- A
Create an AWS Lambda function to manually update the service.
Why wrong: Manual Lambda updates are not automated and not a best practice.
- B
Create a CloudWatch alarm based on CPU or memory utilization.
Alarms trigger scaling actions when thresholds are breached.
- C
Configure EC2 Auto Scaling group for the cluster.
Why wrong: EC2 Auto Scaling is not used with Fargate; Fargate manages infrastructure.
- D
Use Application Auto Scaling to define a scaling policy.
Application Auto Scaling integrates with ECS to adjust task count based on alarms.
- E
Configure the ECS service to use auto scaling.
Service auto scaling must be enabled to allow automatic adjustments.
Question 1,075 of 1,750
Automated Scaling for ECS Fargate with CloudWatch Alarm
This DOP-C02 practice question tests your understanding of incident and event response. 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 runs a critical application on Amazon ECS with Fargate launch type. The application is experiencing intermittent failures due to resource exhaustion. The DevOps team wants to implement automated responses to scale the service. Which THREE steps should the team take to achieve this? (Choose THREE.)
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
✓
Create a CloudWatch alarm based on CPU or memory utilization.
The correct steps are B, D, and E. Option B: Create a CloudWatch alarm based on CPU or memory utilization to detect resource exhaustion. Option D: Use Application Auto Scaling to define a scaling policy that adjusts the task count. Option E: Configure the ECS service to use auto scaling by specifying minimum and maximum tasks and linking the scaling policy. Option A is incorrect because manually updating the service via Lambda is not an automated response. Option C is incorrect because EC2 Auto Scaling is used for EC2 launch type, not Fargate.
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.
- ✗
Create an AWS Lambda function to manually update the service.
Why it's wrong here
Manual Lambda updates are not automated and not a best practice.
- ✓
Create a CloudWatch alarm based on CPU or memory utilization.
Why this is correct
Alarms trigger scaling actions when thresholds are breached.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Configure EC2 Auto Scaling group for the cluster.
Why it's wrong here
EC2 Auto Scaling is not used with Fargate; Fargate manages infrastructure.
- ✓
Use Application Auto Scaling to define a scaling policy.
Why this is correct
Application Auto Scaling integrates with ECS to adjust task count based on alarms.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✓
Configure the ECS service to use auto scaling.
Why this is correct
Service auto scaling must be enabled to allow automatic adjustments.
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
An e-commerce site experiences heavy traffic on Black Friday and near-zero traffic during off-peak weeks. Rather than provisioning permanent large VMs, the team uses auto-scaling groups that add capacity automatically under load and reduce it overnight. Questions like this test whether you understand elasticity, availability zones, and cloud compute scaling patterns.
Quick reference
Cloud Service Model Comparison
| Model | You Manage | Provider Manages | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| IaaS | OS, runtime, apps, data | Hardware, hypervisor, networking | EC2, Azure VMs, GCP Compute Engine |
| PaaS | Apps and data | OS, runtime, middleware, hardware | Elastic Beanstalk, Azure App Service |
| SaaS | Data and settings only | Everything else | Microsoft 365, Salesforce, Workday |
| FaaS / Serverless | Function code only | Infra, scaling, runtime | Lambda, Azure Functions, Cloud Run |
| CaaS | Containers and apps | Kubernetes, OS, hardware | EKS, AKS, GKE |
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.
- →
Incident and Event Response — study guide chapter
Learn the concepts, then practise the questions
- →
Incident and Event Response practice questions
Targeted practice on this topic area only
- →
All DOP-C02 questions
1,750 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?
Incident and Event Response — This question tests Incident and Event Response — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Create a CloudWatch alarm based on CPU or memory utilization. — The correct steps are B, D, and E. Option B: Create a CloudWatch alarm based on CPU or memory utilization to detect resource exhaustion. Option D: Use Application Auto Scaling to define a scaling policy that adjusts the task count. Option E: Configure the ECS service to use auto scaling by specifying minimum and maximum tasks and linking the scaling policy. Option A is incorrect because manually updating the service via Lambda is not an automated response. Option C is incorrect because EC2 Auto Scaling is used for EC2 launch type, not Fargate.
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…
- A company runs a Stateful application on EC2 that requires sticky sessions. They use an ALB with duration-based stickine…
- An organization uses AWS CodePipeline to orchestrate deployments to multiple environments (dev, test, prod). Each enviro…
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.