Quick Answer
The answer is Amazon CloudWatch alarm. This is the correct choice because CloudWatch alarms are specifically designed to monitor metrics like EC2 CPU utilization and trigger actions—such as sending an SNS notification—when a defined threshold, such as exceeding 90% for 10 consecutive minutes, is breached. On the AWS Certified DevOps Engineer Professional DOP-C02 exam, this question tests your understanding of monitoring and event-driven automation, a core DevOps responsibility. A common trap is confusing CloudWatch alarms with services like Amazon Inspector (security scanning), AWS Config (configuration compliance), or CloudTrail (API auditing), which serve entirely different purposes. Remember that any time you need to react to a metric crossing a threshold, think CloudWatch alarm. A useful memory tip: “Alarms alert on metrics; everything else audits or inspects.”
This DOP-C02 practice question tests your understanding of monitoring and logging. 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 wants to receive notifications when an EC2 instance's CPU utilization exceeds 90% for 10 consecutive minutes. Which AWS service should be used?
Amazon CloudWatch alarm
CloudWatch alarms can trigger SNS notifications on metric thresholds.
AWS Config rule
Why wrong: Config rules check resource configurations, not metric thresholds.
AWS CloudTrail event
Why wrong: CloudTrail records API calls, not metrics.
Amazon Inspector
Why wrong: Inspector is for vulnerability assessments, not metric monitoring.
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 alarm
CloudWatch alarms monitor metrics and trigger actions like SNS notifications. Option A is correct. Option B is incorrect because Amazon Inspector is for security. Option C is incorrect because AWS Config tracks configuration changes. Option D is incorrect because CloudTrail records API activity.
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 CloudWatch alarm
Why this is correct
CloudWatch alarms can trigger SNS notifications on metric thresholds.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
AWS Config rule
Why it's wrong here
Config rules check resource configurations, not metric thresholds.
AWS CloudTrail event
Why it's wrong here
CloudTrail records API calls, not metrics.
Amazon Inspector
Why it's wrong here
Inspector is for vulnerability assessments, not metric monitoring.
Common exam traps
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
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.
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
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.
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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 alarm — CloudWatch alarms monitor metrics and trigger actions like SNS notifications. Option A is correct. Option B is incorrect because Amazon Inspector is for security. Option C is incorrect because AWS Config tracks configuration changes. Option D is incorrect because CloudTrail records API activity.
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.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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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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