Question 1,433 of 1,663
DBS-C01 Database Security Practice Question
A developer needs to securely store database credentials for an application that runs on Amazon EC2 and connects to an Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL database. The credentials must be automatically rotated every 90 days. Which AWS service should the developer use to meet these requirements?
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 Secrets Manager
AWS Secrets Manager. Secrets Manager is designed to securely store and manage secrets such as database credentials. It natively supports automatic rotation of credentials for Amazon RDS databases, including PostgreSQL, with a customizable rotation interval (e.g., every 90 days). Option A (AWS Systems Manager Parameter Store) can store secrets but does not provide built-in automatic rotation for RDS credentials. Option B (AWS CloudHSM) provides hardware security modules for encryption key storage, not for managing database credentials. Option C (IAM roles) allow EC2 instances to assume roles for API access but do not store or rotate database credentials; while IAM database authentication can be used with RDS PostgreSQL, it does not meet the requirement to store and rotate credentials automatically.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
AWS Systems Manager Parameter Store
Why it's wrong here
Does not natively support automatic rotation of RDS credentials.
- ✗
AWS CloudHSM
Why it's wrong here
Used for hardware security modules, not credential storage.
- ✗
AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM) roles
Why it's wrong here
IAM roles do not store credentials; RDS PostgreSQL does not support IAM authentication by default.
- ✓
AWS Secrets Manager
Why this is correct
Supports automatic rotation of database credentials.
Quick reference
AWS S3 Storage Class Comparison
| Storage Class | Min Duration | Retrieval | Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|
| S3 Standard | None | Immediate | Frequently accessed data |
| S3 Standard-IA | 30 days | Immediate | Infrequent access, rapid retrieval |
| S3 One Zone-IA | 30 days | Immediate | Non-critical infrequent data |
| S3 Intelligent-Tiering | None | Immediate–hours | Unknown or changing access patterns |
| S3 Glacier Instant | 90 days | Milliseconds | Archive with instant retrieval |
| S3 Glacier Flexible | 90 days | Minutes–hours | Archive, flexible retrieval |
| S3 Glacier Deep Archive | 180 days | Hours | Long-term compliance archive |
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
Last reviewed: Jun 20, 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.
Question Discussion
Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.
Sign in to join the discussion.