The answer is immutable deployment. This policy is correct because it launches a completely new Auto Scaling group with the new application version in a separate environment, runs health checks to fully test the new instances before any traffic is routed, and then performs an atomic swap of the environment's instances, guaranteeing zero downtime. On the AWS Certified Developer Associate DVA-C02 exam, this question tests your understanding of deployment policies in the context of Elastic Beanstalk immutable deployment, where the key differentiator is the creation of a fresh, isolated fleet for validation. A common trap is confusing immutable with rolling or rolling with additional batch, which update existing instances and cannot provide full pre-traffic testing. Remember the memory tip: “Immutable means a new fleet, fully tested before it meets the street.”
DVA-C02 Deployment Practice Question
This DVA-C02 practice question tests your understanding of deployment. 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 developer is deploying a new version of a web application on AWS Elastic Beanstalk. The application currently runs in a single environment with an Auto Scaling group. The developer wants to ensure zero downtime during the deployment and that the new version can be fully tested before receiving any traffic. Which Elastic Beanstalk deployment policy should the developer use?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Immutable
Immutable deployment is the correct choice because it launches a completely new Auto Scaling group with the new application version, fully tests it before shifting any traffic, and then swaps the environment's instances in a single atomic action, ensuring zero downtime. This policy meets the requirement for full testing of the new version before it receives traffic, as traffic is only routed to the new instances after they pass health checks.
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.
✗
All at once
Why it's wrong here
This deployment replaces all instances at the same time, causing downtime.
✗
Rolling
Why it's wrong here
This updates instances in batches and requires a health check gap, potentially causing brief downtime and mixing old and new versions.
✗
Rolling with additional batch
Why it's wrong here
This adds a new batch before swapping but does not fully isolate the new version for testing before receiving traffic.
✓
Immutable
Why this is correct
This creates a completely new Auto Scaling group with the new version, allowing full testing, and then swaps CNAME, achieving zero downtime.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse 'Rolling with additional batch' with immutable deployments, mistakenly thinking the extra batch allows full testing, but in reality, the new version still receives traffic incrementally during the rolling update.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, immutable deployments create a separate Auto Scaling group with the new instances, and Elastic Beanstalk uses an Amazon Route 53 DNS update or an Elastic Load Balancing target group swap to shift traffic atomically after health checks pass. This approach minimizes risk because if the new instances fail health checks, the old environment remains untouched, allowing immediate rollback by simply terminating the new group. In real-world scenarios, this is critical for applications with strict compliance or long-running initialization scripts that must complete before handling user requests.
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 cloud solutions architect for a retail company is evaluating services for a new workload. The correct answer here reflects best practice for the specific scenario described — not a general cloud recommendation. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Cloud exam questions reward reading the constraint carefully: the same technology can be right or wrong depending on the use case.
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.
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: Immutable — Immutable deployment is the correct choice because it launches a completely new Auto Scaling group with the new application version, fully tests it before shifting any traffic, and then swaps the environment's instances in a single atomic action, ensuring zero downtime. This policy meets the requirement for full testing of the new version before it receives traffic, as traffic is only routed to the new instances after they pass health checks.
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.
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Question Discussion
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