- A
AWS Systems Manager Parameter Store
Parameter Store provides encrypted parameter storage and can be used for configuration; it integrates with Secrets Manager for rotation.
- B
AWS CloudFormation
Why wrong: CloudFormation is for infrastructure provisioning, not runtime configuration access.
- C
Amazon S3
Why wrong: S3 can store configuration files but does not natively support automatic rotation or parameter-style access.
- D
AWS Secrets Manager
Why wrong: Secrets Manager is designed for secrets, not general configuration, and incurs higher cost.
Question 1,407 of 1,616
Store Application Configuration with Parameter Store
This DVA-C02 practice question tests your understanding of development with aws services. 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 developer needs to store application configuration that can be accessed by multiple microservices running on Amazon ECS. The configuration must be encrypted at rest and automatically rotate secrets. 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 Systems Manager Parameter Store
AWS Systems Manager Parameter Store is the correct choice because it provides a hierarchical store for configuration data and secrets, supports encryption at rest using AWS KMS, and can automatically rotate secrets when integrated with AWS Secrets Manager or custom Lambda functions. For microservices on Amazon ECS, Parameter Store offers low-latency access via the AWS SDK or the ECS task IAM role, making it ideal for application configuration that needs to be securely stored and rotated.
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 Systems Manager Parameter Store
Why this is correct
Parameter Store provides encrypted parameter storage and can be used for configuration; it integrates with Secrets Manager for rotation.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
AWS CloudFormation
Why it's wrong here
CloudFormation is for infrastructure provisioning, not runtime configuration access.
- ✗
Amazon S3
Why it's wrong here
S3 can store configuration files but does not natively support automatic rotation or parameter-style access.
- ✗
AWS Secrets Manager
Why it's wrong here
Secrets Manager is designed for secrets, not general configuration, and incurs higher cost.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse AWS Secrets Manager (which is optimized for secrets with built-in rotation) with Systems Manager Parameter Store (which is optimized for configuration data but can also handle secrets with rotation), leading them to choose Secrets Manager even though the question explicitly mentions 'application configuration' rather than just secrets.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
AWS Systems Manager Parameter Store supports two tiers: Standard (up to 10,000 parameters, 4 KB size) and Advanced (up to 100,000 parameters, 8 KB size, with policies for expiration and notification). For automatic rotation, Parameter Store can be configured with a Secrets Manager rotation schedule or a custom AWS Lambda function that updates the parameter value, ensuring secrets like API keys are refreshed without downtime. In a real-world ECS scenario, microservices retrieve configuration via the AWS SDK using the GetParameter API call, which is cached by the SSM Agent for performance, reducing latency to sub-millisecond levels.
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
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: AWS Systems Manager Parameter Store — AWS Systems Manager Parameter Store is the correct choice because it provides a hierarchical store for configuration data and secrets, supports encryption at rest using AWS KMS, and can automatically rotate secrets when integrated with AWS Secrets Manager or custom Lambda functions. For microservices on Amazon ECS, Parameter Store offers low-latency access via the AWS SDK or the ECS task IAM role, making it ideal for application configuration that needs to be securely stored and rotated.
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
1 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 wants to store application configuration data that can be accessed by multiple microservices. The data is sensitive and should be encrypted at rest. Which AWS service should be used to meet these requirements?
easy- A.Amazon S3
- B.AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM)
- C.Amazon DynamoDB
- ✓ D.AWS Systems Manager Parameter Store
Why D: AWS Systems Manager Parameter Store provides a secure, hierarchical store for configuration data and secrets. It supports encryption at rest using AWS KMS, integrates with AWS IAM for fine-grained access control, and is designed for use by multiple microservices via the AWS SDK or CLI. This makes it the ideal choice for storing sensitive application configuration that must be encrypted at rest and accessed by distributed services.
Keep practising
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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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