CLF-C02 Cloud Technology and Services Practice Question
A company wants to use AWS to run a relational database that is compatible with MySQL but with improved performance and availability. Which service should they use?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many candidates assume Amazon RDS for MySQL is sufficient for improved performance and availability, overlooking that Aurora is specifically engineered to outperform standard MySQL while maintaining full compatibility, and that DynamoDB and Redshift are not relational databases.
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 Aurora
Amazon Aurora is the correct choice because it is a MySQL-compatible relational database engine that provides significantly higher performance (up to 5x faster than standard MySQL) and improved availability through features like distributed storage, automatic failover, and six-way replication across three Availability Zones. Aurora is designed to deliver the durability and availability of commercial databases while maintaining MySQL compatibility, making it ideal for workloads requiring enhanced performance and uptime.
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 RDS for MySQL
Why it's wrong here
Amazon RDS for MySQL is a managed MySQL-compatible service, so it does meet basic compatibility, but it is not the optimal choice here. Aurora is a MySQL-compatible relational database that delivers up to five times better throughput than standard MySQL on RDS, along with automatic multi-AZ replication and storage auto-scaling. Since the question asks for the best performance and availability, RDS for MySQL falls short of Aurora's superior architecture.
- ✓
Amazon Aurora
Why this is correct
Amazon Aurora is a MySQL-compatible relational database engine that offers up to five times the throughput of standard MySQL while maintaining full compatibility with existing MySQL applications. It automatically replicates data across multiple Availability Zones with a minimum of six copies, provides continuous backup to S3, and can scale storage up to 128 TB without downtime. These features make it the best choice for a workload seeking high performance, high availability, and MySQL compatibility.
- ✗
Amazon DynamoDB
Why it's wrong here
Amazon DynamoDB is a fully managed NoSQL key-value and document database that does not support the MySQL relational query language or SQL joins. It is designed for high-scale, low-latency applications with flexible schemas, not for a MySQL-compatible OLTP workload. Therefore, it cannot satisfy the requirement to run the legacy MySQL application without major refactoring.
- ✗
Amazon Redshift
Why it's wrong here
Amazon Redshift is a petabyte-scale columnar data warehouse optimized for complex analytical queries (OLAP) on large volumes of historical data. It is not a transactional OLTP database and does not provide MySQL compatibility, so it would require a complete redesign of the application's data layer. Thus, it is unsuitable for this use case.
Quick reference
AWS S3 Storage Class Comparison
| Storage Class | Min Duration | Retrieval | Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|
| S3 Standard | None | Immediate | Frequently accessed data |
| S3 Standard-IA | 30 days | Immediate | Infrequent access, rapid retrieval |
| S3 One Zone-IA | 30 days | Immediate | Non-critical infrequent data |
| S3 Intelligent-Tiering | None | Immediate–hours | Unknown or changing access patterns |
| S3 Glacier Instant | 90 days | Milliseconds | Archive with instant retrieval |
| S3 Glacier Flexible | 90 days | Minutes–hours | Archive, flexible retrieval |
| S3 Glacier Deep Archive | 180 days | Hours | Long-term compliance archive |
Go deeper
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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.