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. A key principle to apply: blue/green deployment uses two separate, identical environments.. 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 Elastic Beanstalk to run a web application. They want to deploy a new version with zero downtime. They have a production environment running the current version and a staging environment running the new version. After thoroughly testing the staging environment, they want to swap the URLs so that production now points to the new version. Which deployment strategy should they use?
This strategy uses two separate environments and swaps their CNAME records, enabling zero-downtime switching to the new version.
B
Rolling deployment
Why wrong: Rolling deployment updates instances in batches, which can cause temporary performance degradation and does not allow for easy URL swap.
C
Immutable deployment
Why wrong: Immutable deployment launches new instances with the new version and then terminates old ones, but it does not involve swapping URLs between environments.
D
All at once deployment
Why wrong: All at once updates all instances simultaneously, causing downtime during the update.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Blue/green deployment with CNAME swap
Blue/green deployment with a CNAME swap is the correct strategy because it allows you to run two identical environments (blue = current production, green = new version) and switch traffic atomically by updating the DNS CNAME record. This achieves zero downtime since the production environment remains active until the swap is complete, and the staging environment has been fully tested. Elastic Beanstalk supports this by letting you perform a CNAME swap between environments via the console, CLI, or API.
Key principle: Blue/green deployment uses two separate, identical environments.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✓
Blue/green deployment with CNAME swap
Why this is correct
This strategy uses two separate environments and swaps their CNAME records, enabling zero-downtime switching to the new version.
Related concept
Blue/green deployment uses two separate, identical environments.
✗
Rolling deployment
Why it's wrong here
Rolling deployment updates instances in batches, which can cause temporary performance degradation and does not allow for easy URL swap.
✗
Immutable deployment
Why it's wrong here
Immutable deployment launches new instances with the new version and then terminates old ones, but it does not involve swapping URLs between environments.
✗
All at once deployment
Why it's wrong here
All at once updates all instances simultaneously, causing downtime during the update.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates confuse blue/green deployment with immutable deployment, but immutable deployment does not allow you to maintain a separate staging environment for testing before the swap; it only replaces instances in the same environment.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, Elastic Beanstalk's CNAME swap updates the DNS record for the environment's CNAME (e.g., myapp.elasticbeanstalk.com) to point to the new environment's load balancer. This is an atomic operation at the DNS level, but note that DNS caching (TTL) can cause a brief period where some clients still reach the old environment. To mitigate this, set a low TTL (e.g., 60 seconds) on the CNAME before the swap. In real-world scenarios, this strategy is ideal for critical production applications where even a few seconds of downtime is unacceptable.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Blue/green deployment uses two separate, identical environments.
CNAME swap redirects traffic from the old environment to the new one.
Elastic Beanstalk supports blue/green deployments with CNAME swaps.
This strategy enables zero-downtime deployments and easy rollbacks.
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
Blue/green deployment uses two separate, identical environments.
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. Blue/green deployment uses two separate, identical environments. 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.
Review blue/green deployment uses two separate, identical environments., then practise related DVA-C02 questions on the same topic to reinforce the concept.
Deployment — This question tests Deployment — Blue/green deployment uses two separate, identical environments..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Blue/green deployment with CNAME swap — Blue/green deployment with a CNAME swap is the correct strategy because it allows you to run two identical environments (blue = current production, green = new version) and switch traffic atomically by updating the DNS CNAME record. This achieves zero downtime since the production environment remains active until the swap is complete, and the staging environment has been fully tested. Elastic Beanstalk supports this by letting you perform a CNAME swap between environments via the console, CLI, or API.
What should I do if I get this DVA-C02 question wrong?
Review blue/green deployment uses two separate, identical environments., then practise related DVA-C02 questions on the same topic to reinforce the concept.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Blue/green deployment uses two separate, identical environments.
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