- A
Amazon ECS with EC2 launch type
Why wrong: Amazon ECS with the EC2 launch type requires you to manage a cluster of EC2 instances, including patching, scaling, and capacity planning. This does not meet the requirement of not managing underlying instances.
- B
Amazon EKS with managed node groups
Why wrong: Amazon EKS with managed node groups still requires you to manage worker node groups, albeit with some automation from AWS. It does not provide a fully serverless experience as you are responsible for the node group's lifecycle.
- C
AWS Fargate
AWS Fargate is the correct choice. It is a serverless compute engine for containers that runs on Amazon ECS or EKS. You define your containerized application and its resource requirements, and Fargate handles the underlying infrastructure, scaling, and billing per resource consumption.
- D
AWS Lambda
Why wrong: AWS Lambda is designed for short-running, event-driven functions with a maximum execution time of 15 minutes. It is not suitable for processing batch jobs that run for several hours. Additionally, Lambda's container image support is limited to images up to 10 GB, and it is not optimized for long-running, resource-intensive workloads.
Quick Answer
The answer is AWS Fargate. This is the correct choice because Fargate is a serverless compute engine for containers that allows you to run Docker containers without provisioning or managing any underlying EC2 instances or cluster capacity, automatically scaling based on demand and charging only for the CPU and memory resources consumed. On the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner CLF-C02 exam, this question tests your understanding of the serverless container compute AWS model, often appearing as a scenario where you must distinguish between Fargate and services like Amazon ECS or EKS that require instance management. A common trap is selecting Amazon ECS alone, but remember that ECS needs EC2 management unless paired with Fargate. Memory tip: Think “Fargate = Forget EC2” — it handles the infrastructure so you focus only on your containers.
CLF-C02 Cloud Technology and Services Practice Question
This CLF-C02 practice question tests your understanding of cloud technology and services. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
A company runs a batch processing application in Docker containers. The application runs for several hours at a time and requires significant CPU and memory resources. The company wants to run these containers on AWS without provisioning or managing any underlying EC2 instances or cluster capacity. They need a service that automatically scales based on demand and charges only for the resources consumed by the containers. Which AWS service should the company use?
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
AWS Fargate
AWS Fargate is the correct choice because it is a serverless compute engine for containers that eliminates the need to provision or manage EC2 instances. It automatically scales based on demand and charges only for the CPU and memory resources consumed by the containers, which aligns perfectly with the requirement to run long-running batch processing without managing underlying infrastructure.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Amazon ECS with EC2 launch type
Why it's wrong here
Amazon ECS with the EC2 launch type requires you to manage a cluster of EC2 instances, including patching, scaling, and capacity planning. This does not meet the requirement of not managing underlying instances.
- ✗
Amazon EKS with managed node groups
Why it's wrong here
Amazon EKS with managed node groups still requires you to manage worker node groups, albeit with some automation from AWS. It does not provide a fully serverless experience as you are responsible for the node group's lifecycle.
- ✓
AWS Fargate
Why this is correct
AWS Fargate is the correct choice. It is a serverless compute engine for containers that runs on Amazon ECS or EKS. You define your containerized application and its resource requirements, and Fargate handles the underlying infrastructure, scaling, and billing per resource consumption.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
AWS Lambda
Why it's wrong here
AWS Lambda is designed for short-running, event-driven functions with a maximum execution time of 15 minutes. It is not suitable for processing batch jobs that run for several hours. Additionally, Lambda's container image support is limited to images up to 10 GB, and it is not optimized for long-running, resource-intensive workloads.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse the EC2 launch type (which still requires instance management) with Fargate's serverless model, or they assume managed node groups in EKS eliminate all infrastructure management, when in fact they still involve EC2 instances and cluster scaling decisions.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
AWS Fargate abstracts the underlying EC2 instances by using a lightweight virtualization layer that runs each container in its own isolated kernel environment. This allows Fargate to scale containers independently without requiring you to manage cluster capacity, and billing is based on the vCPU and memory requested by the task definition, not on instance hours. For batch workloads that run for hours, Fargate can automatically scale out tasks based on demand, and you can use CloudWatch metrics to monitor resource utilization.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
- Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
- Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
- Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
An e-commerce site experiences heavy traffic on Black Friday and near-zero traffic during off-peak weeks. Rather than provisioning permanent large VMs, the team uses auto-scaling groups that add capacity automatically under load and reduce it overnight. Questions like this test whether you understand elasticity, availability zones, and cloud compute scaling patterns.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this CLF-C02 question test?
Cloud Technology and Services — This question tests Cloud Technology and Services — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: AWS Fargate — AWS Fargate is the correct choice because it is a serverless compute engine for containers that eliminates the need to provision or manage EC2 instances. It automatically scales based on demand and charges only for the CPU and memory resources consumed by the containers, which aligns perfectly with the requirement to run long-running batch processing without managing underlying infrastructure.
What should I do if I get this CLF-C02 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
This CLF-C02 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Amazon Web Services certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the CLF-C02 exam.
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