mediummultiple choiceObjective-mapped

A startup is building a Node.js web application. The development team has limited DevOps experience and wants to focus on writing code. They need a managed platform that automatically deploys their application code, provisions the necessary AWS resources (such as EC2 instances, a load balancer, and Auto Scaling), and handles health monitoring and scaling. However, they want the ability to later customize the underlying EC2 instances and configure environment variables without switching to a different compute service. Which AWS service should the startup use?

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A startup is building a Node.js web application. The development team has limited DevOps experience and wants to focus on writing code. They need a managed platform that automatically deploys their application code, provisions the necessary AWS resources (such as EC2 instances, a load balancer, and Auto Scaling), and handles health monitoring and scaling. However, they want the ability to later customize the underlying EC2 instances and configure environment variables without switching to a different compute service. Which AWS service should the startup use?

Answer choices

Why each option matters

Good practice is not just finding the correct option. The wrong answers often show the exact trap the exam wants you to fall into.

A

Distractor review

AWS Lambda

AWS Lambda is a serverless compute service designed for event-driven, short-running functions. It does not provide a platform for deploying a traditional Node.js web application with load balancing and auto scaling, nor does it allow direct customization of EC2 instances. Lambda is not suitable for this use case.

B

Best answer

AWS Elastic Beanstalk

AWS Elastic Beanstalk is a PaaS service that automatically deploys application code, manages capacity provisioning, load balancing, and auto scaling for web applications. It provides full control over the underlying AWS resources when needed, making it the best fit for a team that wants a managed platform with the option to customize later.

C

Distractor review

Amazon ECS

Amazon ECS is a container orchestration service that requires the team to manage Docker images, task definitions, and cluster configuration. It is more complex than a PaaS solution and does not automatically deploy application code in the same way Elastic Beanstalk does. The startup wants to avoid this level of management.

D

Distractor review

AWS CloudFormation

AWS CloudFormation is an infrastructure-as-code service that provisions and manages AWS resources based on templates. It does not provide a platform for automated application deployment of code or built-in load balancing and health monitoring. It is a tool for creating and managing resources, not for running the application directly.

Common exam trap

Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword

Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.

Technical deep dive

How to think about this question

This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.

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.
  • Use explanations to understand the rule behind the answer.

TExam Day Tips

  • Underline the problem statement mentally.
  • 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.

Related practice questions

Related CLF-C02 practice-question pages

Use these pages to review the topic behind this question. This is how one missed question becomes focused revision.

More questions from this exam

Keep practising from the same exam bank, or move into a focused topic page if this question exposed a weak area.

Question 1

A developer needs to launch a test server for a new application prototype. The developer logs into the AWS Management Console, selects an Amazon EC2 instance type, configures the security group, and starts the instance. The instance is running within two minutes, and the developer did not need to submit a formal request to the company's IT procurement team or wait for approval from a cloud administrator. Which essential characteristic of cloud computing does this scenario best demonstrate?

Question 2

A solutions architect is planning a new web application on AWS. The workload will include 3 Amazon EC2 instances (t3.medium) running 24/7, an Application Load Balancer, and an Amazon RDS for MySQL db.t3.small database. The architect needs to estimate the monthly cost for the first year, considering different purchasing options (On-Demand, 1-year All Upfront Reserved Instance, and Compute Savings Plan). Which AWS tool should the architect use to create this estimate?

Question 3

A company's development team frequently needs temporary test environments. A developer can log into the AWS Management Console, select an Amazon EC2 instance type, configure storage, and launch the instance within minutes without any interaction with the IT infrastructure team. This capability is an example of which essential characteristic of cloud computing?

Question 4

A company's finance team needs to analyze AWS spending in detail. They require a report that includes hourly cost data for each AWS service, each individual resource (e.g., a specific EC2 instance), and any cost allocation tags applied. The team plans to export this data to an Amazon S3 bucket and then import it into a custom business intelligence (BI) analytics dashboard. Which AWS tool should the finance team use to generate this level of detailed cost data?

Question 5

A company uses AWS for its development environment. The finance team wants to set a monthly budget of $10,000. They want to receive an email notification when the actual costs reach 80% of the budget ($8,000) and again when costs exceed the budget. The team needs a managed AWS service that can automatically send these alerts without requiring custom code or third-party tools. Which AWS service should the team use?

Question 6

A company uses AWS Organizations to manage multiple accounts. The security team needs to enforce a policy that restricts SSH access (port 22) from the internet (0.0.0.0/0) in all VPCs across all accounts. The team wants to centrally define the allowed rules and automatically apply them to newly created VPCs and security groups, while also automatically remediating any existing non-compliant security groups. Which AWS service should the team use?

FAQ

Questions learners often ask

What does this CLF-C02 question test?

Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.

What is the correct answer to this question?

The correct answer is: AWS Elastic Beanstalk — AWS Elastic Beanstalk is the correct choice because it is a Platform as a Service (PaaS) offering that automates the deployment and scaling of web applications while giving developers control over the underlying AWS resources. The startup gets automatic provisioning of EC2 instances, load balancing, and health monitoring, but can still customize the instances and environment variables when needed. AWS Lambda is unsuitable for this use case because it is a serverless compute service for event-driven, short-running functions, not for hosting a traditional web application with long-running processes and the ability to manage underlying EC2 instances. Amazon ECS is a container orchestration service that requires the team to manage container images and task definitions, which is more complex than what the startup wants. AWS CloudFormation is an infrastructure-as-code service that provisions resources based on templates but does not provide automated application deployment or a platform layer for managing code.

What should I do if I get this CLF-C02 question wrong?

Then try more questions from the same exam bank and focus on understanding why the wrong options are tempting.

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