- A
Store the AWS access key and secret key in the Lambda environment variables.
Why wrong: Environment variables can be viewed in the console; this is not secure.
- B
Create an IAM role with DynamoDB permissions and attach it to the Lambda function.
Lambda assumes the IAM role to obtain temporary credentials; this is secure and follows least privilege.
- C
Create an IAM user with programmatic access and store the credentials in the Lambda code.
Why wrong: Hardcoding credentials is insecure and not a best practice.
- D
Use the Lambda function's default full admin access provided by AWS.
Why wrong: Lambda functions do not have default admin access; you must assign permissions via IAM roles.
Question 279 of 1,616
Securely Provide DynamoDB Credentials to Lambda with IAM Roles | AWS Developer Associate Explained
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 developer is building a serverless application using AWS Lambda and Amazon DynamoDB. The Lambda function needs to read and write items to a DynamoDB table. What is the BEST way to securely provide the Lambda function with the necessary AWS credentials?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue:
"best"Why it matters: Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.
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
✓
Create an IAM role with DynamoDB permissions and attach it to the Lambda function.
The best practice for granting AWS Lambda functions access to DynamoDB is to create an IAM role with the necessary DynamoDB permissions (e.g., dynamodb:GetItem, dynamodb:PutItem) and attach that role to the Lambda function. This follows the principle of least privilege and leverages AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM) roles, which provide temporary, automatically rotated credentials via the AWS Security Token Service (STS). This approach eliminates the need to manage long-term access keys and ensures secure, auditable access.
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.
- ✗
Store the AWS access key and secret key in the Lambda environment variables.
Why it's wrong here
Environment variables can be viewed in the console; this is not secure.
- ✓
Create an IAM role with DynamoDB permissions and attach it to the Lambda function.
Why this is correct
Lambda assumes the IAM role to obtain temporary credentials; this is secure and follows least privilege.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "best" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Create an IAM user with programmatic access and store the credentials in the Lambda code.
Why it's wrong here
Hardcoding credentials is insecure and not a best practice.
- ✗
Use the Lambda function's default full admin access provided by AWS.
Why it's wrong here
Lambda functions do not have default admin access; you must assign permissions via IAM roles.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates may think environment variables (Option A) are a secure storage mechanism because they are not in the code, but they fail to recognize that long-term access keys are still exposed and violate the IAM roles best practice for serverless applications.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
When you attach an IAM role to a Lambda function, the Lambda service automatically retrieves temporary security credentials from AWS STS and injects them into the function's execution environment via environment variables (AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID, AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY, AWS_SESSION_TOKEN). These credentials are valid for up to 6 hours and are automatically rotated before expiry, eliminating the need for manual key management. In a real-world scenario, if the DynamoDB table uses a customer-managed AWS KMS key for encryption, the IAM role must also include kms:Decrypt and kms:GenerateDataKey permissions to allow the Lambda function to read and write encrypted items.
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 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.
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 |
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 — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Create an IAM role with DynamoDB permissions and attach it to the Lambda function. — The best practice for granting AWS Lambda functions access to DynamoDB is to create an IAM role with the necessary DynamoDB permissions (e.g., dynamodb:GetItem, dynamodb:PutItem) and attach that role to the Lambda function. This follows the principle of least privilege and leverages AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM) roles, which provide temporary, automatically rotated credentials via the AWS Security Token Service (STS). This approach eliminates the need to manage long-term access keys and ensures secure, auditable access.
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.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "best". Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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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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