- A
Rehost
Why wrong: Rehosting (lift and shift) would mean moving the virtual machine running MySQL directly to an EC2 instance without changes. Moving to RDS (a different, managed service) represents an optimisation — that is replatforming.
- B
Replatform
Replatforming involves moving to a managed cloud service to gain benefits (automated backups, Multi-AZ) without rearchitecting the application. Moving from a self-managed MySQL VM to Amazon RDS is the classic replatform example.
- C
Refactor
Why wrong: Refactoring involves rearchitecting the application to use cloud-native features (microservices, serverless, containers). The company made no application changes — this is replatforming.
- D
Repurchase
Why wrong: Repurchasing means replacing an existing application with a SaaS version (e.g., moving from a self-hosted CRM to Salesforce). Moving to RDS is still using the same MySQL database, just managed — that is replatforming.
Quick Answer
The answer is replatform. This migration strategy, also known as “lift and reshape” or platform modernization, is correct because the company moved their self-managed MySQL database from a VM to Amazon RDS without altering the database schema or application code, yet they gained managed backups and Multi-AZ—benefits specific to the new platform. On the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner CLF-C02 exam, this scenario tests your ability to distinguish replatform from rehost (a simple lift-and-shift that adds no new platform features) and refactor (which requires code changes). A common trap is confusing replatform with rehost, but remember: if you change the underlying platform (like moving to RDS) but keep the application untouched, it’s replatform. For a quick memory tip, think “same code, better platform”—you reshape the infrastructure, not the app.
CLF-C02 Cloud Concepts Practice Question
This CLF-C02 practice question tests your understanding of cloud concepts. 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.
A company migrates their self-managed MySQL database running on a virtual machine to Amazon RDS for MySQL, taking advantage of managed backups and Multi-AZ without changing the database schema or application code. Which migration strategy does this represent?
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
Replatform
This is a Replatform (also called 'lift and reshape' or 'platform modernization') migration because the company moves the MySQL database from a self-managed VM to Amazon RDS without changing the database schema or application code. They gain managed backups and Multi-AZ, which are RDS-specific features, but the core database engine and application interface remain unchanged, so no refactoring of the application is required.
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.
- ✗
Rehost
Why it's wrong here
Rehosting (lift and shift) would mean moving the virtual machine running MySQL directly to an EC2 instance without changes. Moving to RDS (a different, managed service) represents an optimisation — that is replatforming.
- ✓
Replatform
Why this is correct
Replatforming involves moving to a managed cloud service to gain benefits (automated backups, Multi-AZ) without rearchitecting the application. Moving from a self-managed MySQL VM to Amazon RDS is the classic replatform example.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Refactor
Why it's wrong here
Refactoring involves rearchitecting the application to use cloud-native features (microservices, serverless, containers). The company made no application changes — this is replatforming.
- ✗
Repurchase
Why it's wrong here
Repurchasing means replacing an existing application with a SaaS version (e.g., moving from a self-hosted CRM to Salesforce). Moving to RDS is still using the same MySQL database, just managed — that is replatforming.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates confuse Rehost with Replatform because both involve minimal code changes, but Rehost keeps the workload on the same type of infrastructure (e.g., EC2), while Replatform moves to a managed service like RDS that offloads administrative tasks.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, Replatform leverages RDS's managed infrastructure, which automates OS patching, storage scaling, and failover via a synchronous standby replica in a different Availability Zone for Multi-AZ. A real-world scenario is migrating a legacy MySQL 5.6 database to RDS MySQL 8.0 while keeping the same InnoDB storage engine and SQL queries, gaining point-in-time recovery and automatic failover without touching the application's connection string (only the endpoint changes).
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
An e-commerce site experiences heavy traffic on Black Friday and near-zero traffic during off-peak weeks. Rather than provisioning permanent large VMs, the team uses auto-scaling groups that add capacity automatically under load and reduce it overnight. Questions like this test whether you understand elasticity, availability zones, and cloud compute scaling patterns.
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 Concepts — study guide chapter
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this CLF-C02 question test?
Cloud Concepts — This question tests Cloud Concepts — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Replatform — This is a Replatform (also called 'lift and reshape' or 'platform modernization') migration because the company moves the MySQL database from a self-managed VM to Amazon RDS without changing the database schema or application code. They gain managed backups and Multi-AZ, which are RDS-specific features, but the core database engine and application interface remain unchanged, so no refactoring of the application is required.
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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