Quick Answer
The answer is AWS Certificate Manager (ACM). ACM is the correct choice because it is purpose-built to provision, manage, and deploy SSL/TLS certificates for securing data in transit across integrated AWS services like Elastic Load Balancers, CloudFront, and API Gateway, handling the entire certificate lifecycle including automatic renewal. On the AWS Certified Developer Associate DVA-C02 exam, this question tests your understanding of which service specifically manages SSL/TLS certificates versus other security services like AWS KMS (which handles encryption keys) or IAM (which manages access control). A common trap is confusing ACM with AWS KMS or CloudHSM, but remember that ACM is strictly for public and private SSL/TLS certificates used with HTTPS endpoints, not for key management or encryption at rest. Memory tip: think "ACM = All Certificates Managed" for securing traffic in transit.
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 is building a web application that must encrypt data in transit. Which AWS service should be used to manage SSL/TLS certificates?
AWS KMS
Why wrong: KMS manages symmetric and asymmetric keys, not certificates.
AWS Secrets Manager
Why wrong: Secrets Manager manages secrets, not certificates.
AWS CloudHSM
Why wrong: CloudHSM is a hardware security module, not for certificate management.
AWS Certificate Manager (ACM)
ACM provides and manages SSL/TLS certificates.
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 Certificate Manager (ACM)
AWS Certificate Manager (ACM) is the correct service because it is specifically designed to provision, manage, and deploy public and private SSL/TLS certificates for use with AWS services (e.g., Elastic Load Balancers, CloudFront, API Gateway). It handles the full lifecycle of certificates, including renewal, which directly addresses the requirement to encrypt data in transit using HTTPS.
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 KMS
Why it's wrong here
KMS manages symmetric and asymmetric keys, not certificates.
AWS Secrets Manager
Why it's wrong here
Secrets Manager manages secrets, not certificates.
AWS CloudHSM
Why it's wrong here
CloudHSM is a hardware security module, not for certificate management.
AWS Certificate Manager (ACM)
Why this is correct
ACM provides and manages SSL/TLS certificates.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates often confuse AWS KMS (used for encryption keys for data at rest) with SSL/TLS certificate management for data in transit, leading them to select KMS instead of ACM.
Detailed technical explanation
ACM integrates with AWS services via the AWS Certificate Manager Private Certificate Authority (ACM PCA) to issue private certificates, and it automatically renews public certificates using the Automated Certificate Management Environment (ACME) protocol. Under the hood, ACM stores the certificate, its private key, and the certificate chain in a secure, managed service, and when attached to an Application Load Balancer, it terminates TLS at the load balancer, offloading the encryption overhead from the application servers.
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 Certificate Manager (ACM) — AWS Certificate Manager (ACM) is the correct service because it is specifically designed to provision, manage, and deploy public and private SSL/TLS certificates for use with AWS services (e.g., Elastic Load Balancers, CloudFront, API Gateway). It handles the full lifecycle of certificates, including renewal, which directly addresses the requirement to encrypt data in transit using HTTPS.
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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