- A
VPC Flow Logs
Why wrong: Captures network traffic, not application traces.
- B
Amazon CloudWatch Logs
Why wrong: Logs alone do not trace requests across services.
- C
AWS X-Ray
Designed for tracing and analyzing distributed applications.
- D
Amazon CloudWatch Metrics
Why wrong: Metrics are aggregated and do not trace individual requests.
Question 180 of 1,616
Distributed Tracing for ECS Microservices with X-Ray
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. 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 company runs a microservices architecture on Amazon ECS with Fargate. The application experiences intermittent high latency. The operations team wants to trace requests across services and identify bottlenecks. Which AWS service should be used?
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
✓
AWS X-Ray
AWS X-Ray is the correct service because it provides end-to-end tracing of requests as they travel through microservices, capturing latency at each hop. It generates a service map that visualizes the flow and pinpoints bottlenecks, which is exactly what the operations team needs for a distributed application on ECS Fargate.
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.
- ✗
VPC Flow Logs
Why it's wrong here
Captures network traffic, not application traces.
- ✗
Amazon CloudWatch Logs
Why it's wrong here
Logs alone do not trace requests across services.
- ✓
AWS X-Ray
Why this is correct
Designed for tracing and analyzing distributed applications.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Amazon CloudWatch Metrics
Why it's wrong here
Metrics are aggregated and do not trace individual requests.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates confuse CloudWatch Logs (which shows logs) or Metrics (which shows aggregates) with the distributed tracing capability that X-Ray uniquely provides for microservices architectures.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
AWS X-Ray works by instrumenting your application with the X-Ray SDK, which sends trace data (segments and subsegments) to the X-Ray daemon or directly to the API. It uses a trace ID to correlate all segments across services, enabling reconstruction of the full request path. In a real-world scenario, if a downstream service like a database or an external API is slow, X-Ray will show the exact duration of that subsegment, allowing you to isolate the bottleneck even if the overall response time is acceptable.
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 healthcare organisation deploys an application with a public-facing web tier and a private database tier. The database subnet has no public IP and only accepts connections from the web tier's security group. Questions like this test whether you can design cloud network isolation using VNets/VPCs, subnets, and security group rules.
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.
- →
Development with AWS Services — study guide chapter
Learn the concepts, then practise the questions
- →
Development with AWS Services practice questions
Targeted practice on this topic area only
- →
All DVA-C02 questions
1,616 questions across all exam domains
- →
AWS Certified Developer Associate DVA-C02 study guide
Full concept coverage aligned to exam objectives
- →
DVA-C02 practice test guide
How to use practice tests most effectively before exam day
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.
Development with AWS Services practice questions
Practise DVA-C02 questions linked to Development with AWS Services.
Security practice questions
Practise DVA-C02 questions linked to Security.
Deployment practice questions
Practise DVA-C02 questions linked to Deployment.
Troubleshooting and Optimization practice questions
Practise DVA-C02 questions linked to Troubleshooting and Optimization.
DVA-C02 fundamentals practice questions
Practise DVA-C02 questions linked to DVA-C02 fundamentals.
DVA-C02 scenario practice questions
Practise DVA-C02 questions linked to DVA-C02 scenario.
DVA-C02 troubleshooting practice questions
Practise DVA-C02 questions linked to DVA-C02 troubleshooting.
Practice this exam
Start a free DVA-C02 practice session
Short sessions build daily habit. Longer sessions build exam-day stamina. Try a timed session to simulate real conditions.
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: AWS X-Ray — AWS X-Ray is the correct service because it provides end-to-end tracing of requests as they travel through microservices, capturing latency at each hop. It generates a service map that visualizes the flow and pinpoints bottlenecks, which is exactly what the operations team needs for a distributed application on ECS Fargate.
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.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
Keep practising
More DVA-C02 practice questions
- A developer is troubleshooting an AWS Lambda function that is triggered by an S3 event. The function occasionally fails…
- A developer needs to call AWS APIs from application code running on EC2. Which credential source should the AWS SDK use…
- A developer needs to allow an IAM user in a different AWS account to assume a role in the developer's account. The role…
- A developer needs to grant an IAM role in Account B read-only access to objects in an S3 bucket in Account A. The bucket…
- An API Gateway HTTP API should allow access only to users authenticated by an external OIDC provider. Which authorizer t…
- A developer needs to allow an EC2 instance to read from a DynamoDB table. Which is the best practice to grant permission…
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.
Question Discussion
Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.
Sign in to join the discussion.