An infrequently accessed EC2 data volume uses a large general-purpose SSD where a cheaper option would suffice. Which EBS volume type is the least expensive for cold, infrequently accessed data?
A.Provisioned IOPS SSD (io2)
io2 is the most expensive — for sustained high-IOPS workloads.
B.General Purpose SSD (gp3)
gp3 balances price/performance but costs more than sc1.
C.Cold HDD (sc1)
Correct. sc1 is the cheapest EBS tier for cold data.
D.Instance store
Instance store is ephemeral — data doesn't persist on stop/restart.
Why this answer
sc1 (Cold HDD) is the lowest-cost EBS volume type, designed for infrequently accessed, throughput-oriented workloads. It's the exam's standard 'cheapest EBS option' answer when access is infrequent and sequential.
Correct answer: C · Last reviewed 2026-10-25
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