- A
Store IAM user access keys in the Lambda function's environment variables.
Why wrong: Storing access keys in environment variables is insecure and not recommended.
- B
Use a resource-based policy on the DynamoDB table to allow the Lambda function's ARN.
Why wrong: Resource-based policies are used for cross-account access, not for Lambda's own permissions.
- C
Create an IAM role with a policy that grants DynamoDB access and attach it to the Lambda function.
Using an IAM role is the secure way to grant permissions to Lambda functions.
- D
Hardcode the DynamoDB credentials in the Lambda function code.
Why wrong: Hardcoding credentials is insecure and against best practices.
Question 821 of 1,616
Granting Lambda Function Access to DynamoDB
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 is building a serverless application using AWS Lambda to process user uploads to Amazon S3. The Lambda function needs to access a DynamoDB table to store metadata. What is the MOST secure way to grant the Lambda function access to DynamoDB?
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 a policy that grants DynamoDB access and attach it to the Lambda function.
Option C is correct because AWS Lambda uses an IAM role (execution role) to obtain temporary credentials via the AWS Security Token Service (STS). Attaching a policy that grants DynamoDB access to this role follows the principle of least privilege and avoids long-term credentials. This is the standard, secure pattern for granting Lambda functions access to other AWS services.
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 IAM user access keys in the Lambda function's environment variables.
Why it's wrong here
Storing access keys in environment variables is insecure and not recommended.
- ✗
Use a resource-based policy on the DynamoDB table to allow the Lambda function's ARN.
Why it's wrong here
Resource-based policies are used for cross-account access, not for Lambda's own permissions.
- ✓
Create an IAM role with a policy that grants DynamoDB access and attach it to the Lambda function.
Why this is correct
Using an IAM role is the secure way to grant permissions to Lambda functions.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Hardcode the DynamoDB credentials in the Lambda function code.
Why it's wrong here
Hardcoding credentials is insecure and against best practices.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates confuse resource-based policies (which work for services like S3 and SQS) with the need for an execution role for Lambda, leading them to incorrectly select Option B, even though DynamoDB does not support resource-based policies for granting access to Lambda functions.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, when a Lambda function is invoked, the Lambda service calls sts:AssumeRole on the execution role to obtain temporary security credentials that are injected into the function's runtime environment via environment variables (AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID, AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY, AWS_SESSION_TOKEN). These credentials are automatically rotated by AWS and are valid for the duration of the invocation. In a real-world scenario, if the DynamoDB table is in a different account, you would combine the execution role with a resource-based policy on the table, but for same-account access, the execution role alone is sufficient.
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 media company stores terabytes of video archives that are accessed once a year for audit purposes. Moving these objects to a cold storage tier (Azure Archive, S3 Glacier, or Google Nearline) costs a fraction of hot storage. Questions like this test whether you understand storage tiers, access frequency tradeoffs, and retrieval latency requirements.
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 — 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 a policy that grants DynamoDB access and attach it to the Lambda function. — Option C is correct because AWS Lambda uses an IAM role (execution role) to obtain temporary credentials via the AWS Security Token Service (STS). Attaching a policy that grants DynamoDB access to this role follows the principle of least privilege and avoids long-term credentials. This is the standard, secure pattern for granting Lambda functions access to other AWS services.
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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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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