Quick Answer
The correct metrics to monitor for cache hit rate in Amazon ElastiCache are CacheHits and CacheMisses. These two CloudWatch metrics work together because the cache hit rate is calculated as CacheHits divided by the sum of CacheHits and CacheMisses, giving you the percentage of requests served from the cache versus those that required a backend fetch. On the AWS Certified Database Specialty DBS-C01 exam, this concept tests your understanding of ElastiCache performance monitoring and common misconfigurations—many candidates mistakenly track CPUUtilization or Evictions, which indicate resource strain or memory pressure, not cache effectiveness. A frequent trap is assuming CurrConnections reflects cache performance, but it only shows active client connections. For a quick memory tip, remember that hit rate is a ratio of two counters: think “Hits over Hits plus Misses” to always land on the correct pair.
This DBS-C01 practice question tests your understanding of monitoring and troubleshooting. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. 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 using Amazon ElastiCache for Redis as a caching layer. The application performance degrades when cache misses increase. Which metric should be monitored to track the cache hit rate?
CurrConnections
Why wrong: CurrConnections shows number of client connections.
CacheHits and CacheMisses
CacheHits and CacheMisses are used to calculate hit rate.
CPUUtilization
Why wrong: CPUUtilization does not indicate cache hit rate.
Evictions
Why wrong: Evictions measure items removed due to memory pressure.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
CacheHits and CacheMisses
Option D is correct because CacheHits and CacheMisses together give the hit rate. Option A is wrong because CPUUtilization is for resource usage. Option B is wrong because Evictions indicates memory pressure, not hit rate. Option C is wrong because CurrConnections shows active connections.
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.
CurrConnections
Why it's wrong here
CurrConnections shows number of client connections.
CacheHits and CacheMisses
Why this is correct
CacheHits and CacheMisses are used to calculate hit rate.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
CPUUtilization
Why it's wrong here
CPUUtilization does not indicate cache hit rate.
Evictions
Why it's wrong here
Evictions measure items removed due to memory pressure.
Common exam traps
Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.
Trap categories for this question
Command / output trap
CurrConnections shows number of client connections.
Detailed technical explanation
This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
A cloud solutions architect for a retail company is evaluating services for a new workload. The correct answer here reflects best practice for the specific scenario described — not a general cloud recommendation. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Cloud exam questions reward reading the constraint carefully: the same technology can be right or wrong depending on the use case.
What to study next
Identify which DBS-C01 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
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FAQ
Monitoring and Troubleshooting — This question tests Monitoring and Troubleshooting — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: CacheHits and CacheMisses — Option D is correct because CacheHits and CacheMisses together give the hit rate. Option A is wrong because CPUUtilization is for resource usage. Option B is wrong because Evictions indicates memory pressure, not hit rate. Option C is wrong because CurrConnections shows active connections.
Identify which DBS-C01 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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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.
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