- A
Use AWS Systems Manager Parameter Store to store the secret.
Why wrong: Secrets Manager is the recommended service for secrets.
- B
Retrieve the secret inside the handler function every time it is invoked.
Why wrong: Retrieving the secret every time increases latency and cost.
- C
Store the secret in an environment variable.
Why wrong: Environment variables are not secure for secrets.
- D
Retrieve the secret outside the handler function and cache it in a global variable.
Caching outside the handler reduces latency and cost.
Question 342 of 1,616
Lambda Secrets Manager Caching
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 writing an AWS Lambda function that needs to read a secret from AWS Secrets Manager. The function is written in Python. What is the BEST practice for retrieving the secret?
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
✓
Retrieve the secret outside the handler function and cache it in a global variable.
Option D is the best practice because retrieving the secret outside the handler function (at initialization time) and caching it in a global variable avoids making a Secrets Manager API call on every invocation. This reduces latency, cost, and the risk of hitting API rate limits. The cached value persists across warm starts within the same execution environment, aligning with AWS Lambda's lifecycle best practices.
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.
- ✗
Use AWS Systems Manager Parameter Store to store the secret.
Why it's wrong here
Secrets Manager is the recommended service for secrets.
- ✗
Retrieve the secret inside the handler function every time it is invoked.
Why it's wrong here
Retrieving the secret every time increases latency and cost.
- ✗
Store the secret in an environment variable.
Why it's wrong here
Environment variables are not secure for secrets.
- ✓
Retrieve the secret outside the handler function and cache it in a global variable.
Why this is correct
Caching outside the handler reduces latency and cost.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "best" in the question point toward this answer.
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 may think retrieving the secret inside the handler (Option B) is simpler or more reliable, but they overlook the performance and cost implications of repeated API calls, as well as the Lambda execution environment reuse model that makes caching outside the handler both safe and efficient.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, AWS Lambda execution environments are reused for subsequent invocations (warm starts), so a global variable initialized outside the handler persists across calls. The Secrets Manager API uses HTTPS with AWS Signature Version 4 for authentication, and each call incurs a cost and adds ~100-200 ms latency. Caching the secret reduces this overhead and is especially critical for high-throughput applications where Secrets Manager has a default request rate limit of 10,000 requests per second per account per region.
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 startup's cloud architect reviews their monthly bill and notices costs are higher than expected for a long-running batch job. Switching from on-demand instances to Reserved Instances — or using Spot/Preemptible VMs — can reduce compute costs by up to 72 %. Questions like this test whether you understand the tradeoffs between commitment, flexibility, and cost across cloud pricing models.
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: Retrieve the secret outside the handler function and cache it in a global variable. — Option D is the best practice because retrieving the secret outside the handler function (at initialization time) and caching it in a global variable avoids making a Secrets Manager API call on every invocation. This reduces latency, cost, and the risk of hitting API rate limits. The cached value persists across warm starts within the same execution environment, aligning with AWS Lambda's lifecycle best practices.
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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