- A
Use CloudWatch Contributor Insights to analyze the log data and identify the top contributors to latency.
Why wrong: Contributor Insights identifies top contributors but does not trace individual requests.
- B
Use AWS CloudTrail to log all API calls and correlate them with CloudWatch Logs.
Why wrong: CloudTrail logs API calls, not application-level request tracing.
- C
Create a CloudWatch ServiceLens service map to visualize the application components.
Why wrong: ServiceLens uses X-Ray data; it does not provide tracing by itself.
- D
Enable AWS X-Ray on the Lambda functions and API Gateway to trace requests end-to-end.
X-Ray provides distributed tracing to follow requests through services.
Question 1,581 of 1,750
AWS X-Ray for Serverless Tracing
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 runs a serverless application using AWS Lambda and Amazon API Gateway. The application processes user uploads to an S3 bucket. The operations team uses CloudWatch Logs for monitoring, but they are finding it difficult to correlate logs across multiple Lambda functions that handle different parts of the workflow. The team wants to trace requests as they flow through the application and identify bottlenecks or errors. The team has already enabled CloudWatch Logs for all Lambda functions. What should the team do to achieve end-to-end request tracing?
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
✓
Enable AWS X-Ray on the Lambda functions and API Gateway to trace requests end-to-end.
Option D is correct because AWS X-Ray provides end-to-end tracing and integrates with Lambda and API Gateway, enabling request tracing across the entire workflow. Option A is wrong because CloudWatch Contributor Insights analyzes top contributors to latency but does not trace requests across services. Option B is wrong because CloudWatch ServiceLens provides service maps but relies on X-Ray for actual tracing; without X-Ray, ServiceLens cannot trace requests. Option C is wrong because CloudTrail logs API calls, not application-level tracing, and cannot correlate requests across Lambda functions.
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 CloudWatch Contributor Insights to analyze the log data and identify the top contributors to latency.
Why it's wrong here
Contributor Insights identifies top contributors but does not trace individual requests.
- ✗
Use AWS CloudTrail to log all API calls and correlate them with CloudWatch Logs.
Why it's wrong here
CloudTrail logs API calls, not application-level request tracing.
- ✗
Create a CloudWatch ServiceLens service map to visualize the application components.
Why it's wrong here
ServiceLens uses X-Ray data; it does not provide tracing by itself.
- ✓
Enable AWS X-Ray on the Lambda functions and API Gateway to trace requests end-to-end.
Why this is correct
X-Ray provides distributed tracing to follow requests through services.
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
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.
Quick reference
AWS S3 Storage Class Comparison
| Storage Class | Min Duration | Retrieval | Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|
| S3 Standard | None | Immediate | Frequently accessed data |
| S3 Standard-IA | 30 days | Immediate | Infrequent access, rapid retrieval |
| S3 One Zone-IA | 30 days | Immediate | Non-critical infrequent data |
| S3 Intelligent-Tiering | None | Immediate–hours | Unknown or changing access patterns |
| S3 Glacier Instant | 90 days | Milliseconds | Archive with instant retrieval |
| S3 Glacier Flexible | 90 days | Minutes–hours | Archive, flexible retrieval |
| S3 Glacier Deep Archive | 180 days | Hours | Long-term compliance archive |
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.
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Monitoring and Logging — study guide chapter
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this DOP-C02 question test?
Monitoring and Logging — This question tests Monitoring and Logging — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Enable AWS X-Ray on the Lambda functions and API Gateway to trace requests end-to-end. — Option D is correct because AWS X-Ray provides end-to-end tracing and integrates with Lambda and API Gateway, enabling request tracing across the entire workflow. Option A is wrong because CloudWatch Contributor Insights analyzes top contributors to latency but does not trace requests across services. Option B is wrong because CloudWatch ServiceLens provides service maps but relies on X-Ray for actual tracing; without X-Ray, ServiceLens cannot trace requests. Option C is wrong because CloudTrail logs API calls, not application-level tracing, and cannot correlate requests across Lambda functions.
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 →
Same concept, more angles
1 more ways this is tested on DOP-C02
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. A company runs a serverless application using AWS Lambda, Amazon API Gateway, and Amazon DynamoDB. The application is used by thousands of users. Recently, the operations team noticed an increase in 5xx errors from API Gateway. The team has enabled CloudWatch Logs for the Lambda functions and API Gateway. They see the errors are sporadic and not correlated with high traffic. The Lambda function's error count in CloudWatch is also increasing. The team wants to identify the specific requests that are failing and understand the error details. Which solution should the team implement?
medium- A.Use CloudWatch Logs Insights to query the Lambda logs for ERROR messages and correlate with API Gateway logs
- B.Enable VPC Flow Logs for the Lambda function's VPC to capture network traffic
- ✓ C.Enable AWS X-Ray active tracing on the Lambda functions and API Gateway to capture detailed request traces and error details
- D.Enable AWS CloudTrail to log API Gateway API calls and analyze the logs
Why C: Option C is correct because AWS X-Ray provides end-to-end tracing for requests through API Gateway and Lambda, capturing error details and metadata for individual requests. This allows the team to identify specific failing requests and understand error causes. Option A is wrong because CloudWatch Logs Insights can query logs, but it lacks automated tracing and correlation for distributed requests, making it less efficient. Option B is wrong because VPC Flow Logs capture network traffic metadata, not application-level errors. Option D is wrong because CloudTrail logs API calls at the AWS account level, not application request details.
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Last reviewed: Jun 20, 2026
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