Quick Answer
The answer is VPC Flow Logs, which are the correct AWS service to capture IP traffic information for investigating a network traffic spike. VPC Flow Logs capture metadata about IP traffic flowing to and from network interfaces, including source and destination IP addresses, ports, protocols, and packet counts, enabling you to pinpoint which source IPs are generating the unexpected load. On the AWS Certified DevOps Engineer Professional DOP-C02 exam, this question tests your ability to distinguish between services that handle network-level data versus operational or configuration logs—a common trap is confusing VPC Flow Logs with CloudTrail, which records API calls, or CloudWatch Logs, which captures application-level output. Remember the memory tip: “Flow for network, Trail for API, Watch for apps, Config for state.”
This DOP-C02 practice question tests your understanding of incident and event response. 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 experiences an unexpected spike in network traffic to a web application hosted on EC2 instances behind an Application Load Balancer. The DevOps team needs to investigate the source IP addresses generating the traffic. Which AWS service should they use to capture the traffic?
Amazon CloudWatch Logs
Why wrong: CloudWatch Logs captures application logs, not network flows.
AWS Config
Why wrong: AWS Config records configuration changes.
AWS CloudTrail
Why wrong: CloudTrail logs API calls, not network traffic.
VPC Flow Logs
VPC Flow Logs capture network traffic information.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
VPC Flow Logs
Option B is correct because VPC Flow Logs capture IP traffic information including source and destination IPs. Option A is wrong because CloudTrail logs API calls, not network traffic; C is wrong because CloudWatch Logs captures application logs; D is wrong because AWS Config records resource configuration changes.
Key principle: NAT direction and interface roles matter as much as the IP address mapping. Inside/outside designation controls which traffic is translated.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
Amazon CloudWatch Logs
Why it's wrong here
CloudWatch Logs captures application logs, not network flows.
AWS Config
Why it's wrong here
AWS Config records configuration changes.
AWS CloudTrail
Why it's wrong here
CloudTrail logs API calls, not network traffic.
VPC Flow Logs
Why this is correct
VPC Flow Logs capture network traffic information.
Related concept
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
Common exam traps
NAT is not only about the public address. The inside/outside interface roles and the ACL or rule that matches traffic are just as important.
Detailed technical explanation
NAT questions usually test address translation, overload/PAT behaviour, static mappings and whether the right traffic is being translated. Read the interface direction and address terms carefully.
Key takeaway
NAT direction and interface roles matter as much as the IP address mapping. Inside/outside designation controls which traffic is translated.
Real-world example
A healthcare organisation deploys an application with a public-facing web tier and a private database tier. The database subnet has no public IP and only accepts connections from the web tier's security group. Questions like this test whether you can design cloud network isolation using VNets/VPCs, subnets, and security group rules.
What to study next
Review the four NAT address types (inside local, inside global, outside local, outside global), PAT port overload, and static vs dynamic NAT use cases. Then practise related DOP-C02 NAT questions on configuration and troubleshooting.
Incident and Event Response — study guide chapter
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FAQ
Incident and Event Response — This question tests Incident and Event Response — Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address..
The correct answer is: VPC Flow Logs — Option B is correct because VPC Flow Logs capture IP traffic information including source and destination IPs. Option A is wrong because CloudTrail logs API calls, not network traffic; C is wrong because CloudWatch Logs captures application logs; D is wrong because AWS Config records resource configuration changes.
Review the four NAT address types (inside local, inside global, outside local, outside global), PAT port overload, and static vs dynamic NAT use cases. Then practise related DOP-C02 NAT questions on configuration and troubleshooting.
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
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Last reviewed: Jun 20, 2026
This DOP-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 DOP-C02 exam.
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