A developer is building a RESTful API using Amazon API Gateway. The API experiences high traffic spikes, and many requests are for the same data (e.g., a product catalog). The developer wants to reduce the load on the backend Lambda functions and improve response times for repeated requests. Which feature should the developer enable?
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Good practice is not just finding the correct option. The wrong answers often show the exact trap the exam wants you to fall into.
Best answer
Enable API Gateway caching and set a TTL.
API Gateway caching stores responses for a specified TTL. Repeated requests for the same resource and parameters are served from the cache, reducing backend load and improving response times.
Distractor review
Use CloudFront with the API Gateway as an origin.
CloudFront can cache responses, but it adds another layer of complexity and cost. API Gateway caching is simpler for a single API, though CloudFront could also work. However, the question asks for API Gateway features.
Distractor review
Enable throttling on the API Gateway usage plan.
Throttling limits request rates to protect the backend but does not cache data. It rejects excess requests, which is not the same as improving response times for repeated requests.
Distractor review
Use a DynamoDB Accelerator (DAX) cluster for the backend database.
DAX caches DynamoDB responses, but it does not directly reduce the load on API Gateway or Lambda. The caching should occur at the API layer.
Common exam trap
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.
Technical deep dive
How to think about this question
This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
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.
- Use explanations to understand the rule behind the answer.
TExam Day Tips
- Underline the problem statement mentally.
- 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.
Related practice questions
Related DVA-C02 practice-question pages
Use these pages to review the topic behind this question. This is how one missed question becomes focused revision.
More questions from this exam
Keep practising from the same exam bank, or move into a focused topic page if this question exposed a weak area.
Question 1
A developer is building a REST API using Amazon API Gateway that will serve static content from an Amazon S3 bucket. The API should cache responses for frequently accessed objects to reduce latency. Which API Gateway feature should the developer enable?
Question 2
A developer is running a web application on multiple Amazon EC2 instances behind an Application Load Balancer (ALB). The application needs to store user session state that must be available across all instances. The session data is small and temporary but must survive individual instance failures. Which AWS service should the developer use to store this session state?
Question 3
A developer has an AWS Lambda function that processes messages from an Amazon SQS standard queue. The function is idempotent and currently has a batch size of 10. The developer wants to increase throughput and increases the batch size to 100. After the change, CloudWatch metrics show a significant increase in throttles and the queue backlog is growing. The function's reserved concurrency is set to 10. What is the most effective action to resolve the throttling and improve throughput?
Question 4
A developer is managing an application running on Amazon EC2 instances behind an Application Load Balancer. Users report that the application becomes unresponsive after several hours, and restarting the instance temporarily fixes the issue. The developer suspects a memory leak but cannot add custom instrumentation. Which AWS service can collect memory utilization metrics and help identify the memory leak with minimal configuration?
Question 5
A developer is building a serverless web application using AWS Lambda and Amazon DynamoDB. The application needs to perform complex aggregations on data stored in DynamoDB. Which AWS service should the developer use to perform these aggregations efficiently without reading all the data into Lambda?
Question 6
A developer has an Amazon S3 bucket containing private user documents. The application must generate a time-limited URL for users to download their own documents without requiring the users to have AWS credentials. Which solution should the developer use?
FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this DVA-C02 question test?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Enable API Gateway caching and set a TTL. — API Gateway provides a caching feature that stores responses for a configurable time-to-live (TTL). When caching is enabled, API Gateway serves responses from the cache for identical requests without hitting the backend, reducing load and improving latency. This is ideal for read-heavy APIs with repeated requests for the same data.
What should I do if I get this DVA-C02 question wrong?
Then try more questions from the same exam bank and focus on understanding why the wrong options are tempting.
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