- A
Amazon EC2 with a self-managed MySQL installation
Why wrong: Running MySQL on EC2 gives full control but requires the customer to manage installation, patching, backups, and replication manually — the opposite of the stated requirement.
- B
Amazon RDS
Amazon RDS is a fully managed relational database service. AWS handles patching, automated backups, Multi-AZ failover, and monitoring while the customer focuses on schema design and queries.
- C
Amazon Redshift
Why wrong: Amazon Redshift is a managed data warehouse service designed for analytical queries against large datasets, not for operational OLTP relational database workloads.
- D
Amazon ElastiCache
Why wrong: Amazon ElastiCache is an in-memory caching service (Redis or Memcached). It is not a relational database and does not support SQL schemas.
Quick Answer
Amazon RDS is the correct choice because it is a fully managed database service that handles MySQL database software installation, patching, backup, and replication for high availability, allowing the company to offload all those administrative tasks to AWS. This directly addresses the requirement to avoid manual management of the database software, patches, backups, and replication configuration. On the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner CLF-C02 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of the shared responsibility model and the distinction between managed and unmanaged services—a common trap is confusing RDS with EC2 where you would self-manage the database. A helpful memory tip: RDS stands for Relational Database Service, and the “S” can remind you it’s “Serverless” in terms of management overhead, or simply think “RDS = Really Does Save” you from patching and backups.
CLF-C02 Cloud Technology and Services Practice Question
This CLF-C02 practice question tests your understanding of cloud technology and services. 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 wants to run a MySQL database in AWS without managing database software installation, applying patches, setting up backups, or configuring replication for high availability. Which AWS service meets 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
Amazon RDS
Amazon RDS is a managed database service that automates database software installation, patching, backup, and replication for high availability. By choosing RDS for MySQL, the company offloads these administrative tasks to AWS, meeting the requirement to avoid manual management of the database software, patches, backups, and replication configuration.
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 EC2 with a self-managed MySQL installation
Why it's wrong here
Running MySQL on EC2 gives full control but requires the customer to manage installation, patching, backups, and replication manually — the opposite of the stated requirement.
- ✓
Amazon RDS
Why this is correct
Amazon RDS is a fully managed relational database service. AWS handles patching, automated backups, Multi-AZ failover, and monitoring while the customer focuses on schema design and queries.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Amazon Redshift
Why it's wrong here
Amazon Redshift is a managed data warehouse service designed for analytical queries against large datasets, not for operational OLTP relational database workloads.
- ✗
Amazon ElastiCache
Why it's wrong here
Amazon ElastiCache is an in-memory caching service (Redis or Memcached). It is not a relational database and does not support SQL schemas.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates may confuse Amazon RDS with Amazon EC2, thinking that running MySQL on EC2 is also 'managed' because AWS manages the hypervisor, but the question explicitly requires not managing the database software, patches, backups, or replication, which EC2 does not provide.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Amazon RDS for MySQL uses a managed DB instance that runs on an EC2 instance under the hood, but AWS handles the underlying OS and MySQL engine maintenance, including automatic minor version upgrades and automated backups with point-in-time recovery (PITR) up to the last 5 minutes. For high availability, RDS Multi-AZ automatically replicates data synchronously to a standby instance in a different Availability Zone, with automatic failover handled by DNS changes (CNAME swap) without requiring manual replication setup. A real-world scenario is a company migrating from on-premises MySQL to RDS to eliminate DBA overhead, where they can use the AWS Database Migration Service (DMS) for near-zero downtime migration.
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.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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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: Amazon RDS — Amazon RDS is a managed database service that automates database software installation, patching, backup, and replication for high availability. By choosing RDS for MySQL, the company offloads these administrative tasks to AWS, meeting the requirement to avoid manual management of the database software, patches, backups, and replication configuration.
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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