DVA-C02 Development with AWS Services Practice Question
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 using the AWS Serverless Application Model (SAM) to define a serverless application with an API Gateway endpoint. The developer wants to enable API caching only in the development stage to speed up testing, but disable it in the production stage to ensure data freshness. What is the most efficient way to achieve this with SAM?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Use AWS SAM parameters with a condition to set CacheClusterEnabled based on the stage parameter.
AWS SAM parameters allow you to define a stage parameter (e.g., 'dev' or 'prod') and use a condition to conditionally set the `CacheClusterEnabled` property on the `AWS::Serverless::Api` resource. This is the most efficient approach because it uses a single template and SAM's built-in intrinsic functions (like `Fn::Equals`) to toggle caching based on the deployment stage, avoiding separate templates or post-deployment custom resources.
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 SAM parameters with a condition to set CacheClusterEnabled based on the stage parameter.
Why this is correct
Correct. This allows a single template to behave differently per stage without manual edits.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Deploy two separate SAM templates, one for each stage.
Why it's wrong here
Maintaining multiple templates is inefficient and error-prone compared to a single parameterized template.
✗
Use a custom resource to toggle caching after deployment.
Why it's wrong here
A custom resource adds unnecessary complexity and latency; the built-in SAM parameter support is simpler.
✗
Enable caching globally and configure a usage plan with a quota for production.
Why it's wrong here
Usage plans control throttling and quotas, not caching behavior.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates may think caching must be managed via usage plans or custom resources, overlooking SAM's ability to conditionally set API Gateway stage properties directly through parameters and conditions in a single template.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, SAM transforms the `AWS::Serverless::Api` resource into an `AWS::ApiGateway::Stage` resource, where `CacheClusterEnabled` maps directly to the stage's cache cluster setting. Using a condition like `Condition: IsDev` with `Fn::Equals` on the `Stage` parameter allows SAM to conditionally set `CacheClusterEnabled: true` only when the stage is 'dev', and omit it (or set to `false`) otherwise. This approach leverages CloudFormation's intrinsic functions at deployment time, ensuring no post-deployment API calls are needed.
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.
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: Use AWS SAM parameters with a condition to set CacheClusterEnabled based on the stage parameter. — AWS SAM parameters allow you to define a stage parameter (e.g., 'dev' or 'prod') and use a condition to conditionally set the `CacheClusterEnabled` property on the `AWS::Serverless::Api` resource. This is the most efficient approach because it uses a single template and SAM's built-in intrinsic functions (like `Fn::Equals`) to toggle caching based on the deployment stage, avoiding separate templates or post-deployment custom resources.
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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Question Discussion
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