- A
The certificate was not issued by a trusted certificate authority.
Why wrong: AWS Certificate Manager (ACM) uses Amazon's trusted CA, so the certificate is valid and trusted by browsers.
- B
The custom domain name's DNS record does not point to API Gateway's regional domain name.
The DNS record (e.g., CNAME) must map the custom domain to the API Gateway endpoint. Without the correct DNS mapping, the SSL handshake will fail.
- C
The API Gateway API is not deployed to a stage that is mapped to the custom domain name.
Why wrong: If the stage mapping is missing, the user would get a 404 or 'Missing Authentication Token' error, not an SSL error.
- D
The certificate is in the wrong region relative to the API Gateway regional endpoint.
Why wrong: The developer uploaded the certificate to ACM in the same region as the API Gateway endpoint, which is correct. Region mismatch would cause validation errors during setup.
DVA-C02 Development with AWS Services Practice Question
This DVA-C02 practice question tests your understanding of development with aws services. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. 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 RESTful API using Amazon API Gateway and AWS Lambda. The API needs to support custom domain names with SSL/TLS certificates. The developer has created the custom domain name in API Gateway and uploaded the certificate to AWS Certificate Manager (ACM) in the same region. However, when accessing the custom domain, users get an SSL error. What is the most likely cause?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue:
"most likely"Why it matters: Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
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
The custom domain name's DNS record does not point to API Gateway's regional domain name.
The most likely cause is that the custom domain name's DNS record does not point to API Gateway's regional domain name. When using a custom domain name with API Gateway, you must create a DNS record (typically a CNAME or A record using Route 53 alias) that maps your custom domain to the API Gateway-generated regional domain name (e.g., d-xxxxx.execute-api.region.amazonaws.com). Without this correct DNS mapping, the SSL/TLS handshake fails because the certificate presented by API Gateway does not match the domain name the client is connecting to, resulting in an SSL error.
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.
- ✗
The certificate was not issued by a trusted certificate authority.
Why it's wrong here
AWS Certificate Manager (ACM) uses Amazon's trusted CA, so the certificate is valid and trusted by browsers.
- ✓
The custom domain name's DNS record does not point to API Gateway's regional domain name.
Why this is correct
The DNS record (e.g., CNAME) must map the custom domain to the API Gateway endpoint. Without the correct DNS mapping, the SSL handshake will fail.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "most likely" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
The API Gateway API is not deployed to a stage that is mapped to the custom domain name.
Why it's wrong here
If the stage mapping is missing, the user would get a 404 or 'Missing Authentication Token' error, not an SSL error.
- ✗
The certificate is in the wrong region relative to the API Gateway regional endpoint.
Why it's wrong here
The developer uploaded the certificate to ACM in the same region as the API Gateway endpoint, which is correct. Region mismatch would cause validation errors during setup.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse SSL errors with API configuration issues like missing stage mappings or incorrect certificate authorities, but SSL errors occur at the transport layer due to DNS misconfiguration or certificate domain mismatch, not at the application layer.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
API Gateway custom domain names require a DNS record that resolves to the API Gateway regional domain name (for regional endpoints) or the CloudFront distribution domain name (for edge-optimized endpoints). The SSL/TLS certificate must match the custom domain name exactly, and API Gateway uses Server Name Indication (SNI) to present the correct certificate during the TLS handshake. If the DNS record points elsewhere, the client connects to a different server, causing a hostname mismatch and SSL error.
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.
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Development with AWS Services — study guide chapter
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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: The custom domain name's DNS record does not point to API Gateway's regional domain name. — The most likely cause is that the custom domain name's DNS record does not point to API Gateway's regional domain name. When using a custom domain name with API Gateway, you must create a DNS record (typically a CNAME or A record using Route 53 alias) that maps your custom domain to the API Gateway-generated regional domain name (e.g., d-xxxxx.execute-api.region.amazonaws.com). Without this correct DNS mapping, the SSL/TLS handshake fails because the certificate presented by API Gateway does not match the domain name the client is connecting to, resulting in an SSL error.
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.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "most likely". Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 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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