The answer is to use CodeDeploy to perform a canary deployment that shifts 10% of traffic initially. This is correct because CodeDeploy’s blue/green strategy for ECS supports a canary traffic shift, where you define a percentage of traffic (e.g., 10%) to route to the new task set for a specified interval before shifting the remaining 100%. This allows you to validate the new version with a small subset of users, directly matching the requirement to test before full rollout. On the AWS Certified Developer Associate DVA-C02 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of CodeDeploy’s deployment configuration options, specifically the difference between a linear (incremental) and canary (percentage-based) shift. A common trap is confusing canary with all-at-once or linear shifts; remember that canary uses an initial percentage and a wait time, not a gradual step-by-step increase. Memory tip: think “canary in the coal mine” — a small, early test group before the full shift.
DVA-C02 Deployment Practice Question
This DVA-C02 practice question tests your understanding of deployment. 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 developer is deploying a new version of an application to Amazon ECS using AWS CodeDeploy. The application uses a blue/green deployment strategy. After the deployment, traffic is automatically shifted to the new task set. However, the developer wants to test the new version with a small percentage of users before shifting all traffic. What should the developer do?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Use CodeDeploy to perform a canary deployment that shifts 10% of traffic initially.
CodeDeploy supports canary deployments for ECS, which allow you to shift a specified percentage of traffic to the new task set initially (e.g., 10%) and then, after a configured interval, shift the remaining traffic. This matches the requirement to test with a small percentage of users before shifting all traffic. Option B directly implements this canary strategy.
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.
✗
Create a new ECS task definition with a different CPU/memory allocation.
Why it's wrong here
Task definition does not control traffic shifting.
✓
Use CodeDeploy to perform a canary deployment that shifts 10% of traffic initially.
Why this is correct
CodeDeploy supports canary deployments for ECS, allowing gradual traffic shifting.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Configure the target group to route traffic to a specific task set.
Why it's wrong here
Target groups route traffic to all tasks in a service, not a percentage.
✗
Use ECS service auto scaling to gradually increase the number of tasks.
Why it's wrong here
Auto scaling does not shift traffic between versions.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates confuse 'canary deployment' (traffic shifting) with 'auto scaling' (task count scaling) or think that modifying the task definition or target group alone can achieve gradual traffic routing.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, CodeDeploy for ECS uses an 'original' and 'replacement' task set, each associated with a separate target group. During a canary deployment, CodeDeploy modifies the listener rules in the Application Load Balancer to route a defined percentage of traffic (e.g., 10%) to the replacement target group. After a specified wait time (e.g., 5 minutes), it shifts the remaining 90% automatically. This leverages the ALB's weighted target group routing capability, which is distinct from simple target group configuration.
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: Use CodeDeploy to perform a canary deployment that shifts 10% of traffic initially. — CodeDeploy supports canary deployments for ECS, which allow you to shift a specified percentage of traffic to the new task set initially (e.g., 10%) and then, after a configured interval, shift the remaining traffic. This matches the requirement to test with a small percentage of users before shifting all traffic. Option B directly implements this canary strategy.
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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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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