DVA-C02 Lambda Proxy Integration Practice Question
A developer is building a serverless application using AWS Lambda and Amazon API Gateway. The API must support different HTTP methods (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE) for the same resource path. The developer wants to define the API in a single Lambda function that can handle all methods without additional mapping configuration. Which Lambda integration type should the developer use?
⚠ Common exam trap
It's easy for candidates to confuse Lambda custom integration with Lambda proxy integration, thinking that custom integration provides more control, but they overlook that proxy integration is specifically designed to handle multiple HTTP methods without additional mapping configuration.
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
✓
Lambda proxy integration
Lambda proxy integration (option A) is correct because it allows a single Lambda function to handle all HTTP methods (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE) for the same resource path without additional mapping configuration. In this integration type, API Gateway passes the entire client request (method, headers, query parameters, body) as a JSON event to the Lambda function, and the function must return a response in a specific format that includes status code, headers, and body. This eliminates the need for manual mapping templates or method-specific configurations.
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 proxy integration
Why this is correct
Lambda proxy integration is the correct choice because it forwards the complete client request, including HTTP method, headers, query string parameters, and body, directly to the integrated Lambda function as a single input event. This allows the Lambda function to act as a unified handler, inspecting the 'httpMethod' property within the event object to implement distinct logic for different operations (e.g., GET, POST, PUT, DELETE) on the same resource path. This approach significantly simplifies API Gateway configuration by eliminating the need for separate integration request mappings per method.
- ✗
Lambda custom integration
Why it's wrong here
Lambda custom integration, often referring to a non-proxy integration, is incorrect because it necessitates defining explicit integration request and response mappings for each HTTP method. This directly contradicts the requirement to handle all methods for the same resource path without additional mapping configuration. This option is tempting as it offers fine-grained control over request and response transformations, making it suitable when a Lambda function expects a non-standard payload or when significant response manipulation is required before returning data to the client.
- ✗
AWS service integration
Why it's wrong here
AWS service integration allows API Gateway to directly invoke other AWS services, such as DynamoDB, SQS, or SNS, without an intermediary Lambda function. This integration type maps incoming API requests directly to service-specific API calls, requiring explicit request and response transformations. It is not designed for routing requests to a Lambda function, nor does it provide a mechanism for a single API Gateway resource to dynamically route to a Lambda function based on the HTTP method within the request itself.
- ✗
HTTP integration
Why it's wrong here
HTTP integration is designed to proxy requests from API Gateway to any publicly accessible HTTP endpoint, such as a web server, an EC2 instance running an application, or an Elastic Load Balancer. While it can forward the entire request, its purpose is to integrate with external HTTP backends, not to directly invoke an AWS Lambda function. Invoking a Lambda function requires a specific Lambda integration type within API Gateway, which handles the necessary AWS authentication and invocation protocols.
Quick reference
Cloud Service Model Comparison
| Model | You Manage | Provider Manages | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| IaaS | OS, runtime, apps, data | Hardware, hypervisor, networking | EC2, Azure VMs, GCP Compute Engine |
| PaaS | Apps and data | OS, runtime, middleware, hardware | Elastic Beanstalk, Azure App Service |
| SaaS | Data and settings only | Everything else | Microsoft 365, Salesforce, Workday |
| FaaS / Serverless | Function code only | Infra, scaling, runtime | Lambda, Azure Functions, Cloud Run |
| CaaS | Containers and apps | Kubernetes, OS, hardware | EKS, AKS, GKE |
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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.