanism, with diagrams and examples.
- What to remember for the exam: the facts to memorize.
- Common mistakes: the classic traps.
- Check yourself: three questions to test your understanding.
Focus on the trigger words in each scenario, such as unpredictable, steady, interruptible, rarely accessed and global users. They point straight to the pricing model.
Ready for more practice?
The full AWS SAP-C03 question bank has 850 questions, with timed practice exams and an explanation for every answer.
This study guide is independent and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by AWS. Vendor names, certification names and exam codes are trademarks of their respective owners and are used for identification only.