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 REST API using API Gateway and AWS Lambda. The API must only be accessible by authenticated users who belong to a specific group within an Amazon Cognito user pool. Which API Gateway authorization mechanism should the developer use?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Amazon Cognito User Pool authorizer
The Amazon Cognito User Pool authorizer is the correct choice because it directly integrates with Cognito user pools to validate JWT tokens issued by the pool. This allows the developer to restrict access to only authenticated users who belong to a specific group within the user pool, as group membership is encoded in the JWT claims.
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.
✗
AWS IAM authorization
Why it's wrong here
IAM authorization uses IAM policies to allow or deny access based on IAM roles and policies, not Cognito groups.
✓
Amazon Cognito User Pool authorizer
Why this is correct
A Cognito User Pool authorizer validates the JWT token and can enforce group membership via claim-based conditions, meeting the requirement exactly.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Lambda authorizer
Why it's wrong here
Lambda authorizers allow custom validation logic but are unnecessary when Cognito already provides built-in group support.
✗
API key
Why it's wrong here
API keys identify clients but do not authenticate users or enforce group membership.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse 'authentication' with 'authorization' and choose AWS IAM authorization (Option A) because they think IAM is the standard for AWS access control, but IAM does not natively integrate with Cognito user pool groups for fine-grained API access.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
The Cognito User Pool authorizer works by verifying the JWT token's signature using the public key from the user pool's JWKS endpoint, and it can optionally validate the 'cognito:groups' claim to enforce group-based access. Under the hood, API Gateway caches the authorizer result for a configurable TTL (default 300 seconds) to reduce latency, but this can lead to stale permissions if group membership changes. In a real-world scenario, if a user is removed from a group, the cached authorization may still allow access until the TTL expires, so developers should set a low TTL or use a Lambda authorizer for real-time checks.
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 company's IT admin needs to give a contractor read-only access to production logs without sharing account credentials. Using role-based access control (RBAC) and temporary scoped permissions — not a permanent shared password — is the correct pattern. Questions like this test whether you can apply least-privilege access across cloud identity services.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Security — This question tests Security — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Amazon Cognito User Pool authorizer — The Amazon Cognito User Pool authorizer is the correct choice because it directly integrates with Cognito user pools to validate JWT tokens issued by the pool. This allows the developer to restrict access to only authenticated users who belong to a specific group within the user pool, as group membership is encoded in the JWT claims.
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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Question Discussion
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