DVA-C02 Development with AWS Services Practice Question
A Lambda function must retrieve feature flags at runtime with low latency and controlled rollout. Which AWS service is most appropriate?
⚠ Common exam trap
Test-takers frequently confuse AWS AppConfig with AWS Systems Manager Parameter Store or AWS Secrets Manager, but AppConfig is the only service that combines runtime configuration retrieval with controlled rollout and validation, which is explicitly required for feature flags.
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 the correct choice because it is purpose-built for managing application configuration at runtime, including feature flags, with support for controlled rollouts (e.g., percentage-based deployments, canary releases) and low-latency retrieval via the AppConfig agent or direct API calls. It integrates with AWS Lambda to fetch configuration values on-demand without requiring a full deployment, enabling dynamic feature toggling.
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 CloudFormation Parameters
Why it's wrong here
AWS CloudFormation Parameters are primarily used for defining configuration values at the time of stack deployment or update. They are static once the stack is deployed and require a CloudFormation stack update to change, which is not suitable for dynamic runtime retrieval and modification of feature flags without application redeployment. This approach lacks the agility and control mechanisms needed for managing feature flags in real-time.
- ✗
AWS IAM Access Analyzer
Why it's wrong here
AWS IAM Access Analyzer is a security service designed to help identify resources in your organization and accounts, such as S3 buckets or IAM roles, that are shared with an external entity. Its primary function is to analyze resource policies to identify unintended access, thereby improving security posture. It has no functionality related to storing or retrieving application configuration or feature flags at runtime.
- ✗
Amazon Inspector
Why it's wrong here
Amazon Inspector is an automated security assessment service that helps improve the security and compliance of applications deployed on AWS. It automatically discovers and scans EC2 instances and container images for vulnerabilities and unintended network exposure. This service is focused on security auditing and vulnerability management, offering no mechanism for storing or dynamically retrieving application feature flags at runtime for a Lambda function.
- ✓
AWS AppConfig
Why this is correct
AWS AppConfig is specifically designed for creating, managing, and deploying application configurations, including feature flags, at runtime. It enables developers to quickly and safely deploy configuration changes to applications hosted on EC2 instances, containers, Lambda functions, or on-premises servers. AppConfig provides controlled deployments with validation, monitoring, and automatic rollback capabilities, ensuring that feature flag updates are delivered reliably without requiring code redeployment.
Quick reference
Cloud Service Model Comparison
| Model | You Manage | Provider Manages | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| IaaS | OS, runtime, apps, data | Hardware, hypervisor, networking | EC2, Azure VMs, GCP Compute Engine |
| PaaS | Apps and data | OS, runtime, middleware, hardware | Elastic Beanstalk, Azure App Service |
| SaaS | Data and settings only | Everything else | Microsoft 365, Salesforce, Workday |
| FaaS / Serverless | Function code only | Infra, scaling, runtime | Lambda, Azure Functions, Cloud Run |
| CaaS | Containers and apps | Kubernetes, OS, hardware | EKS, AKS, GKE |
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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.