DVA-C02 Development with AWS Services Practice Question

Answer analysis

Option-by-option breakdown

For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.

• ✗

  Add -Xmx1024m to the buildspec commands

  Why it's wrong here

  Directly adding -Xmx1024m to buildspec commands is generally ineffective for resolving heap space errors in a Java application's build process. While -Xmx sets the maximum heap size for a Java Virtual Machine (JVM), this parameter needs to be passed to the specific `java` command or the build tool's JVM (e.g., via MAVEN_OPTS for Maven or GRADLE_OPTS for Gradle) that is executing the build. Simply placing it as a standalone command or without proper context in buildspec will not automatically apply it to the correct JVM process, thus failing to increase the allocated memory for the build.

• ✗

  Change the build image to a smaller one

  Why it's wrong here

  Changing the build image to a smaller one would exacerbate a heap space error rather than resolve it. While a smaller image might reduce download times and disk footprint, it typically does not increase the available memory for the CodeBuild container. In fact, smaller images are often associated with or used on lower-resource compute types, which inherently provide less CPU and memory. A heap space error indicates a need for *more* memory, making any reduction in available resources counterproductive.

• ✗

  Set the memory parameter in the build project

  Why it's wrong here

  CodeBuild does not offer a standalone, configurable "memory parameter" that can be set independently for a build project. Memory allocation in CodeBuild is intrinsically tied to the chosen compute type. Each compute type (e.g., BUILD_GENERAL1_SMALL, MEDIUM, LARGE) bundles a specific amount of CPU and memory resources. Therefore, attempting to configure memory separately is not possible within the CodeBuild project settings, as it is not an exposed parameter.

• ✓

  Increase the compute type of the build project

  Why this is correct

  Increasing the compute type of the CodeBuild project is the correct solution for a Java application encountering a heap space error. CodeBuild compute types, such as BUILD_GENERAL1_MEDIUM or BUILD_GENERAL1_LARGE, provide progressively more CPU and, crucially, more memory to the build environment. By selecting a higher compute type, the underlying container running the build will have access to a larger pool of RAM, directly addressing the "out of heap space" issue by allowing the Java Virtual Machine to allocate more memory for the build process.