- A
Amazon EC2 Auto Scaling
Why wrong: Amazon EC2 Auto Scaling automatically adjusts the number of EC2 instances based on demand, but it does not handle code deployment, load balancer creation, or platform configuration. You would still need to manually set up these components, which does not meet the requirement of minimal operational overhead.
- B
AWS Elastic Beanstalk
AWS Elastic Beanstalk is a fully managed service that automatically handles the deployment, capacity provisioning, load balancing, and auto-scaling of applications. Simply upload your WAR file and Elastic Beanstalk manages the underlying infrastructure, making it the ideal choice for this scenario.
- C
AWS OpsWorks
Why wrong: AWS OpsWorks is a configuration management service that uses Chef or Puppet to manage infrastructure as code. While it can automate server configuration, it requires more setup and is not specifically designed for simple code upload and automatic scaling of a web application.
- D
Amazon Lightsail
Why wrong: Amazon Lightsail provides simplified virtual private server (VPS) instances with predictable pricing, but it does not offer automatic scaling or managed load balancing. You would need to manually handle scaling and load balancing, which does not meet the requirement for minimal operational overhead.
Quick Answer
The answer is AWS Elastic Beanstalk, the correct choice because it provides a Platform as a Service (PaaS) offering that lets you deploy Java web applications by simply uploading a WAR file, while it automatically handles capacity provisioning, load balancing, and auto-scaling based on traffic. This PaaS model abstracts away the underlying EC2 instances and Application Load Balancer configuration, directly meeting the requirement to minimize operational overhead for a stateless web tier. On the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner CLF-C02 exam, this question tests your understanding of managed services versus manual infrastructure setup; a common trap is confusing Elastic Beanstalk with EC2 or Elastic Container Service, but remember that Beanstalk is the PaaS layer that orchestrates those resources for you. A helpful memory tip: think of Elastic Beanstalk as the “upload-and-go” service for PaaS Java web deployment on AWS—if the team just wants to drop in a WAR file and let AWS handle the rest, Beanstalk is your answer.
CLF-C02 Cloud Technology and Services Practice Question
This CLF-C02 practice question tests your understanding of cloud technology and services. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. 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 is migrating its legacy Java web application to AWS. The application consists of a stateless web tier that receives HTTP traffic. The company wants to minimize operational overhead. The development team wants to simply upload a WAR file and have AWS automatically handle the deployment, capacity provisioning, load balancing, and auto-scaling based on traffic. The team does not want to manage the underlying EC2 instances or configure the load balancer manually. Which AWS service should the company use?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue:
"minimum / minimize"Why it matters: Asks for the least resource use — fewest addresses, smallest subnet, lowest overhead. Eliminate over-provisioned options even if they would technically work.
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 Elastic Beanstalk
AWS Elastic Beanstalk is the correct choice because it provides a Platform as a Service (PaaS) offering that automatically handles deployment, capacity provisioning, load balancing, and auto-scaling for Java web applications. The team can simply upload a WAR file, and Elastic Beanstalk manages the underlying EC2 instances and Application Load Balancer (ALB) without requiring manual configuration. This directly meets the requirement to minimize operational overhead while supporting stateless web tiers.
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.
- ✗
Amazon EC2 Auto Scaling
Why it's wrong here
Amazon EC2 Auto Scaling automatically adjusts the number of EC2 instances based on demand, but it does not handle code deployment, load balancer creation, or platform configuration. You would still need to manually set up these components, which does not meet the requirement of minimal operational overhead.
- ✓
AWS Elastic Beanstalk
Why this is correct
AWS Elastic Beanstalk is a fully managed service that automatically handles the deployment, capacity provisioning, load balancing, and auto-scaling of applications. Simply upload your WAR file and Elastic Beanstalk manages the underlying infrastructure, making it the ideal choice for this scenario.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "minimum / minimize" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
AWS OpsWorks
Why it's wrong here
AWS OpsWorks is a configuration management service that uses Chef or Puppet to manage infrastructure as code. While it can automate server configuration, it requires more setup and is not specifically designed for simple code upload and automatic scaling of a web application.
- ✗
Amazon Lightsail
Why it's wrong here
Amazon Lightsail provides simplified virtual private server (VPS) instances with predictable pricing, but it does not offer automatic scaling or managed load balancing. You would need to manually handle scaling and load balancing, which does not meet the requirement for minimal operational overhead.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse EC2 Auto Scaling (Option A) as a complete solution for deployment and load balancing, but it only handles scaling and requires separate manual setup for the load balancer and application deployment, which does not satisfy the 'simply upload a WAR file' requirement.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Elastic Beanstalk uses a pre-configured platform for Java with Apache Tomcat, automatically creating an Auto Scaling group and an ALB that distributes HTTP traffic across EC2 instances. Under the hood, it leverages CloudFormation to provision resources, and the environment can be configured with environment variables and health checks via the Elastic Load Balancing (ELB) health check mechanism. A subtle behavior is that if the team needs custom AMIs or advanced networking, Elastic Beanstalk may require a custom platform or additional configuration, but for standard WAR file deployments, it abstracts all infrastructure management.
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
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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Cloud Technology and Services — study guide chapter
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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: AWS Elastic Beanstalk — AWS Elastic Beanstalk is the correct choice because it provides a Platform as a Service (PaaS) offering that automatically handles deployment, capacity provisioning, load balancing, and auto-scaling for Java web applications. The team can simply upload a WAR file, and Elastic Beanstalk manages the underlying EC2 instances and Application Load Balancer (ALB) without requiring manual configuration. This directly meets the requirement to minimize operational overhead while supporting stateless web tiers.
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.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "minimum / minimize". Asks for the least resource use — fewest addresses, smallest subnet, lowest overhead. Eliminate over-provisioned options even if they would technically work.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
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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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