- A
AWS Secrets Manager
Secrets Manager is designed for storing secrets and supports automatic rotation.
- B
AWS Systems Manager Parameter Store
Why wrong: Parameter Store does not support automatic rotation of secrets.
- C
Amazon DynamoDB
Why wrong: DynamoDB is a NoSQL database, not a secrets management service.
- D
AWS KMS
Why wrong: KMS manages encryption keys, not secrets.
Question 883 of 1,616
Securely Store Database Credentials for Lambda — Automatic Rotation | AWS Developer Associate Explained
This DVA-C02 practice question tests your understanding of security. 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 needs to securely store database credentials for a Lambda function. The credentials must be automatically rotated every 90 days. Which AWS service should be used?
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
✓
AWS Secrets Manager
AWS Secrets Manager is the correct service because it is designed specifically for securely storing, managing, and automatically rotating database credentials and other secrets. It supports built-in rotation with AWS Lambda, allowing you to set a custom rotation interval (e.g., 90 days) without custom infrastructure. Secrets Manager also integrates natively with Amazon RDS, Redshift, and DocumentDB for automatic credential rotation.
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.
- ✓
AWS Secrets Manager
Why this is correct
Secrets Manager is designed for storing secrets and supports automatic rotation.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
AWS Systems Manager Parameter Store
Why it's wrong here
Parameter Store does not support automatic rotation of secrets.
- ✗
Amazon DynamoDB
Why it's wrong here
DynamoDB is a NoSQL database, not a secrets management service.
- ✗
AWS KMS
Why it's wrong here
KMS manages encryption keys, not secrets.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse AWS Systems Manager Parameter Store (which can store secrets securely but lacks automatic rotation) with AWS Secrets Manager, leading them to choose Parameter Store when the question explicitly requires automatic rotation.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Secrets Manager uses a Lambda rotation function that is triggered by a CloudWatch Events rule based on the rotation schedule (e.g., every 90 days). The rotation process creates a new version of the secret, updates the database credentials, and tests the new version before marking it as the current one. Under the hood, Secrets Manager stores secrets encrypted with a KMS key, and each secret can have up to 100 versions, supporting staggered rotation for high availability.
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.
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.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
- →
Security — study guide chapter
Learn the concepts, then practise the questions
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Security practice questions
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this DVA-C02 question test?
Security — This question tests Security — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: AWS Secrets Manager — AWS Secrets Manager is the correct service because it is designed specifically for securely storing, managing, and automatically rotating database credentials and other secrets. It supports built-in rotation with AWS Lambda, allowing you to set a custom rotation interval (e.g., 90 days) without custom infrastructure. Secrets Manager also integrates natively with Amazon RDS, Redshift, and DocumentDB for automatic credential rotation.
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.
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 →
Same concept, more angles
6 more ways this is tested on DVA-C02
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. A developer needs to securely store database credentials for a Lambda function. Which AWS service should be used?
easy- ✓ A.AWS Secrets Manager
- B.AWS CloudHSM
- C.AWS KMS
- D.Amazon DynamoDB
Why A: AWS Secrets Manager is the correct service because it is purpose-built for securely storing, rotating, and managing database credentials and other secrets throughout their lifecycle. It integrates natively with Lambda via the AWS Secrets Manager API, allowing the function to retrieve credentials at runtime without hardcoding them, and supports automatic rotation using built-in or custom Lambda rotation functions. This makes it the ideal choice for securely handling database credentials in a serverless application.
Variation 2. A developer needs to securely store database credentials for a Lambda function. The credentials should be automatically rotated every 30 days. Which AWS service should the developer use?
easy- A.AWS Key Management Service (KMS) to encrypt the credentials.
- B.Store the credentials in an IAM role's trust policy.
- ✓ C.AWS Secrets Manager.
- D.AWS Systems Manager Parameter Store with a SecureString parameter.
Why C: AWS Secrets Manager is the correct choice because it is specifically designed to securely store, manage, and automatically rotate database credentials and other secrets. It supports native rotation of credentials for Amazon RDS, Redshift, and DocumentDB with built-in Lambda rotation functions, and can be configured to rotate on a schedule (e.g., every 30 days) without custom code. The service also integrates directly with Lambda via the AWS SDK to retrieve secrets at runtime, ensuring credentials are never hardcoded.
Variation 3. A developer wants to securely store database credentials for a Lambda function. Which AWS service should be used?
easy- ✓ A.AWS Secrets Manager
- B.AWS Systems Manager Parameter Store
- C.Amazon S3 with server-side encryption
- D.Amazon DynamoDB
Why A: Option A is correct because AWS Secrets Manager is specifically designed for secure storage and automatic rotation of database credentials. Option B (Systems Manager Parameter Store) can store secrets but lacks native automatic rotation capabilities, making it less suitable for this use case. Option C (S3 with server-side encryption) is not a dedicated secrets store and would require additional access control management. Option D (DynamoDB) is a NoSQL database, not a secret management service, and would require custom encryption and rotation logic.
Variation 4. A developer wants to securely store database credentials used by a Lambda function. The credentials should be automatically rotated every 90 days. Which service should be used?
easy- ✓ A.AWS Secrets Manager
- B.AWS Key Management Service (KMS)
- C.AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM)
- D.AWS Systems Manager Parameter Store
Why A: AWS Secrets Manager is the correct choice because it is purpose-built for securely storing, retrieving, and automatically rotating database credentials and other secrets. It supports native rotation with built-in integration for Amazon RDS (MySQL, PostgreSQL, Oracle, SQL Server, MariaDB) and Amazon DocumentDB, allowing you to configure automatic rotation every 90 days without custom code. The service encrypts secrets at rest using AWS KMS and enforces fine-grained access control via IAM policies.
Variation 5. A developer needs to securely store database credentials and retrieve them programmatically from a Lambda function. Which AWS services can be used for this purpose? (Choose TWO.)
easy- ✓ A.AWS Systems Manager Parameter Store (SecureString)
- ✓ B.AWS Secrets Manager
- C.AWS CloudFormation
- D.AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM)
- E.Amazon S3
Why A: Options A and B are correct. AWS Systems Manager Parameter Store (SecureString) and AWS Secrets Manager are both designed to securely store database credentials and other secrets, and allow programmatic retrieval from Lambda functions. AWS CloudFormation (option C) is for infrastructure as code, not for storing secrets. AWS IAM (option D) is for managing permissions, not for storing secrets. Amazon S3 (option E) is for object storage and is not a secure secrets management service.
Variation 6. A developer needs to encrypt secrets such as database passwords used by an application running on EC2. Which AWS service should be used to securely store and rotate these secrets?
medium- A.AWS CloudHSM
- ✓ B.AWS Secrets Manager
- C.AWS KMS
- D.AWS Systems Manager Parameter Store
Why B: AWS Secrets Manager is the correct choice because it is specifically designed to securely store, manage, and automatically rotate secrets such as database passwords, API keys, and other credentials. It integrates natively with AWS services like RDS, Redshift, and DocumentDB to enable automatic rotation of secrets without custom code, and it enforces encryption at rest using AWS KMS. This makes it the ideal service for the use case described, where secrets must be both stored securely and rotated automatically.
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Last reviewed: Jun 24, 2026
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