The answer is to verify the task execution IAM role has permissions to pull the container image from ECR, check ECS service events for direct error messages, and validate the task definition for correct container configuration. These three steps are correct because when an ECS task fails to start, the root cause typically lies in missing IAM permissions for image pull, misconfigured container definitions, or specific error details logged in the service events—each of which directly addresses the intermittent deployment failure. On the AWS Certified Developer Associate DVA-C02 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of ECS with Fargate and Blue/Green deployments, where a common trap is to look at CodeBuild logs or CloudFormation events, which are irrelevant to the deploy stage. Remember the memory tip: “Role, Events, Definition” to recall the three troubleshooting pillars—permissions, logs, and configuration.
DVA-C02 Deployment Practice Question
This DVA-C02 practice question tests your understanding of deployment. 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 company uses AWS CodePipeline to automate deployments of a microservices application to Amazon ECS with Fargate. The pipeline has a deploy stage that uses Amazon ECS Blue/Green deployment. The deployment fails intermittently with a 'Task failed to start' error. The developer needs to troubleshoot the issue. Which THREE steps should the developer take? (Choose three.)
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Check the Amazon ECS service events for the task failure reason.
Options A, C, and E are correct because checking ECS service events (A) gives direct error messages, validating the task definition (C) ensures container configuration is correct, and verifying the IAM role (E) addresses permission issues. Option B is wrong because CodeBuild logs are for build, not deploy. Option D is wrong because CloudFormation events are not relevant for ECS deployments.
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.
✗
Review the CodeBuild build logs for errors.
Why it's wrong here
Build logs are for the build stage, not deploy.
✓
Check the Amazon ECS service events for the task failure reason.
Why this is correct
ECS service events provide detailed failure reasons.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✓
Validate that the task definition JSON is correctly formatted and references the correct container images.
Why this is correct
Incorrect task definition can cause task failures.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Check the CloudFormation stack events for the ECS service.
Why it's wrong here
ECS service is not managed by CloudFormation in this scenario.
✓
Verify that the task execution IAM role has permissions to pull the container image from ECR.
Why this is correct
Missing permissions cause 'Task failed to start'.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
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.
Trap categories for this question
Scenario analysis trap
ECS service is not managed by CloudFormation in this scenario.
Detailed technical explanation
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.
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 DVA-C02 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
Deployment — This question tests Deployment — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Check the Amazon ECS service events for the task failure reason. — Options A, C, and E are correct because checking ECS service events (A) gives direct error messages, validating the task definition (C) ensures container configuration is correct, and verifying the IAM role (E) addresses permission issues. Option B is wrong because CodeBuild logs are for build, not deploy. Option D is wrong because CloudFormation events are not relevant for ECS deployments.
What should I do if I get this DVA-C02 question wrong?
Identify which DVA-C02 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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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
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