Understand the protection model
Check whether retention is in governance or compliance mode, whether authorized users can bypass it, and how the retention date is calculated. Treat these as provider-specific controls and follow the documented semantics for the exact bucket configuration.
Lifecycle expiration does not necessarily override a retention lock. The object may remain until retention ends, and versioned storage may apply rules separately to current objects and prior versions.
Coordinate retention with cleanup
Before enabling a lock, test the effect on delete, overwrite, lifecycle, and recovery operations using a non-production object or bucket. Confirm that required retention obligations and recovery needs agree.
Document policy ownership and duration, and monitor objects blocked from expiration. Avoid broad retention settings that unintentionally prevent cleanup or exceed the intended retention period.