This DVA-C02 practice question tests your understanding of security. 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 needs to securely store database credentials for a Lambda function. The credentials must be automatically rotated every 90 days. Which AWS service should be used?
AWS Secrets Manager
Secrets Manager is designed for storing secrets and supports automatic rotation.
AWS Systems Manager Parameter Store
Why wrong: Parameter Store does not support automatic rotation of secrets.
Amazon DynamoDB
Why wrong: DynamoDB is a NoSQL database, not a secrets management service.
AWS KMS
Why wrong: KMS manages encryption keys, not secrets.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
AWS Secrets Manager
AWS Secrets Manager is the correct service because it is designed specifically for securely storing, managing, and automatically rotating database credentials and other secrets. It supports built-in rotation with AWS Lambda, allowing you to set a custom rotation interval (e.g., 90 days) without custom infrastructure. Secrets Manager also integrates natively with Amazon RDS, Redshift, and DocumentDB for automatic credential rotation.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
AWS Secrets Manager
Why this is correct
Secrets Manager is designed for storing secrets and supports automatic rotation.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
AWS Systems Manager Parameter Store
Why it's wrong here
Parameter Store does not support automatic rotation of secrets.
Amazon DynamoDB
Why it's wrong here
DynamoDB is a NoSQL database, not a secrets management service.
AWS KMS
Why it's wrong here
KMS manages encryption keys, not secrets.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates often confuse AWS Systems Manager Parameter Store (which can store secrets securely but lacks automatic rotation) with AWS Secrets Manager, leading them to choose Parameter Store when the question explicitly requires automatic rotation.
Detailed technical explanation
Secrets Manager uses a Lambda rotation function that is triggered by a CloudWatch Events rule based on the rotation schedule (e.g., every 90 days). The rotation process creates a new version of the secret, updates the database credentials, and tests the new version before marking it as the current one. Under the hood, Secrets Manager stores secrets encrypted with a KMS key, and each secret can have up to 100 versions, supporting staggered rotation for high availability.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
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
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FAQ
Security — This question tests Security — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: AWS Secrets Manager — AWS Secrets Manager is the correct service because it is designed specifically for securely storing, managing, and automatically rotating database credentials and other secrets. It supports built-in rotation with AWS Lambda, allowing you to set a custom rotation interval (e.g., 90 days) without custom infrastructure. Secrets Manager also integrates natively with Amazon RDS, Redshift, and DocumentDB for automatic credential rotation.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 24, 2026
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.
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