- A
Amazon S3 with server-side encryption
Why wrong: S3 is not designed for secret storage and rotation.
- B
AWS Key Management Service (KMS)
Why wrong: KMS manages encryption keys, not secrets.
- C
AWS Systems Manager Parameter Store
Why wrong: Parameter Store can store secure strings but does not automatically rotate secrets.
- D
AWS Secrets Manager
Designed for secrets with automatic rotation capability.
Question 942 of 1,616
AWS Secrets Manager — Automatic Secret Rotation
This DVA-C02 practice question tests your understanding of development with aws services. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. 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 store application configuration data, such as database connection strings and third-party API keys, securely. The data must be encrypted at rest and automatically rotated. Which AWS service should the developer use?
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 Secrets Manager
AWS Secrets Manager is the correct choice because it is specifically designed to securely store, encrypt, and automatically rotate secrets such as database connection strings and API keys. It integrates with AWS KMS for encryption at rest and provides built-in rotation capabilities for supported services like Amazon RDS, Redshift, and DocumentDB, meeting the requirement for automatic rotation without custom code.
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.
- ✗
Amazon S3 with server-side encryption
Why it's wrong here
S3 is not designed for secret storage and rotation.
- ✗
AWS Key Management Service (KMS)
Why it's wrong here
KMS manages encryption keys, not secrets.
- ✗
AWS Systems Manager Parameter Store
Why it's wrong here
Parameter Store can store secure strings but does not automatically rotate secrets.
- ✓
AWS Secrets Manager
Why this is correct
Designed for secrets with automatic rotation capability.
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 AWS Systems Manager Parameter Store (which can store secrets with encryption but lacks automatic rotation) with AWS Secrets Manager, overlooking the explicit requirement for automatic rotation in the question.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
AWS Secrets Manager uses envelope encryption with a KMS customer master key (CMK) to encrypt each secret, and it supports automatic rotation by invoking a Lambda function that updates the secret in both the service and the target database or third-party service. The rotation schedule is defined in days (minimum 1 day) and can be configured to rotate on demand. Under the hood, Secrets Manager stores the encrypted secret value in a versioned structure, allowing applications to retrieve the current version while rotation is in progress without downtime.
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 media company stores terabytes of video archives that are accessed once a year for audit purposes. Moving these objects to a cold storage tier (Azure Archive, S3 Glacier, or Google Nearline) costs a fraction of hot storage. Questions like this test whether you understand storage tiers, access frequency tradeoffs, and retrieval latency requirements.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this DVA-C02 question test?
Development with AWS Services — This question tests Development with AWS Services — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: AWS Secrets Manager — AWS Secrets Manager is the correct choice because it is specifically designed to securely store, encrypt, and automatically rotate secrets such as database connection strings and API keys. It integrates with AWS KMS for encryption at rest and provides built-in rotation capabilities for supported services like Amazon RDS, Redshift, and DocumentDB, meeting the requirement for automatic rotation without custom code.
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.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 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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