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 with Amazon API Gateway and needs to authorize requests based on a custom JSON Web Token (JWT) that includes claims for user roles. Which 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
✓
Lambda authorizer
A Lambda authorizer (formerly known as a custom authorizer) is the correct choice because it allows the developer to validate a custom JWT and extract claims such as user roles directly within the Lambda function. This enables fine-grained authorization logic that can inspect the JWT payload, verify its signature using a custom or third-party key, and return an IAM policy based on the claims, which API Gateway then enforces for the incoming request.
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.
✓
Lambda authorizer
Why this is correct
A Lambda authorizer can validate custom tokens and return an IAM policy based on JWT claims, offering full control over authorization logic.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
IAM authorizer
Why it's wrong here
IAM authorizer uses Signature Version 4 and AWS IAM permissions, not custom JWT tokens; it is designed for AWS-signed requests.
✗
Amazon Cognito user pools authorizer
Why it's wrong here
Cognito user pools can generate JWTs but require the token to be from a Cognito user pool; they do not support custom non-Cognito JWTs.
✗
API Gateway resource policy
Why it's wrong here
Resource policies control access based on IP addresses or AWS accounts, not token-based authorization.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse a Lambda authorizer with a Cognito user pools authorizer, assuming any JWT can be validated by Cognito, but Cognito only accepts tokens it issued, not custom JWTs from other providers.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Lambda authorizers support two token types: TOKEN (for opaque tokens) and REQUEST (for headers, query strings, or stage variables). When validating a custom JWT, the Lambda function must verify the token's signature using the appropriate public key (e.g., from a JWKS endpoint) and can then map claims like 'role' to an IAM policy document with 'Effect': 'Allow' or 'Deny' for specific API Gateway ARNs. A common real-world scenario is a multi-tenant SaaS application where each tenant's JWT includes a 'tenant_id' claim used to restrict access to only their data endpoints.
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: Lambda authorizer — A Lambda authorizer (formerly known as a custom authorizer) is the correct choice because it allows the developer to validate a custom JWT and extract claims such as user roles directly within the Lambda function. This enables fine-grained authorization logic that can inspect the JWT payload, verify its signature using a custom or third-party key, and return an IAM policy based on the claims, which API Gateway then enforces for the incoming request.
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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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.
Question Discussion
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