The answer is to add a post-deploy invalidation step in CodePipeline to create a CloudFront invalidation after the S3 deploy. This is the most efficient solution because CloudFront caches content at edge locations based on the original object’s TTL; updating the S3 bucket alone does not purge the cached copies, so stale files persist until they expire or are explicitly invalidated. By inserting a Lambda or CodeBuild action in the pipeline that calls the CreateInvalidation API, you automate the cache refresh immediately after each deployment, ensuring users always see the latest content. On the AWS Certified Developer Associate DVA-C02 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of CloudFront caching behavior and pipeline automation—a common trap is assuming that reducing the TTL is sufficient, but that still introduces a delay and may serve stale data during the transition. A useful memory tip: “Deploy to S3, then invalidate the CDN—automate it in the pipeline, never do it by hand again.”
DVA-C02 Deployment Practice Question
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 uses AWS CodePipeline to deploy a static website to Amazon S3. The pipeline has a source stage from CodeCommit, a build stage using CodeBuild, and a deploy stage that uses S3 deployment action. The website is served via Amazon CloudFront. After a successful pipeline run, the updated files are in S3, but CloudFront still serves old content. What is the MOST efficient solution?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Add a post-deploy invalidation step in CodePipeline to create a CloudFront invalidation.
Option C is correct. The easiest and most efficient way is to add a CloudFront invalidation step in the pipeline to invalidate the cache after the S3 deploy. Option A is wrong because reducing TTL is not immediate and still may serve stale content. Option B is wrong because updating the S3 bucket policy does not affect CloudFront cache. Option D is wrong because manually invalidating is one-time but not automated for future deployments.
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.
✗
Manually create a CloudFront invalidation after each deployment.
Why it's wrong here
Manual process is error-prone and not automated; inefficient.
✗
Reduce the CloudFront distribution's default TTL to 0.
Why it's wrong here
Setting TTL to 0 would increase origin load and still may not clear cache immediately; also not best practice.
✓
Add a post-deploy invalidation step in CodePipeline to create a CloudFront invalidation.
Why this is correct
This automates cache invalidation after each deployment, ensuring fresh content.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Update the S3 bucket policy to allow public read access.
Why it's wrong here
Bucket policy does not affect CloudFront cache.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
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.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
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.
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.
Use explanations to understand the rule behind the answer.
TExam Day Tips
→Underline the problem statement mentally.
→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 media company stores terabytes of video archives that are accessed once a year for audit purposes. Moving these objects to a cold storage tier (Azure Archive, S3 Glacier, or Google Nearline) costs a fraction of hot storage. Questions like this test whether you understand storage tiers, access frequency tradeoffs, and retrieval latency requirements.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which DVA-C02 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.
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: Add a post-deploy invalidation step in CodePipeline to create a CloudFront invalidation. — Option C is correct. The easiest and most efficient way is to add a CloudFront invalidation step in the pipeline to invalidate the cache after the S3 deploy. Option A is wrong because reducing TTL is not immediate and still may serve stale content. Option B is wrong because updating the S3 bucket policy does not affect CloudFront cache. Option D is wrong because manually invalidating is one-time but not automated for future deployments.
What should I do if I get this DVA-C02 question wrong?
Identify which DVA-C02 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.
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 company uses AWS CodePipeline to deploy a static website to Amazon S3. The pipeline has a build stage that compiles the website and a deploy stage that syncs the build output to an S3 bucket. After a recent change, the pipeline succeeds but the website does not show the updated content. What is the most likely cause?
medium
✓ A.Amazon CloudFront is caching the old content and needs an invalidation.
B.The build output is empty because the build failed silently.
C.The deploy action is configured to skip if the source content has not changed.
D.The S3 bucket policy does not allow public read access.
Why A: Option B is correct because S3 static websites often use CloudFront for caching; an invalidation is needed after updates. Option A is wrong because if the bucket policy blocked uploads, the deploy stage would fail. Option C is wrong because if the build output was empty, the deploy would still sync (maybe nothing changes). Option D is wrong because CodePipeline would have failed if the deploy action failed.
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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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