AWS Secrets Manager is the correct choice because it provides a fully managed service to store and auto-rotate database credentials on a defined schedule, such as every 30 days, without requiring custom code or manual intervention. The service integrates natively with Amazon RDS, Redshift, and DocumentDB to automatically rotate credentials, and it allows applications running on EC2 to retrieve secrets at startup via the Secrets Manager API using IAM roles, eliminating the need to hardcode credentials in code or configuration files. On the AWS Certified Developer Associate DVA-C02 exam, this question tests your understanding of the key difference between Secrets Manager and Systems Manager Parameter Store—Secrets Manager is the only service that offers built-in automatic rotation for database credentials, while Parameter Store requires custom Lambda functions for rotation. A common trap is choosing Parameter Store for its lower cost, but the exam emphasizes that rotation is a core feature of Secrets Manager. Remember the mnemonic: “Secrets Manager rotates, Parameter Store stores.”
DVA-C02 Security Practice Question
This DVA-C02 practice question tests your understanding of security. 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 runs an application on Amazon EC2 that needs to securely store database credentials. The security team requires that credentials be automatically rotated every 30 days to reduce the risk of compromise. The application must be able to retrieve the credentials at startup without storing them in code or configuration files. Which AWS service 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
✓
AWS Secrets Manager
AWS Secrets Manager is the correct choice because it is specifically designed to securely store, retrieve, and automatically rotate database credentials on a schedule (e.g., every 30 days) without requiring custom code. The application can retrieve credentials at startup via the Secrets Manager API using IAM permissions, eliminating the need to store secrets in code or configuration files. Secrets Manager natively supports automatic rotation for Amazon RDS, Redshift, and DocumentDB, and can be extended to other services via custom Lambda functions.
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.
✓
AWS Secrets Manager
Why this is correct
Secrets Manager stores secrets securely and can automatically rotate them on a schedule, meeting the requirement.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
AWS Systems Manager Parameter Store (SecureString)
Why it's wrong here
Parameter Store can store encrypted parameters but does not offer automatic rotation; rotation must be implemented manually.
✗
AWS Key Management Service (KMS)
Why it's wrong here
KMS manages encryption keys, not application secrets like passwords.
✗
AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM) roles
Why it's wrong here
IAM roles provide temporary credentials for EC2 to access AWS services, but they cannot be used to store or rotate database passwords.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse AWS Systems Manager Parameter Store (SecureString) with Secrets Manager, overlooking that Parameter Store lacks native automatic rotation, which is a key requirement in the question.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Secrets Manager uses an integrated rotation mechanism that invokes an AWS Lambda function to update the secret and the associated database simultaneously, ensuring consistency. The rotation process follows a four-phase protocol (createPending, setSecret, testSecret, finishSecret) to avoid downtime. In a real-world scenario, if an application retrieves the secret at startup and caches it, the rotation might cause a mismatch unless the application is designed to refresh the secret periodically or handle credential changes gracefully.
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 company's IT admin needs to give a contractor read-only access to production logs without sharing account credentials. Using role-based access control (RBAC) and temporary scoped permissions — not a permanent shared password — is the correct pattern. Questions like this test whether you can apply least-privilege access across cloud identity services.
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.
Security — This question tests Security — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: AWS Secrets Manager — AWS Secrets Manager is the correct choice because it is specifically designed to securely store, retrieve, and automatically rotate database credentials on a schedule (e.g., every 30 days) without requiring custom code. The application can retrieve credentials at startup via the Secrets Manager API using IAM permissions, eliminating the need to store secrets in code or configuration files. Secrets Manager natively supports automatic rotation for Amazon RDS, Redshift, and DocumentDB, and can be extended to other services via custom Lambda functions.
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.
About these practice questions
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These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. A developer stores database credentials for an application running on Amazon EC2. The security team requires that the credentials be automatically rotated every 30 days to reduce the risk of compromise. Which AWS service should the developer use to store and automatically rotate the credentials?
easy
A.AWS Systems Manager Parameter Store
✓ B.AWS Secrets Manager
C.AWS Key Management Service (KMS)
D.IAM Roles for EC2
Why B: AWS Secrets Manager is the correct choice because it is specifically designed to securely store database credentials and other secrets, and it provides built-in, configurable automatic rotation (e.g., every 30 days) using AWS Lambda. This meets the security team's requirement without custom scripting or infrastructure management.
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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.
Question Discussion
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