CLF-C02 Cloud Technology and Services Practice Question
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?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often 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.
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.
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 Amazon EC2 places the full burden of patching on you: you must manually update the operating system, apply MySQL security patches, and handle backup scheduling, replication, and failover configuration. Although this option offers deep control over the database environment, it directly contradicts the requirement to avoid patching, as AWS only provides the underlying infrastructure—not the ongoing maintenance. The operational overhead of self-managing MySQL is substantial, which is why it is the opposite of the fully managed RDS solution.
- ✓
Amazon RDS
Why this is correct
Amazon RDS is the correct choice because it is a fully managed relational database service: AWS automatically applies patches to the database engine and underlying operating system, performs automated backups, and can provision Multi-AZ failover for high availability. You retain control over schema design, parameters, and queries, but you do not need to schedule maintenance windows or manually install updates, which directly satisfies the stated requirement of avoiding patching responsibilities.
- ✗
Amazon Redshift
Why it's wrong here
Amazon Redshift is a fully managed petabyte-scale data warehouse optimized for analytical (OLAP) queries that scan large datasets, using columnar storage and Massively Parallel Processing (MPP). It is not designed for operational (OLTP) relational workloads such as row-level inserts, updates, and transactional integrity, which are the typical use cases for a standard relational database. Although AWS handles patching for Redshift, its distinct architecture and purpose make it an inappropriate match for the stated requirement of a managed relational database for everyday application data.
- ✗
Amazon ElastiCache
Why it's wrong here
Amazon ElastiCache is an in-memory key-value store that supports Redis or Memcached engines, not a relational database. It does not provide SQL-based schemas, table relationships, or ACID transaction guarantees, so it cannot serve as the primary database for a typical relational workload. While ElastiCache is fully managed and requires no patching effort, it is architecturally meant to accelerate data access as a caching layer, not to replace a relational database, making it incorrect for this scenario.
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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.