Quick Answer
The answer is AWS CloudFormation, the correct service for automating RDS PostgreSQL deployment with infrastructure as code. CloudFormation allows you to define the entire RDS instance—DB instance class, allocated storage, backup retention, and security groups—in a declarative JSON or YAML template, enabling version-controlled, repeatable deployments without manual console steps. On the AWS Certified Database Specialty DBS-C01 exam, this question tests your understanding of IaC services versus provisioning tools like AWS Elastic Beanstalk or manual scripts; a common trap is confusing CloudFormation with AWS OpsWorks or Terraform, but CloudFormation is the native AWS service for declarative resource orchestration. Remember the memory tip: “CloudFormation forms the cloud”—it templates infrastructure, not just databases, so for any automated RDS deployment, think templates, not scripts.
This DBS-C01 practice question tests your understanding of deployment and migration. 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 a PostgreSQL database to Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL. They want to automate the deployment of the RDS instance using infrastructure as code. Which AWS service should they use?
Amazon EC2 Auto Scaling.
Why wrong: Auto Scaling is for EC2 instances, not RDS.
AWS Management Console.
Why wrong: The console is manual and not suitable for infrastructure as code.
AWS CloudFormation.
CloudFormation enables declarative provisioning of RDS instances.
AWS Command Line Interface (CLI).
Why wrong: CLI is scriptable but not a declarative infrastructure as code service.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
AWS CloudFormation.
AWS CloudFormation is the correct service for automating the deployment of an RDS for PostgreSQL instance using infrastructure as code. It allows you to define the entire RDS instance configuration—including DB instance class, storage, backup retention, and security groups—in a declarative JSON or YAML template, which can be version-controlled and reused for consistent, repeatable deployments.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
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
Auto Scaling is for EC2 instances, not RDS.
AWS Management Console.
Why it's wrong here
The console is manual and not suitable for infrastructure as code.
AWS CloudFormation.
Why this is correct
CloudFormation enables declarative provisioning of RDS instances.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
AWS Command Line Interface (CLI).
Why it's wrong here
CLI is scriptable but not a declarative infrastructure as code service.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates often confuse the AWS CLI (a scripting tool) with infrastructure as code, but the CLI lacks the declarative, state-management, and drift-detection capabilities that define true IaC services like CloudFormation.
Detailed technical explanation
CloudFormation uses a template engine that interprets the 'AWS::RDS::DBInstance' resource type to provision the RDS instance, handling dependencies like subnet groups and parameter groups automatically. Under the hood, CloudFormation creates a stack that tracks resource states and supports change sets for safe updates, which is critical for production database deployments where rollback and consistency are paramount. In a real-world scenario, a team might use CloudFormation to deploy a multi-AZ RDS for PostgreSQL instance with automated backups and encryption at rest, ensuring compliance and repeatability across environments.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
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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Deployment and Migration — study guide chapter
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FAQ
Deployment and Migration — This question tests Deployment and Migration — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: AWS CloudFormation. — AWS CloudFormation is the correct service for automating the deployment of an RDS for PostgreSQL instance using infrastructure as code. It allows you to define the entire RDS instance configuration—including DB instance class, storage, backup retention, and security groups—in a declarative JSON or YAML template, which can be version-controlled and reused for consistent, repeatable deployments.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 24, 2026
This DBS-C01 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 DBS-C01 exam.
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