Quick Answer
The answer is Amazon CloudWatch Alarms, which is the correct service for monitoring SQS queue depth and triggering alerts. CloudWatch Alarms can track the `ApproximateNumberOfMessagesVisible` metric from the AWS/SQS namespace and evaluate it against a threshold of 1000 over a specified period, such as five minutes, directly satisfying the requirement to alert when queue depth exceeds that limit for that duration. On the AWS Certified DevOps Engineer Professional DOP-C02 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of CloudWatch’s integration with SQS and its ability to set metric-based alarms with evaluation periods, often appearing in questions about operational monitoring or auto-scaling triggers. A common trap is confusing CloudWatch Alarms with CloudWatch Logs or SQS dead-letter queues—remember that alarms are for metric thresholds, not log patterns. Memory tip: think of “SQS depth” as a metric, and CloudWatch Alarms as the watchman that rings the bell when the water (messages) rises too high for too long.
This DOP-C02 practice question tests your understanding of monitoring and logging. 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 company wants to monitor the number of messages in an Amazon SQS queue and send an alert if the queue depth exceeds 1000 for more than 5 minutes. Which AWS service should be used to create the alarm?
Amazon EventBridge
Why wrong: Incorrect: EventBridge is for event-based rules, not metric thresholds.
Amazon CloudWatch Alarms
Correct: CloudWatch Alarms monitor metrics and trigger actions.
AWS X-Ray
Why wrong: Incorrect: X-Ray is for tracing requests.
Amazon CloudWatch Logs
Why wrong: Incorrect: CloudWatch Logs is for log data, not metrics.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Amazon CloudWatch Alarms
Amazon CloudWatch Alarms is the correct service because it can monitor SQS queue metrics (such as ApproximateNumberOfMessagesVisible) and trigger an alarm when the metric exceeds a threshold (e.g., 1000) for a specified evaluation period (e.g., 5 minutes). CloudWatch Alarms directly integrate with SQS via the AWS/SQS namespace and support actions like sending notifications through Amazon SNS.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
Amazon EventBridge
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect: EventBridge is for event-based rules, not metric thresholds.
Amazon CloudWatch Alarms
Why this is correct
Correct: CloudWatch Alarms monitor metrics and trigger actions.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
AWS X-Ray
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect: X-Ray is for tracing requests.
Amazon CloudWatch Logs
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect: CloudWatch Logs is for log data, not metrics.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates may confuse EventBridge's ability to react to SQS metric changes (via CloudWatch metric streams) with the actual alarm evaluation logic, but EventBridge cannot perform threshold-based monitoring over a time window—only CloudWatch Alarms can.
Detailed technical explanation
CloudWatch Alarms evaluate metrics over a specified number of periods (e.g., 5 consecutive 1-minute periods for a 5-minute duration) using a statistic like 'Average' or 'Maximum' of the ApproximateNumberOfMessagesVisible metric. The alarm transitions to ALARM state only when the threshold is breached for the entire evaluation period, preventing false positives from transient spikes. In practice, you can also set an SNS topic as the alarm action to trigger automated scaling or notification workflows.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
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
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Monitoring and Logging — study guide chapter
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FAQ
Monitoring and Logging — This question tests Monitoring and Logging — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: Amazon CloudWatch Alarms — Amazon CloudWatch Alarms is the correct service because it can monitor SQS queue metrics (such as ApproximateNumberOfMessagesVisible) and trigger an alarm when the metric exceeds a threshold (e.g., 1000) for a specified evaluation period (e.g., 5 minutes). CloudWatch Alarms directly integrate with SQS via the AWS/SQS namespace and support actions like sending notifications through Amazon SNS.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 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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