The answer is AWS CloudTrail and Amazon CloudWatch Events (now Amazon EventBridge) with Amazon SNS. This combination works because CloudTrail records all CloudFormation API calls—such as CreateStack, UpdateStack, and DeleteStack—along with the user identity making each call, while CloudWatch Events can filter for those specific API events and trigger an SNS notification to alert the security team. On the AWS Certified DevOps Engineer Professional DOP-C02 exam, this question tests your understanding of how to correlate operational events with user identity for audit and compliance, a common scenario in enterprise environments. A frequent trap is choosing AWS Config, which evaluates resource compliance rather than tracking API-level changes, or selecting Lambda alone, which cannot capture the caller’s identity without CloudTrail integration. Memory tip: think “CloudTrail catches the call, Events notifies all.”
DOP-C02 Monitoring and Logging Practice Question
This DOP-C02 practice question tests your understanding of monitoring and logging. 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 uses AWS CloudFormation to deploy infrastructure. The security team wants to be notified whenever a stack is created, updated, or deleted. They also want to track who made the change. Which combination of services should be used to achieve this?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
AWS CloudTrail and Amazon CloudWatch Events (now Events) with SNS
Option B is correct because CloudTrail captures CloudFormation API calls (CreateStack, UpdateStack, DeleteStack) and CloudWatch Events can trigger SNS notifications based on those API calls. Option A is wrong because Config rules evaluate resource compliance, not API events. Option C is wrong because S3 event notifications are for S3 objects. Option D is wrong because Lambda alone cannot capture who made the change without CloudTrail integration.
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
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✗
AWS Config rules and Amazon SNS
Why it's wrong here
Config rules evaluate configuration, not API events.
✓
AWS CloudTrail and Amazon CloudWatch Events (now Events) with SNS
Why this is correct
CloudTrail logs API calls, and CloudWatch Events can filter those events and publish to SNS.
Related concept
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
✗
Amazon S3 event notifications and AWS Lambda
Why it's wrong here
S3 events are for S3 objects, not CloudFormation API calls.
✗
AWS Lambda and Amazon DynamoDB
Why it's wrong here
Lambda and DynamoDB do not capture API events or provide identity tracking.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: NAT rules depend on direction and matching traffic
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
How to think about this question
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.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
PAT allows many inside hosts to share one public address using ports.
Inside local and inside global describe the private and translated addresses.
NAT ACLs identify traffic for translation, not always security filtering.
TExam Day Tips
→Identify inside and outside interfaces first.
→Check whether the scenario needs static NAT, dynamic NAT or PAT.
→Do not confuse NAT matching ACLs with normal packet-filtering intent.
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
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.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
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.
Monitoring and Logging — This question tests Monitoring and Logging — Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: AWS CloudTrail and Amazon CloudWatch Events (now Events) with SNS — Option B is correct because CloudTrail captures CloudFormation API calls (CreateStack, UpdateStack, DeleteStack) and CloudWatch Events can trigger SNS notifications based on those API calls. Option A is wrong because Config rules evaluate resource compliance, not API events. Option C is wrong because S3 event notifications are for S3 objects. Option D is wrong because Lambda alone cannot capture who made the change without CloudTrail integration.
What should I do if I get this DOP-C02 question wrong?
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.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
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Question Discussion
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