DVA-C02 Development with AWS Services Practice Question
A developer needs to store application configuration settings that may change at runtime and wants to avoid redeploying the application. Which AWS service should be used?
⚠ Common exam trap
DVA-C02 often tests the confusion between Parameter Store (static config/secrets) and AppConfig (dynamic runtime config with safe deployment) — candidates must recognize that 'changes at runtime without redeployment' points to AppConfig.
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
✓
AWS AppConfig
AWS AppConfig is purpose-built for managing application configuration that changes at runtime, supporting feature flags, dynamic configuration, and safe deployments with validation and rollback. It allows applications to fetch configuration via the AppConfig agent or API without redeploying, and integrates with CloudWatch alarms for automatic rollback on errors.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
AWS Systems Manager Parameter Store
Why it's wrong here
While AWS Systems Manager Parameter Store can store configuration values, it primarily serves as a centralized, secure store for application parameters and secrets. It lacks native features for robust configuration management, such as schema validation against a defined configuration profile, controlled deployment strategies like staged rollouts, or automatic rollback mechanisms. This makes it less suitable for dynamic, safe configuration updates requiring advanced lifecycle management.
- ✗
AWS Secrets Manager
Why it's wrong here
AWS Secrets Manager is specifically designed for the secure storage, management, and rotation of sensitive credentials like database passwords, API keys, and OAuth tokens. Although it *could* technically store non-secret configuration, its primary purpose, security model, and cost structure are optimized for secrets lifecycle management. Using it for general application configuration settings would be an inappropriate and overly complex solution, misaligning with its intended use case.
- ✗
Amazon DynamoDB
Why it's wrong here
Amazon DynamoDB is a highly scalable, fully managed NoSQL database service optimized for high-performance applications requiring low-latency data access. While it can store any type of data, including configuration, using it for simple application settings is significant overkill, incurring unnecessary cost and operational complexity. Crucially, DynamoDB lacks built-in features for configuration validation, versioning, or controlled deployment strategies, which are essential for robust dynamic configuration updates.
- ✓
AWS AppConfig
Why this is correct
AWS AppConfig is purpose-built for managing and deploying application configurations dynamically and safely across various environments. It provides robust features such as configuration validation against a schema, staged rollouts (e.g., linear, canary deployments) to gradually expose changes, and automatic rollback capabilities if errors are detected. This ensures that configuration changes are applied reliably without requiring code deployments or service restarts, minimizing impact on end-users and maintaining application stability.
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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.