- A
AWS Secrets Manager
Secrets Manager natively supports automatic rotation of RDS database credentials with built-in rotation functions, and it integrates directly with RDS to update the password. No application code changes are needed.
- B
AWS Systems Manager Parameter Store
Why wrong: Parameter Store can store credentials, but it does not have native automatic rotation capability for RDS passwords. To achieve rotation, you would need to implement a custom AWS Lambda function and an AWS CloudWatch Events rule, which adds complexity.
- C
AWS Key Management Service (KMS)
Why wrong: KMS is used to create and manage encryption keys. It does not store secrets or perform password rotation. It can be used to encrypt secrets stored elsewhere, but it is not a secrets management service.
- D
AWS Certificate Manager (ACM)
Why wrong: ACM is designed to provision, manage, and deploy public and private SSL/TLS certificates. It does not handle database credentials or their rotation.
CLF-C02 Security and Compliance Practice Question
This CLF-C02 practice question tests your understanding of security and compliance. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. 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 uses an Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL database for its production application. The security policy requires that database passwords be rotated automatically every 90 days. The database credentials are currently stored in a configuration file on an Amazon EC2 instance. The company wants a fully managed AWS service that can securely store the credentials, automatically rotate them on a schedule, and update the RDS instance without requiring code changes to the application. Which AWS service should the company use to meet these requirements?
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 Secrets Manager
AWS Secrets Manager is the correct choice because it is a fully managed service designed specifically to securely store database credentials, automatically rotate them on a defined schedule (e.g., every 90 days), and natively integrate with Amazon RDS to update the password without requiring any application code changes. The application can retrieve the current credentials at runtime using the Secrets Manager API, eliminating the need for hardcoded or file-based credentials.
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.
- ✓
AWS Secrets Manager
Why this is correct
Secrets Manager natively supports automatic rotation of RDS database credentials with built-in rotation functions, and it integrates directly with RDS to update the password. No application code changes are needed.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
AWS Systems Manager Parameter Store
Why it's wrong here
Parameter Store can store credentials, but it does not have native automatic rotation capability for RDS passwords. To achieve rotation, you would need to implement a custom AWS Lambda function and an AWS CloudWatch Events rule, which adds complexity.
- ✗
AWS Key Management Service (KMS)
Why it's wrong here
KMS is used to create and manage encryption keys. It does not store secrets or perform password rotation. It can be used to encrypt secrets stored elsewhere, but it is not a secrets management service.
- ✗
AWS Certificate Manager (ACM)
Why it's wrong here
ACM is designed to provision, manage, and deploy public and private SSL/TLS certificates. It does not handle database credentials or their rotation.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse AWS Systems Manager Parameter Store with Secrets Manager because both can store secrets, but Parameter Store lacks native automatic rotation and RDS integration, making it unsuitable for the rotation requirement.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, Secrets Manager uses a built-in rotation Lambda function that integrates directly with Amazon RDS to change the password and update the secret version. The service supports automatic rotation schedules using cron expressions, and each rotation creates a new version of the secret while keeping previous versions available for a short window to avoid application downtime. In a real-world scenario, if the application reads credentials from a file, you would modify it to call the Secrets Manager API (e.g., via the AWS SDK) to retrieve the current secret, which requires a minor code change—but the question states 'without requiring code changes,' which is achievable if the application uses a secrets agent or a sidecar that intercepts file reads and fetches from Secrets Manager.
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
A cloud solutions architect for a retail company is evaluating services for a new workload. The correct answer here reflects best practice for the specific scenario described — not a general cloud recommendation. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Cloud exam questions reward reading the constraint carefully: the same technology can be right or wrong depending on the use case.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
- →
Security and Compliance — study guide chapter
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this CLF-C02 question test?
Security and Compliance — This question tests Security and Compliance — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: AWS Secrets Manager — AWS Secrets Manager is the correct choice because it is a fully managed service designed specifically to securely store database credentials, automatically rotate them on a defined schedule (e.g., every 90 days), and natively integrate with Amazon RDS to update the password without requiring any application code changes. The application can retrieve the current credentials at runtime using the Secrets Manager API, eliminating the need for hardcoded or file-based credentials.
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.
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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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