This DVA-C02 practice question tests your understanding of deployment. 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 is using AWS CloudFormation to manage infrastructure. The developer wants to update a stack but needs to prevent specific resources from being replaced. What CloudFormation feature should the developer use?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Apply a stack policy that denies updates to the specific resources.
A stack policy is a JSON-based policy that defines which resources in a CloudFormation stack can be updated, replaced, or deleted. By applying a stack policy that denies updates to specific resources, the developer can prevent those resources from being replaced during a stack update, even if the template change would normally trigger a replacement.
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.
✗
Use a custom resource to manage the update logic.
Why it's wrong here
Custom resources execute custom code, but do not prevent updates.
✓
Apply a stack policy that denies updates to the specific resources.
Why this is correct
Stack policies can prevent updates to specified resources.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Create a change set to review the changes before execution.
Why it's wrong here
Change sets show changes but do not prevent them.
✗
Use a deletion policy attribute on the resources to protect them.
Why it's wrong here
Deletion policy protects against deletion, not updates.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is confusing a deletion policy (which only protects against stack deletion) with a stack policy (which controls update-time replacement), leading candidates to incorrectly choose Option D.
Trap categories for this question
Command / output trap
Change sets show changes but do not prevent them.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
A stack policy is applied at the stack level and uses an Allow/Deny effect on resource-level actions such as Update:Modify, Update:Replace, or Delete. For example, a policy with `"Effect": "Deny"` on `"Action": "Update:Replace"` for a specific logical resource ID will block any template change that would cause that resource to be recreated. This is especially useful for stateful resources like RDS databases or EBS volumes where replacement would cause data loss.
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
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
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.
Deployment — This question tests Deployment — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Apply a stack policy that denies updates to the specific resources. — A stack policy is a JSON-based policy that defines which resources in a CloudFormation stack can be updated, replaced, or deleted. By applying a stack policy that denies updates to specific resources, the developer can prevent those resources from being replaced during a stack update, even if the template change would normally trigger a replacement.
What should I do if I get this DVA-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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Question Discussion
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