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. 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 using AWS Elastic Beanstalk to deploy a web application. The environment uses an Application Load Balancer (ALB). The developer wants to perform a blue/green deployment to minimize downtime. Which TWO steps should the developer take? (Choose two.)
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "minimum / minimize"
Why it matters: Asks for the least resource use — fewest addresses, smallest subnet, lowest overhead. Eliminate over-provisioned options even if they would technically work.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Deploy the new version to a separate Elastic Beanstalk environment.
Option C is correct because blue/green deployment requires a separate, isolated environment running the new version. Elastic Beanstalk supports this by allowing you to create a second environment (green) alongside the existing one (blue), ensuring zero overlap and no risk to the live application during deployment.
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.
✗
Terminate the old environment after the new environment is deployed.
Why it's wrong here
Terminating before swapping causes downtime.
✗
Add more EC2 instances to the existing environment.
Why it's wrong here
Adding instances does not swap traffic between versions.
✓
Deploy the new version to a separate Elastic Beanstalk environment.
Why this is correct
This creates the green environment.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "minimum / minimize" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Update the existing environment with the new version.
Why it's wrong here
That is an in-place update, not blue/green.
✓
Swap the CNAME records of the two environments.
Why this is correct
This redirects traffic to the new environment.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "minimum / minimize" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse blue/green deployment with in-place updates (Option D) or scaling (Option B), failing to recognize that a separate environment and a CNAME swap are the defining steps for a true blue/green deployment on Elastic Beanstalk.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Blue/green deployment leverages DNS-level traffic shifting by swapping CNAME records between two Elastic Beanstalk environments. The ALB's DNS name is fixed per environment, so swapping the environment CNAME (e.g., from myapp.elasticbeanstalk.com) effectively redirects traffic to the new environment's ALB. Under the hood, Elastic Beanstalk uses Route 53 alias records or CNAME swaps, and the swap is atomic at the DNS level, though DNS caching may cause a brief transition period. In a real-world scenario, you can validate the green environment with a separate URL before swapping, then roll back by swapping back if issues arise.
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: Deploy the new version to a separate Elastic Beanstalk environment. — Option C is correct because blue/green deployment requires a separate, isolated environment running the new version. Elastic Beanstalk supports this by allowing you to create a second environment (green) alongside the existing one (blue), ensuring zero overlap and no risk to the live application during deployment.
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.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "minimum / minimize". Asks for the least resource use — fewest addresses, smallest subnet, lowest overhead. Eliminate over-provisioned options even if they would technically work.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Question Discussion
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