The correct action is to add a manual approval action to the pipeline before the production deployment stage. This is because AWS CodePipeline natively supports a manual approval step as a stage action, which pauses the pipeline execution and triggers an Amazon SNS notification to designated approvers, who can then approve or reject the deployment via the console, CLI, or API without needing any custom code or external services. On the AWS Certified DevOps Engineer Professional DOP-C02 exam, this concept tests your understanding of CodePipeline’s built-in approval gates as a safe deployment control, often appearing in scenario-based questions where you must distinguish between native features and custom workarounds. A common trap is assuming you need Lambda functions or third-party tools, but the native manual approval action is the simplest and correct choice. Remember the mnemonic: “Pause, Notify, Approve” — CodePipeline does the heavy lifting, so keep it native.
DOP-C02 Configuration Management and IaC Practice Question
This DOP-C02 practice question tests your understanding of configuration management and iac. 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 team uses AWS CodePipeline to orchestrate deployments. They want to integrate a manual approval step before deploying to production. Which action should they take?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Add a manual approval action to the pipeline before the production deployment stage.
Option B is correct because AWS CodePipeline natively supports a manual approval action that can be added as a stage before the production deployment. This action pauses the pipeline and sends a notification (via Amazon SNS) to specified approvers, who can then approve or reject the deployment through the AWS Management Console, CLI, or API. No custom code or external services are required.
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.
✗
Use an AWS Lambda function to send an approval request email and wait for HTTP response.
Why it's wrong here
Lambda cannot pause pipeline execution.
✓
Add a manual approval action to the pipeline before the production deployment stage.
Why this is correct
Manual approval action pauses the pipeline until approval.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Add an Amazon CloudWatch Events rule to pause the pipeline before the production stage.
Why it's wrong here
CloudWatch Events triggers pipelines, not pauses them.
✗
Add an Amazon SNS topic to the pipeline and require subscription confirmation.
Why it's wrong here
SNS does not control pipeline execution.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates may confuse the manual approval action's dependency on SNS with the idea that simply adding an SNS topic to the pipeline creates an approval step, when in fact the approval action must be explicitly added as a stage action.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
The manual approval action in CodePipeline uses a custom SNS topic (or a default one) to send approval requests to specified principals via email or SMS. The pipeline execution remains in a 'waiting' state until the approver calls the `PutApprovalResult` API with either 'approved' or 'rejected'. Under the hood, CodePipeline stores the approval token and validates it against the pipeline execution ID to prevent replay attacks. A real-world scenario is a multi-account deployment where the approval stage is in a shared services account, and the production deployment stage assumes a cross-account IAM role.
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.
TExam Day Tips
→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 exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Configuration Management and IaC — This question tests Configuration Management and IaC — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Add a manual approval action to the pipeline before the production deployment stage. — Option B is correct because AWS CodePipeline natively supports a manual approval action that can be added as a stage before the production deployment. This action pauses the pipeline and sends a notification (via Amazon SNS) to specified approvers, who can then approve or reject the deployment through the AWS Management Console, CLI, or API. No custom code or external services are required.
What should I do if I get this DOP-C02 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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 →
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.
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.