The answer is Amazon Aurora, the correct choice for achieving relational database higher throughput than MySQL and PostgreSQL in the AWS Cloud. Aurora delivers up to 5x the throughput of standard MySQL and 3x that of standard PostgreSQL by using a distributed, auto-healing storage subsystem that separates compute from storage, allowing it to scale performance without the bottlenecks of traditional databases. On the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner CLF-C02 exam, this question tests your understanding of managed database services and their performance claims, often appearing as a direct comparison between Aurora and standard MySQL or PostgreSQL. A common trap is confusing Aurora with RDS, but remember that Aurora is a proprietary engine within RDS, not just a managed version of the open-source databases. For a quick memory tip, think of Aurora as the “five and three” service: five times MySQL, three times PostgreSQL, all at a lower cost than commercial databases like Oracle or SQL Server.
CLF-C02 Cloud Technology and Services Practice Question
This CLF-C02 practice question tests your understanding of cloud technology and services. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. 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 AWS service enables you to run relational database workloads with up to 5x the throughput of standard MySQL and 3x the throughput of standard PostgreSQL at a lower price point than commercial databases?
Why wrong: Standard RDS for MySQL doesn't achieve the 5x throughput improvement — Aurora uses a purpose-built, distributed storage layer for this.
B
Amazon Aurora
Aurora's distributed storage architecture delivers 5x MySQL and 3x PostgreSQL throughput while maintaining full compatibility and offering lower cost than Oracle or SQL Server.
C
Amazon Redshift
Why wrong: Redshift is a data warehouse for OLAP analytics, not a relational database for OLTP workloads.
D
Amazon DynamoDB
Why wrong: DynamoDB is a NoSQL database — it doesn't run MySQL or PostgreSQL workloads.
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 a MySQL and PostgreSQL-compatible relational database built for the cloud, offering up to 5x the throughput of standard MySQL and 3x the throughput of standard PostgreSQL. It achieves this performance through a distributed, auto-healing storage subsystem that separates compute from storage, and it is priced lower than commercial databases like Oracle or SQL Server while providing high availability and durability.
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 RDS for MySQL
Why it's wrong here
Standard RDS for MySQL doesn't achieve the 5x throughput improvement — Aurora uses a purpose-built, distributed storage layer for this.
✓
Amazon Aurora
Why this is correct
Aurora's distributed storage architecture delivers 5x MySQL and 3x PostgreSQL throughput while maintaining full compatibility and offering lower cost than Oracle or SQL Server.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Amazon Redshift
Why it's wrong here
Redshift is a data warehouse for OLAP analytics, not a relational database for OLTP workloads.
✗
Amazon DynamoDB
Why it's wrong here
DynamoDB is a NoSQL database — it doesn't run MySQL or PostgreSQL workloads.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates confuse Amazon RDS for MySQL with Amazon Aurora, assuming RDS offers the same performance enhancements, but Aurora is a separate engine with a fundamentally different distributed architecture that provides the stated throughput gains.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, Aurora uses a quorum-based storage system with six copies of data across three Availability Zones, allowing it to tolerate the loss of up to two copies without affecting write availability. This distributed storage layer offloads redo log processing from the database engine, enabling faster crash recovery and reducing I/O latency, which is why Aurora can achieve up to 5x MySQL throughput in real-world OLTP workloads. A subtle behavior is that Aurora's storage auto-scales up to 128 TiB per database instance, making it ideal for applications with unpredictable growth.
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.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this CLF-C02 question in full detail.
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: Amazon Aurora — Amazon Aurora is a MySQL and PostgreSQL-compatible relational database built for the cloud, offering up to 5x the throughput of standard MySQL and 3x the throughput of standard PostgreSQL. It achieves this performance through a distributed, auto-healing storage subsystem that separates compute from storage, and it is priced lower than commercial databases like Oracle or SQL Server while providing high availability and durability.
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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Question Discussion
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