- A
AWS Certificate Manager (ACM)
Correct. ACM is the AWS service designed to provision, manage, and automatically renew SSL/TLS certificates for use with AWS services like ALB, CloudFront, and API Gateway.
- B
AWS Key Management Service (KMS)
Why wrong: Incorrect. KMS manages encryption keys (symmetric and asymmetric) used for encrypting data at rest or in transit, but it does not manage X.509 SSL/TLS certificates or integrate with ALB for HTTPS listeners.
- C
AWS Secrets Manager
Why wrong: Incorrect. Secrets Manager is used to rotate and manage secrets such as database credentials and API keys. It is not designed to manage SSL/TLS certificates or provide automatic certificate renewal.
- D
AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM)
Why wrong: Incorrect. IAM can be used to upload server certificates for use with Elastic Load Balancers, but this requires manual certificate upload and renewal. IAM does not automate certificate renewal, making it unsuitable for this requirement.
Quick Answer
The answer is AWS Certificate Manager (ACM). ACM is the correct choice because it integrates directly with Application Load Balancers to provision and automatically renew SSL/TLS certificates, handling the entire certificate lifecycle without any manual intervention. This automation ensures continuous compliance with security policies requiring TLS encryption for all traffic between users and the ALB, as ACM automatically renews certificates before they expire. On the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner CLF-C02 exam, this question tests your understanding of managed services that reduce operational overhead—a core cloud concept. A common trap is confusing ACM with third-party certificate authorities or manual uploads to IAM, but remember that ACM is the only service that provides fully automated renewal when attached to supported resources like ALBs. Memory tip: think “ACM Automates Certificate Management”—the name itself tells you it handles the renewal for you.
CLF-C02 Security and Compliance Practice Question
This CLF-C02 practice question tests your understanding of security and compliance. 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 hosts a web application behind an Application Load Balancer (ALB) in AWS. The application must comply with a security policy requiring TLS encryption for all traffic between users and the ALB. The company wants to automate the renewal of TLS certificates and avoid manual certificate management. Which AWS service should the company use to provision and automatically renew the certificates?
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 Certificate Manager (ACM)
AWS Certificate Manager (ACM) is the correct service because it integrates directly with Application Load Balancers to provision and automatically renew TLS certificates, eliminating manual certificate management. ACM handles the entire certificate lifecycle, including renewal, which is essential for maintaining TLS encryption compliance without operational overhead.
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 Certificate Manager (ACM)
- ✗
AWS Key Management Service (KMS)
- ✗
AWS Secrets Manager
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. Secrets Manager is used to rotate and manage secrets such as database credentials and API keys. It is not designed to manage SSL/TLS certificates or provide automatic certificate renewal.
- ✗
AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM)
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. IAM can be used to upload server certificates for use with Elastic Load Balancers, but this requires manual certificate upload and renewal. IAM does not automate certificate renewal, making it unsuitable for this requirement.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates may confuse AWS Certificate Manager with AWS Secrets Manager or KMS, thinking any 'management' service can handle certificate renewal, but only ACM is purpose-built for provisioning and automatic renewal of TLS certificates for AWS services like ALB, CloudFront, and API Gateway.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
ACM automatically renews certificates 60 days before expiration by default, using DNS validation or email validation to prove domain ownership. When associated with an ALB, ACM handles the certificate binding to the listener's TLS termination, and the renewal process does not require any downtime or manual intervention, as the new certificate is seamlessly deployed.
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 company's IT admin needs to give a contractor read-only access to production logs without sharing account credentials. Using role-based access control (RBAC) and temporary scoped permissions — not a permanent shared password — is the correct pattern. Questions like this test whether you can apply least-privilege access across cloud identity services.
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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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 Certificate Manager (ACM) — AWS Certificate Manager (ACM) is the correct service because it integrates directly with Application Load Balancers to provision and automatically renew TLS certificates, eliminating manual certificate management. ACM handles the entire certificate lifecycle, including renewal, which is essential for maintaining TLS encryption compliance without operational overhead.
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 →
Same concept, more angles
3 more ways this is tested on CLF-C02
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. A company runs a web application behind an Application Load Balancer (ALB) in a VPC. The application must comply with a security standard that requires encryption in transit for all web traffic. The company needs a service to centrally manage SSL/TLS certificates, automatically renew them, and deploy them to the ALB without manual intervention. Which AWS service should the company use to meet these requirements?
medium- ✓ A.AWS Certificate Manager (ACM)
- B.AWS Key Management Service (AWS KMS)
- C.AWS Secrets Manager
- D.AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM)
Why A: AWS Certificate Manager (ACM) is the correct service because it provides centralized management of SSL/TLS certificates, supports automatic renewal for certificates issued by ACM, and can seamlessly deploy these certificates to an Application Load Balancer (ALB) without any manual intervention. This directly meets the requirement for encryption in transit and compliance with the security standard.
Variation 2. A company runs a web application on an Application Load Balancer (ALB) in the us-east-1 Region. The application serves HTTPS traffic. The company uses a third-party certificate authority to issue SSL/TLS certificates, but these certificates expire every year and require manual renewal. The company wants to use a managed AWS service to automatically provision, renew, and manage the SSL/TLS certificates for the ALB at no additional cost (no extra charge beyond the ALB usage). Which AWS service should the company use?
medium- A.AWS Key Management Service (AWS KMS)
- B.AWS WAF
- ✓ C.AWS Certificate Manager (ACM)
- D.AWS Secrets Manager
Why C: AWS Certificate Manager (ACM) is the correct service because it can provision, manage, and automatically renew public SSL/TLS certificates for use with an Application Load Balancer at no additional cost. ACM integrates directly with ALB to handle certificate deployment and renewal, eliminating the need for manual renewal of third-party certificates. The service is free for public certificates used with supported AWS services like ALB, CloudFront, and API Gateway.
Variation 3. A company wants to enable HTTPS on their Application Load Balancer using an SSL/TLS certificate. They want a managed service that provisions, renews, and deploys the certificate automatically at no cost for certificates used with integrated AWS services. Which AWS service provides this?
easy- A.AWS KMS
- B.AWS Secrets Manager
- ✓ C.AWS Certificate Manager
- D.AWS IAM
Why C: AWS Certificate Manager (ACM) is the correct service because it is a managed service that provisions, renews, and deploys SSL/TLS certificates automatically at no additional cost when used with integrated AWS services like Application Load Balancers. ACM handles the entire certificate lifecycle, including automatic renewal before expiration, and integrates natively with ALB to enable HTTPS without manual intervention.
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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