- A
Increase the interval in the linear traffic shifting to 30 minutes to allow more time for instances to stabilize.
Why wrong: Longer intervals don't fix the crash; the application will still fail on startup.
- B
Configure the deployment to automatically roll back when a failure occurs and ignore the error.
Why wrong: Rolling back avoids the immediate failure but does not prevent future failures.
- C
Switch to a blue/green deployment strategy to minimize the impact on existing instances.
Why wrong: Blue/green still requires the new application to start correctly; the crash would still occur.
- D
Add a script in the AppSpec file's 'Validate Service' lifecycle hook to check the application health and fail the deployment if the application does not start successfully.
This ensures that unhealthy instances are detected early and the deployment is stopped before traffic is shifted.
Quick Answer
The answer is to add a script in the AppSpec file's ValidateService lifecycle hook to check application health and fail the deployment if the application does not start successfully. This is correct because the ValidateService hook runs after the application is installed but before traffic is shifted to the new version, allowing you to catch startup crashes early and prevent the deployment from proceeding with a broken build. On the AWS Certified DevOps Engineer Professional DOP-C02 exam, this tests your understanding of CodeDeploy lifecycle hooks and how to use them for health validation, especially with linear traffic shifting where a 10-minute interval can mask failures until too many instances are unhealthy. A common trap is to increase the interval or switch deployment types, but neither addresses the root cause of a crashing application. Memory tip: ValidateService is your last line of defense before traffic hits—treat it like a pre-flight check that aborts the mission if the engine fails.
DOP-C02 SDLC Automation Practice Question
This DOP-C02 practice question tests your understanding of sdlc automation. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. 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 is using AWS CodeDeploy to deploy a web application to an Auto Scaling group. The deployment fails with the error 'The overall deployment failed because too many individual instances failed deployment, too few healthy instances are available, or some instances in your deployment group are experiencing problems.' The deployment configuration uses a linear traffic shifting with a 10-minute interval. The application logs show that the new version of the application crashes on startup. What is the MOST effective way to handle this situation to ensure successful future deployments?
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
Add a script in the AppSpec file's 'Validate Service' lifecycle hook to check the application health and fail the deployment if the application does not start successfully.
Option B is correct because adding a script to the AppSpec file that validates the application health before allowing traffic shifting can catch startup failures early and prevent deployment failures. Option A is wrong because increasing the interval doesn't fix the root cause. Option C is wrong because rolling back doesn't address the underlying issue. Option D is wrong because a blue/green deployment would still have the same crash issue.
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.
- ✗
Increase the interval in the linear traffic shifting to 30 minutes to allow more time for instances to stabilize.
Why it's wrong here
Longer intervals don't fix the crash; the application will still fail on startup.
- ✗
Configure the deployment to automatically roll back when a failure occurs and ignore the error.
Why it's wrong here
Rolling back avoids the immediate failure but does not prevent future failures.
- ✗
Switch to a blue/green deployment strategy to minimize the impact on existing instances.
Why it's wrong here
Blue/green still requires the new application to start correctly; the crash would still occur.
- ✓
Add a script in the AppSpec file's 'Validate Service' lifecycle hook to check the application health and fail the deployment if the application does not start successfully.
Why this is correct
This ensures that unhealthy instances are detected early and the deployment is stopped before traffic is shifted.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
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.
- Use explanations to understand the rule behind the answer.
TExam Day Tips
- Underline the problem statement mentally.
- 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 DOP-C02 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
- →
SDLC Automation — study guide chapter
Learn the concepts, then practise the questions
- →
SDLC Automation practice questions
Targeted practice on this topic area only
- →
All DOP-C02 questions
1,740 questions across all exam domains
- →
AWS Certified DevOps Engineer Professional DOP-C02 study guide
Full concept coverage aligned to exam objectives
- →
DOP-C02 practice test guide
How to use practice tests most effectively before exam day
Related practice questions
Related DOP-C02 practice-question pages
Use these pages to review the topic behind this question. This is how one missed question becomes focused revision.
Configuration Management and IaC practice questions
Practise DOP-C02 questions linked to Configuration Management and IaC.
Resilient Cloud Solutions practice questions
Practise DOP-C02 questions linked to Resilient Cloud Solutions.
Monitoring and Logging practice questions
Practise DOP-C02 questions linked to Monitoring and Logging.
Incident and Event Response practice questions
Practise DOP-C02 questions linked to Incident and Event Response.
Security and Compliance practice questions
Practise DOP-C02 questions linked to Security and Compliance.
SDLC Automation practice questions
Practise DOP-C02 questions linked to SDLC Automation.
DOP-C02 fundamentals practice questions
Practise DOP-C02 questions linked to DOP-C02 fundamentals.
DOP-C02 scenario practice questions
Practise DOP-C02 questions linked to DOP-C02 scenario.
DOP-C02 troubleshooting practice questions
Practise DOP-C02 questions linked to DOP-C02 troubleshooting.
Practice this exam
Start a free DOP-C02 practice session
Short sessions build daily habit. Longer sessions build exam-day stamina. Try a timed session to simulate real conditions.
FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this DOP-C02 question test?
SDLC Automation — This question tests SDLC Automation — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Add a script in the AppSpec file's 'Validate Service' lifecycle hook to check the application health and fail the deployment if the application does not start successfully. — Option B is correct because adding a script to the AppSpec file that validates the application health before allowing traffic shifting can catch startup failures early and prevent deployment failures. Option A is wrong because increasing the interval doesn't fix the root cause. Option C is wrong because rolling back doesn't address the underlying issue. Option D is wrong because a blue/green deployment would still have the same crash issue.
What should I do if I get this DOP-C02 question wrong?
Identify which DOP-C02 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
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 →
Keep practising
More DOP-C02 practice questions
- A company uses AWS CodePipeline with a multi-branch strategy. A new feature branch triggers a pipeline that runs unit te…
- A development team uses AWS CodeBuild to compile a Java application and run unit tests. The build takes 30 minutes, but…
- A company uses AWS CodePipeline with multiple stages: Source (Amazon S3), Build (AWS CodeBuild), and Deploy (AWS CodeDep…
- A company uses AWS CodeCommit for source control. Developers frequently push large binary files (e.g., compiled JARs) to…
- An organization uses AWS CodePipeline to orchestrate deployments to multiple environments (dev, test, prod). Each enviro…
- A company uses AWS Key Management Service (KMS) to encrypt data at rest in Amazon S3. The security team wants to ensure…
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.
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.