The correct answer is DeploymentPreference with Type: Canary5Percent15Minutes. This SAM resource attribute directly implements the required canary deployment for API Gateway by shifting 5% of traffic to the new version immediately, then automatically routing the remaining 95% after exactly 15 minutes. AWS SAM’s built-in DeploymentPreference feature works in conjunction with AutoPublishAlias to manage traffic shifting for Lambda function versions behind an API Gateway stage, eliminating the need for manual CodeDeploy configuration. On the AWS Certified Developer Associate DVA-C02 exam, this question tests your understanding of SAM’s deployment strategies and how they map to CodeDeploy’s predefined canary and linear traffic-shifting patterns. A common trap is confusing Canary5Percent15Minutes with Linear5PercentEvery3Minutes, which shifts traffic incrementally rather than in two distinct steps. Memory tip: think “5 now, rest in 15”—the number after “Canary” is the initial traffic percentage, and the number after “Percent” is the wait time in minutes before the full shift completes.
DVA-C02 Deployment Practice Question
This DVA-C02 practice question tests your understanding of deployment. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. 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 deploys a serverless application using AWS SAM. The application includes an Amazon API Gateway HTTP API and several AWS Lambda functions. The developer wants to implement a canary deployment for the API Gateway stage: 5% of traffic should be immediately shifted to the new version, and after 15 minutes, the remaining 95% should be shifted. Which SAM resource attribute should the developer configure?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "immediately / without restart"
Why it matters: Time or reboot constraint — the correct answer must take effect right away without requiring a reboot or reload.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
DeploymentPreference with Type: Canary5Percent15Minutes
Option B is correct because AWS SAM's DeploymentPreference attribute with Type: Canary5Percent15Minutes shifts 5% of traffic to the new version immediately, then automatically shifts the remaining 95% after 15 minutes, exactly matching the requirement. This is a built-in canary deployment strategy for API Gateway stages when using SAM's AutoPublishAlias and DeploymentPreference features.
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.
✗
DeploymentPreference with Type: Canary10Percent30Minutes
Why it's wrong here
This would shift 10% initially and wait 30 minutes, not the required 5% and 15 minutes.
✓
DeploymentPreference with Type: Canary5Percent15Minutes
Why this is correct
This exactly matches: 5% traffic shifted immediately, remaining 95% after 15 minutes.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "immediately / without restart" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
DeploymentPreference with Type: Linear10PercentEvery10Minutes
Why it's wrong here
This shifts traffic linearly in 10% increments every 10 minutes, not the canary pattern with a single final shift.
✗
DeploymentPreference with Type: AllAtOnce
Why it's wrong here
AllAtOnce shifts 100% of traffic at once, which is not a canary deployment and would not meet the canary requirement.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse the percentage and time values in the canary types (e.g., picking Canary10Percent30Minutes) because they misread the requirement as a 10% canary or a 30-minute wait, rather than carefully matching the exact 5% and 15-minute values specified.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, SAM uses AWS CodeDeploy to manage the canary deployment by creating a second API Gateway stage (e.g., 'Prod' and 'Prod-old') and gradually shifting traffic using the stage's weighted alias. The canary strategy leverages CodeDeploy's built-in traffic shifting configurations, which are defined as part of the SAM template's DeploymentPreference object. This approach ensures zero-downtime deployments and automatic rollback if CloudWatch alarms are configured.
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: DeploymentPreference with Type: Canary5Percent15Minutes — Option B is correct because AWS SAM's DeploymentPreference attribute with Type: Canary5Percent15Minutes shifts 5% of traffic to the new version immediately, then automatically shifts the remaining 95% after 15 minutes, exactly matching the requirement. This is a built-in canary deployment strategy for API Gateway stages when using SAM's AutoPublishAlias and DeploymentPreference features.
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: "immediately / without restart". Time or reboot constraint — the correct answer must take effect right away without requiring a reboot or reload.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.
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
Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.
Sign in to join the discussion.