Lifecycle Rule Not Executing for S3 Bucket Folder Deletes After 120 Day

There are several potential reasons why your S3 lifecycle rule may not be executing as expected for deleting objects older than 120 days in a specific folder. Here are some troubleshooting steps and considerations:

1. Rule Configuration: Ensure that your lifecycle rule is properly configured and activated in the AWS S3 console. Double-check that the rule targets the correct folder prefix and that there are no unnecessary filters applied.

2. Object Criteria: Verify that the objects in the folder meet all the criteria specified in the lifecycle rule, including any minimum size requirements if applicable.

3. Timing: S3 lifecycle rules are evaluated once per day, typically starting at midnight UTC. Allow up to 48 hours for changes to take effect after creating or modifying a rule.

4. Prefix Specification: When specifying the folder in your rule, make sure you're using the correct prefix format. S3 doesn't use a traditional file system structure, so avoid using leading slashes (/) at the start of your prefix unless they're actually part of your object keys.

5. Versioning: If your bucket has versioning enabled, ensure that your rule is configured to delete both current versions and noncurrent versions of objects if that's your intention.

6. Permissions: While bucket policies typically don't interfere with lifecycle rules, it's worth checking that there are no IAM policies or other settings that might be conflicting with the rule's execution.

7. Monitoring: Use S3 event notifications, server access logs, or S3 Storage Lens dashboards to monitor the execution of your lifecycle rules and track object deletions.

8. Object Lock: If you have S3 Object Lock enabled on your bucket, it may prevent objects from being deleted by lifecycle rules.

If after checking these points your lifecycle rule still isn't working as expected, you may want to review the rule's configuration using the AWS CLI or SDK to ensure all settings are correct. If the issue persists, consider reaching out to AWS Support for further assistance.

Remember that S3 lifecycle actions are asynchronous, so there may be a delay between when objects become eligible for deletion and when they are actually removed from the system.
Sources
S3 lifecycle rule is not applied: Standard -> Standard-AI | AWS re:Post
Troubleshooting Amazon S3 Lifecycle issues - Amazon Simple Storage Service
Troubleshoot lifecycle configuration rule issues for Amazon S3 objects | AWS re:Post

Hi,

S3 lifecycle actions are asynchronous in nature, so it may take some time to remove the objects. However, here's what I'd check if I were troubleshooting this:

• Double-check that folder path (prefix) - S3 can be picky about how these are formatted.
• Keep an eye out for any Object Lock settings that might be blocking deletions.

Want me to take a closer look? Just share a screenshot of your lifecycle settings (minus any sensitive stuff, of course). Or if you need a deeper dive, the AWS Premium Support team can really get into the nitty-gritty of what's going on.

Let me know if you need anything else!