Amazon S3 Object Lock now supports variable retention with event holds
Amazon S3 Object Lock introduces event holds, allowing you to set object retention periods based on future events like contract closings or audit completions. Event holds protect objects for a specified duration after the hold is released.
Amazon S3 Object Lock supports event holds, allowing object retention periods based on future events like contract signings or audit completions. Event holds apply a specified retention period to objects, with S3 protecting them while active; upon release, objects remain retained for the set duration. They can be applied individually, set as a bucket default, or applied at scale using S3 batch operations. New AWS IAM and bucket policy condition keys control who can set or release holds and enforce minimum or maximum hold periods. AWS CloudTrail logs all hold actions, and S3 Inventory reports hold status for entire buckets. Event holds are available in all AWS regions, including China, at no additional cost.
Why it matters
This change is useful for organizations that need to accurately manage data retention periods based on events such as contracts or audits. S3 Object Lock provides features to support WORM compliance.