InvalidOrigin
CloudFront returns `InvalidOrigin` when the specified Amazon S3 origin does not refer to a valid S3 bucket in the distribution request (HTTP 400).
Last reviewed: March 4, 2026|Editorial standard: source-backed technical guidance
What Does Invalid Origin Mean?
CloudFront cannot deploy the distribution change because the configured S3 origin cannot be resolved as a valid bucket, so routing stays blocked until origin mapping is corrected.
Common Causes
- -Configured S3 bucket name in the origin is mistyped or no longer exists.
- -Origin domain name does not match the bucket endpoint format expected by CloudFront.
- -Distribution config still references an old origin ID after bucket/origin refactor.
- -Automation replaced the bucket but did not update CloudFront origin mapping atomically.
How to Fix Invalid Origin
- 1Verify the target S3 bucket exists in the expected account and region.
- 2Update origin domain to the correct S3 bucket endpoint and keep origin ID references consistent.
- 3Reconcile cache behavior
TargetOriginIdvalues with active origins in the same distribution config. - 4Re-submit UpdateDistribution/CreateDistribution only after a full config diff passes.
Step-by-Step Diagnosis for Invalid Origin
- 1Diff failing distribution config against last known-good version.
- 2Isolate origin block referenced by the API error response.
- 3Validate the S3 bucket backing that origin still exists and matches the configured origin domain.
- 4Check automation templates for stale origin IDs, bucket names, and field mappings.
S3 Origin Bucket Validity Checks
- -Confirm the origin bucket exists and is spelled exactly as configured (example: renamed bucket leaves old origin domain in template).
- -Validate S3 origin domain format and bucket mapping (example: origin points to wrong bucket hostname variant for the active environment).
Origin Reference Consistency
- -Audit cache behaviors for stale
TargetOriginIdvalues (example: behavior references removed origin ID after distribution refactor). - -Trace bucket replacement workflows for non-atomic config updates (example: bucket swap completed but CloudFront origin map still points to retired bucket).
How to Verify the Fix
- -Re-run distribution update and confirm origin config is accepted.
- -Validate origin health and routing behavior after deployment.
- -Confirm no follow-up InvalidOrigin failures in rollout logs.
How to Prevent Recurrence
- -Use typed distribution templates with origin schema validation.
- -Run pre-deploy origin connectivity and config checks.
- -Track CloudFront configuration drift continuously.
Pro Tip
- -enforce per-origin contract tests (DNS, TLS, auth mode, cache-behavior references) before applying any CloudFront distribution update.
Decision Support
Compare Guide
HTTP 400 vs 422: Bad Request vs Unprocessable Content
Fix API payload issues faster by using 400 for malformed syntax and 422 for semantic validation failures, so clients correct format before business rules.
Playbook
CORS Error Fix Playbook (Preflight / Origin / Credentials)
Use this playbook to separate browser-enforced cross-origin policy failures from server-side CORS header and route defects and apply strict origin and credential controls safely.
Playbook
Validation Failure Playbook (400 / 422 / INVALID_ARGUMENT)
Use this playbook to separate malformed-request failures from semantic validation failures, then fix request contracts without broad server-side bypasses.
Official References
Provider Context
This guidance is specific to AWS services. Always validate implementation details against official provider documentation before deploying to production.