DVA-C02 Development with AWS Services Practice Question
A developer is deploying a web application using AWS Elastic Beanstalk. The application requires a relational database. The developer wants the database to be automatically created and configured as part of the Elastic Beanstalk environment. Which approach should they use?
⚠ Common exam trap
DVA-C02 often tests the difference between integrated and manually configured resources, and candidates may incorrectly assume that manual creation is required for production or that DynamoDB is a relational database.
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
✓
Configure the Elastic Beanstalk environment to include an RDS database instance.
The correct approach is to configure the Elastic Beanstalk environment to include an RDS database instance. Elastic Beanstalk allows you to provision an RDS database as part of the environment, automatically handling creation, configuration, and connection details. This integrates the database lifecycle with the environment, simplifying management.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Use Amazon DynamoDB as the database and configure it in the Elastic Beanstalk environment.
Why it's wrong here
While Amazon DynamoDB is a highly scalable NoSQL database, it is fundamentally different from a relational database. Web applications are typically designed to interact with a relational database (e.g., MySQL, PostgreSQL) using SQL for structured data and complex querying. Integrating DynamoDB would necessitate significant application code changes to adapt to its NoSQL data model and API, and Elastic Beanstalk does not offer direct, integrated provisioning of DynamoDB instances as it does for RDS.
- ✗
Create an RDS database manually and configure the application to connect to it using environment properties.
Why it's wrong here
Creating an RDS database manually and then configuring the Elastic Beanstalk application to connect to it via environment properties is a technically viable approach. However, this method separates the database's lifecycle management from the Elastic Beanstalk environment. It requires manual provisioning, scaling, backup, and deletion of the RDS instance, which introduces additional operational overhead and is less integrated and automated compared to having Elastic Beanstalk manage the database as part of its environment.
- ✗
Embed a SQLite database file in the application deployment package.
Why it's wrong here
Embedding a SQLite database file within the application deployment package is highly unsuitable for a production web application deployed on Elastic Beanstalk. SQLite is an in-process, file-based database designed for single-user or low-concurrency scenarios. It does not support multiple concurrent writers across different application instances, which is typical for a scalable web application, leading to potential data corruption, consistency issues, and poor performance.
- ✓
Configure the Elastic Beanstalk environment to include an RDS database instance.
Why this is correct
Elastic Beanstalk provides direct, integrated support for provisioning and managing an Amazon RDS database instance as part of the environment. When configured this way, Elastic Beanstalk automatically creates, manages, and injects the necessary database connection details (such as endpoint, username, and password) as environment variables for the application. This significantly simplifies deployment, scaling, and the overall lifecycle management of the database alongside the application.
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Same concept, more angles
1 more way this is tested on DVA-C02
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 is deploying an application using AWS Elastic Beanstalk. The application requires a relational database. Which THREE components are created by Elastic Beanstalk when you add a database to your environment?
medium- ✓ A.A DB subnet group
- ✓ B.An Amazon RDS DB instance
- C.An AWS CloudFormation stack
- D.An Amazon DynamoDB table
- ✓ E.A security group for the database
Why A: When you add a database to an Elastic Beanstalk environment, Elastic Beanstalk provisions an Amazon RDS DB instance (B), which is the actual relational database engine (e.g., MySQL, PostgreSQL) attached to the environment. It also creates a DB subnet group (A) so the RDS instance can be placed in the VPC's subnets across Availability Zones. Additionally, a security group for the database (E) is created to control network access between the EC2 instances and the RDS instance. Option C is not correct because the CloudFormation stack is the underlying mechanism Elastic Beanstalk uses to provision resources, not a component created specifically by adding a database. Option D is not correct because DynamoDB is a NoSQL service and is not provisioned by Elastic Beanstalk when adding a relational database.
JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official Amazon Web Services exam blueprint
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.