DVA-C02 Deployment Practice Question
A company is deploying a new microservice using AWS Lambda and Amazon API Gateway. Which THREE steps should be included in the deployment pipeline? (Choose three.)
⚠ Common exam trap
Test-takers frequently confuse the deployment of the Lambda function (which is a separate step) with the deployment of the API Gateway API, or incorrectly assume that DNS updates or cache invalidation are mandatory steps in a standard serverless deployment pipeline.
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
✓
Deploy the API Gateway API to a stage.
Deploying the API Gateway API to a stage is essential because it makes the API publicly available at a specific URL (e.g., https://api-id.execute-api.region.amazonaws.com/prod). Without a stage deployment, any updates to the API resources and methods remain in draft state and are not accessible to clients.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Deploy the API Gateway API to a stage.
Why this is correct
After defining the API's resources, methods, and integrations, the API Gateway REST API must be explicitly deployed to a stage to make it publicly accessible. A stage acts as a logical reference to a specific version of your API, allowing for independent configuration of settings like throttling, caching, and logging. This deployment step publishes the API, generating an invoke URL that clients can use to access the microservice.
- ✓
Create or update the API Gateway REST API resources and methods.
Why this is correct
To expose a microservice via API Gateway, you must first define the API's structure by creating resources (e.g., '/users', '/products') and associating HTTP methods (e.g., GET, POST, PUT, DELETE) with them. These resources and methods act as the public interface, mapping incoming requests to specific backend integrations, such as a Lambda function. This foundational step establishes the API's contract and how clients will interact with the microservice.
- ✗
Invalidate the Amazon CloudFront cache.
Why it's wrong here
Invalidating an Amazon CloudFront cache is an action typically performed when content served through a CloudFront distribution needs to be updated immediately, forcing edge locations to fetch the latest version from the origin. For a *new* microservice deployment using API Gateway, CloudFront is not inherently part of the setup and would only be relevant if it were explicitly configured as a caching layer in front of API Gateway, which is not a mandatory step for initial deployment. Therefore, this action is premature and unnecessary.
- ✗
Update the Route 53 DNS record to point to the new API.
Why it's wrong here
Updating a Route 53 DNS record is necessary when you want to associate a custom domain name (e.g., api.example.com) with an API Gateway endpoint. While important for production-ready APIs, this step occurs *after* the API Gateway API has been successfully deployed to a stage and a custom domain mapping has been configured within API Gateway. It is not an intrinsic part of the core deployment pipeline for making the API functional and available through its default endpoint.
- ✓
Build the Lambda function code and create a deployment package.
Why this is correct
Before a Lambda function can be deployed and invoked, its code and any necessary dependencies must be built and packaged into a deployable artifact, typically a .zip file or a container image. This deployment package contains all the logic the microservice needs to execute, ensuring it's ready to run in the AWS Lambda environment. This foundational step ensures the Lambda function is ready to be uploaded to AWS Lambda, forming the backend compute for the API Gateway.
Quick reference
Cloud Service Model Comparison
| Model | You Manage | Provider Manages | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| IaaS | OS, runtime, apps, data | Hardware, hypervisor, networking | EC2, Azure VMs, GCP Compute Engine |
| PaaS | Apps and data | OS, runtime, middleware, hardware | Elastic Beanstalk, Azure App Service |
| SaaS | Data and settings only | Everything else | Microsoft 365, Salesforce, Workday |
| FaaS / Serverless | Function code only | Infra, scaling, runtime | Lambda, Azure Functions, Cloud Run |
| CaaS | Containers and apps | Kubernetes, OS, hardware | EKS, AKS, GKE |
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This DVA-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 DVA-C02 exam.