- A
Amazon CloudWatch Logs
Agent can send logs directly to CloudWatch Logs.
- B
AWS X-Ray
Why wrong: X-Ray is for distributed tracing, not log storage.
- C
Amazon Kinesis Data Firehose
Why wrong: Firehose can ingest logs but requires agent configuration and is not typically used directly.
- D
AWS CloudTrail
Why wrong: CloudTrail records API activity, not application logs.
- E
Amazon S3
Logs can be exported to S3 from CloudWatch Logs or directly via agent.
Question 1,377 of 1,616
Centralized Logging from EC2 Instances
This DVA-C02 practice question tests your understanding of development with aws services. 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. A key principle to apply: amazon CloudWatch Logs. 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 company is using AWS Elastic Beanstalk to deploy a web application. The environment is running behind a load balancer. The developer needs to ensure that the application logs are centralized and retained for analysis. Which TWO services can be used to collect and store logs from the EC2 instances?
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
✓
Amazon CloudWatch Logs
Amazon CloudWatch Logs is correct because it can be installed as an agent on EC2 instances to collect application logs and stream them to a centralized log group for storage, retention, and analysis. Amazon S3 is also correct because logs can be written directly to S3 from EC2 instances using the AWS SDK, CLI, or a custom script, providing durable, cost-effective storage for analysis. Both services meet the requirement for centralized log collection and storage from EC2 instances.
Key principle: Amazon CloudWatch Logs
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Amazon CloudWatch Logs
Why this is correct
Agent can send logs directly to CloudWatch Logs.
Related concept
Amazon CloudWatch Logs
- ✗
AWS X-Ray
Why it's wrong here
X-Ray is for distributed tracing, not log storage.
- ✗
Amazon Kinesis Data Firehose
Why it's wrong here
Firehose can ingest logs but requires agent configuration and is not typically used directly.
- ✗
AWS CloudTrail
Why it's wrong here
CloudTrail records API activity, not application logs.
- ✓
Amazon S3
Why this is correct
Logs can be exported to S3 from CloudWatch Logs or directly via agent.
Related concept
Amazon CloudWatch Logs
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates may mistakenly believe that only CloudWatch Logs can collect logs, but S3 can also serve as a storage destination for logs written directly from EC2 instances. Candidates might also incorrectly think S3 is only for exporting logs from CloudWatch Logs, but it can be a primary log store when applications write logs directly to S3.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, the CloudWatch Logs agent (or newer unified CloudWatch agent) uses a configuration file to specify log file paths, timestamp formats, and multi-line patterns, then streams log events to CloudWatch Logs via the PutLogEvents API with a maximum batch size of 1 MB or 10,000 events. For long-term retention, logs can be exported to Amazon S3 using CloudWatch Logs export tasks, which create compressed .gz files in JSON or plain text format, enabling cost-effective archival. In a real-world scenario, a developer might configure the agent to send application logs to CloudWatch Logs for real-time alerting and then set up a lifecycle policy to automatically export logs older than 30 days to S3 for compliance.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Amazon CloudWatch Logs
- Amazon S3
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
Amazon CloudWatch Logs
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A startup's cloud architect reviews their monthly bill and notices costs are higher than expected for a long-running batch job. Switching from on-demand instances to Reserved Instances — or using Spot/Preemptible VMs — can reduce compute costs by up to 72 %. Questions like this test whether you understand the tradeoffs between commitment, flexibility, and cost across cloud pricing models.
Quick reference
AWS S3 Storage Class Comparison
| Storage Class | Min Duration | Retrieval | Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|
| S3 Standard | None | Immediate | Frequently accessed data |
| S3 Standard-IA | 30 days | Immediate | Infrequent access, rapid retrieval |
| S3 One Zone-IA | 30 days | Immediate | Non-critical infrequent data |
| S3 Intelligent-Tiering | None | Immediate–hours | Unknown or changing access patterns |
| S3 Glacier Instant | 90 days | Milliseconds | Archive with instant retrieval |
| S3 Glacier Flexible | 90 days | Minutes–hours | Archive, flexible retrieval |
| S3 Glacier Deep Archive | 180 days | Hours | Long-term compliance archive |
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
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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 — Amazon CloudWatch Logs.
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Amazon CloudWatch Logs — Amazon CloudWatch Logs is correct because it can be installed as an agent on EC2 instances to collect application logs and stream them to a centralized log group for storage, retention, and analysis. Amazon S3 is also correct because logs can be written directly to S3 from EC2 instances using the AWS SDK, CLI, or a custom script, providing durable, cost-effective storage for analysis. Both services meet the requirement for centralized log collection and storage from EC2 instances.
What should I do if I get this DVA-C02 question wrong?
Review amazon CloudWatch Logs, then practise related DVA-C02 questions on the same topic to reinforce the concept.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Amazon CloudWatch Logs
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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 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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