- A
Compute-optimized instances (C family)
Why wrong: Compute-optimized instances provide a high CPU-to-memory ratio for CPU-intensive workloads like HPC simulations and batch processing.
- B
Memory-optimized instances (R and X family)
Memory-optimized instances provide large amounts of RAM for workloads that need to process large datasets in memory — up to 24 TB of RAM for high-memory instances.
- C
Storage-optimized instances (I and D family)
Why wrong: Storage-optimized instances provide high-speed local NVMe SSD storage for I/O-intensive workloads like NoSQL databases and data warehousing.
- D
Accelerated computing instances (P and G family)
Why wrong: Accelerated computing instances use GPU hardware for ML inference, graphics rendering, and scientific computing.
Quick Answer
The answer is the memory-optimized EC2 instance family, specifically the R and X families. These instances are the correct choice for memory-intensive workloads because they are engineered with a high memory-to-vCPU ratio and large amounts of RAM, allowing data sets to reside primarily in memory for faster processing. This makes them ideal for in-memory databases like Redis or Memcached, real-time big data analytics such as Apache Spark, and high-performance computing tasks. On the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner CLF-C02 exam, this question tests your ability to match instance families to workload characteristics, often appearing as a scenario-based question where you must select the right family for a memory-heavy task. A common trap is confusing memory-optimized with compute-optimized (C family) or general purpose (M family), so remember that if the workload needs to keep data in RAM for speed, think R and X. A simple memory tip: “R and X hold the RAM.”
CLF-C02 Cloud Technology and Services Practice Question
This CLF-C02 practice question tests your understanding of cloud technology and services. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. 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.
Which Amazon EC2 instance family is optimized for memory-intensive workloads such as in-memory databases, real-time big data analytics, and high-performance computing?
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
Memory-optimized instances (R and X family)
Memory-optimized instances (R and X families) are designed for workloads that require large amounts of RAM and high memory bandwidth, such as in-memory databases (e.g., Redis, Memcached), real-time big data analytics (e.g., Apache Spark), and high-performance computing (HPC) tasks. These instances offer a high memory-to-vCPU ratio and support for large instance sizes, enabling efficient processing of data sets that reside primarily in memory.
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.
- ✗
Compute-optimized instances (C family)
Why it's wrong here
Compute-optimized instances provide a high CPU-to-memory ratio for CPU-intensive workloads like HPC simulations and batch processing.
- ✓
Memory-optimized instances (R and X family)
Why this is correct
Memory-optimized instances provide large amounts of RAM for workloads that need to process large datasets in memory — up to 24 TB of RAM for high-memory instances.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Storage-optimized instances (I and D family)
Why it's wrong here
Storage-optimized instances provide high-speed local NVMe SSD storage for I/O-intensive workloads like NoSQL databases and data warehousing.
- ✗
Accelerated computing instances (P and G family)
Why it's wrong here
Accelerated computing instances use GPU hardware for ML inference, graphics rendering, and scientific computing.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse 'high-performance computing' with compute-optimized instances, but in the context of memory-intensive HPC (e.g., large-scale simulations or in-memory analytics), the bottleneck is memory capacity and bandwidth, not CPU speed, making memory-optimized instances the correct choice.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, memory-optimized instances leverage high-frequency Intel Xeon Scalable processors and support for Intel Optane DC Persistent Memory (on X1e instances) to provide up to 3.9 TB of RAM per instance. In real-world scenarios, an R5 instance with 512 GiB of RAM can handle a 100 GB Redis cluster with sub-millisecond latency, whereas a C5 instance with the same vCPU count would run out of memory and trigger swap thrashing. The key differentiator is the memory-to-vCPU ratio: R family instances typically offer 8 GiB per vCPU, while C family instances offer only 2 GiB per vCPU.
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 media company stores terabytes of video archives that are accessed once a year for audit purposes. Moving these objects to a cold storage tier (Azure Archive, S3 Glacier, or Google Nearline) costs a fraction of hot storage. Questions like this test whether you understand storage tiers, access frequency tradeoffs, and retrieval latency requirements.
What to study next
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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: Memory-optimized instances (R and X family) — Memory-optimized instances (R and X families) are designed for workloads that require large amounts of RAM and high memory bandwidth, such as in-memory databases (e.g., Redis, Memcached), real-time big data analytics (e.g., Apache Spark), and high-performance computing (HPC) tasks. These instances offer a high memory-to-vCPU ratio and support for large instance sizes, enabling efficient processing of data sets that reside primarily in memory.
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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