DVA-C02 Deployment Practice Question
A company uses AWS CodePipeline to deploy a web application. The pipeline has a Source stage (CodeCommit), a Build stage (CodeBuild), and a Deploy stage (CodeDeploy). The developer wants to add a manual approval step before the Deploy stage. Which TWO configurations are required?
⚠ Common exam trap
Watch out — candidates often think an email-sending service like SES or a custom Lambda function is required, but the exam expects you to know that CodePipeline natively integrates with SNS for approval notifications and only needs the correct IAM permissions.
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
✓
An IAM role that allows CodePipeline to publish to the SNS topic.
CodePipeline requires an IAM role with permissions to publish to an SNS topic in order to send notifications for manual approval actions. This role is assumed by CodePipeline to invoke the SNS Publish API, which delivers the approval request message to the configured topic. Without this role, the pipeline cannot notify the approver, and the approval step will fail. Option E is correct because an SNS topic is the mechanism used to send the approval notification to the approver. The SNS topic is configured in the approval stage of the pipeline, and it publishes a message that is sent to the subscribed approvers (e.g., via email). Both the SNS topic and the IAM role allowing CodePipeline to publish to it are required for the manual approval action to function.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
An Amazon SES identity to send emails.
Why it's wrong here
An Amazon SES identity is not a direct requirement for CodePipeline's manual approval notifications. CodePipeline integrates natively with Amazon SNS for sending these notifications, and SNS can deliver emails to subscribers without needing a separate SES identity for the pipeline itself. While SES can be an endpoint for SNS, it's not the primary or required component for the pipeline's notification mechanism.
- ✗
An AWS Lambda function to send approval emails.
Why it's wrong here
An AWS Lambda function is unnecessary for sending approval emails from a CodePipeline manual approval action. CodePipeline's approval action is designed to integrate directly with Amazon SNS, which can send email notifications to subscribed approvers without requiring any custom code. Introducing a Lambda function would add unnecessary complexity and maintenance overhead for a task natively handled by SNS.
- ✗
An Amazon CloudWatch alarm to trigger the approval.
Why it's wrong here
Amazon CloudWatch alarms are designed to monitor metrics and trigger automated actions or notifications when predefined thresholds are breached. They are not used to initiate or manage manual approval gates within AWS CodePipeline. Manual approvals are human-driven decision points, distinct from automated triggers based on system performance or operational metrics, making CloudWatch alarms an inappropriate mechanism for this purpose.
- ✓
An IAM role that allows CodePipeline to publish to the SNS topic.
Why this is correct
An IAM role is essential for CodePipeline to interact with other AWS services, including Amazon SNS. The CodePipeline service role must be granted explicit `sns:Publish` permissions to the target SNS topic. Without this specific permission, CodePipeline would lack the necessary authorization to send notification messages to the SNS topic, preventing approvers from being alerted about pending actions.
- ✓
An Amazon SNS topic to notify the approver.
Why this is correct
An Amazon SNS topic is the designated and most appropriate AWS service for sending notifications from CodePipeline's manual approval actions. The SNS topic acts as a central communication channel, allowing CodePipeline to publish approval requests. Subscribers to this topic, such as email addresses or SMS numbers, then reliably receive these notifications, alerting approvers to pending pipeline stages.
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JA
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.