- A
Configure VPC Flow Logs to deliver to a Lambda function in each account, which forwards logs to the central account.
Why wrong: Lambda is not a native destination for VPC Flow Logs; also, this adds complexity and cost.
- B
Deliver logs from the central account's CloudWatch Logs to Amazon Kinesis Data Firehose, which writes to Amazon S3.
Kinesis Data Firehose provides near real-time delivery to S3 at low cost.
- C
Use Amazon OpenSearch Service to index and search the logs in near real time.
Why wrong: OpenSearch is more expensive and adds operational overhead; not required for cost-effective solution.
- D
Use Amazon Athena to query the logs stored in S3 for analysis.
Athena allows serverless SQL queries on S3 data, enabling cost-effective analysis.
- E
Use CloudWatch cross-account subscription to stream logs from source accounts to a central account's CloudWatch Logs.
Cross-account subscription enables real-time log streaming to a central account.
Quick Answer
The answer is to use CloudWatch cross-account subscription, Kinesis Data Firehose, and Athena. This combination works because CloudWatch cross-account subscription streams logs from source accounts into a central account’s log group, then Kinesis Data Firehose buffers and delivers that data to S3 at low cost, while Athena provides serverless querying directly on the S3 objects—enabling near real-time aggregation without expensive infrastructure. On the AWS Certified DevOps Engineer Professional DOP-C02 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of centralized logging across AWS accounts to S3, specifically how to avoid common traps like assuming VPC Flow Logs or Lambda logs can deliver directly to S3 in real time (they cannot) or defaulting to OpenSearch, which is overkill for cost-effective storage. A key memory tip is “Stream, Buffer, Query”: CloudWatch streams, Firehose buffers, Athena queries—never try to skip the buffer step for near real-time needs.
DOP-C02 Monitoring and Logging Practice Question
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 DevOps team is designing a centralized logging solution for multiple AWS accounts. The team needs to collect logs from EC2 instances, Lambda functions, and VPC Flow Logs, and store them in a central account for analysis. The solution must be cost-effective and support near real-time log aggregation. Which THREE steps should the team take? (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
Deliver logs from the central account's CloudWatch Logs to Amazon Kinesis Data Firehose, which writes to Amazon S3.
Options B, C, and D are correct. CloudWatch cross-account subscription allows sending logs from source accounts to a central account (Option B). Kinesis Data Firehose can buffer and deliver logs to S3 at low cost (Option C). Athena can query logs in S3 efficiently (Option D). Option A (direct delivery to S3) does not support near real-time aggregation; VPC Flow Logs can be delivered to S3, but not Lambda directly. Option E (OpenSearch) is more expensive and not necessary for cost-effective storage and analysis.
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.
- ✗
Configure VPC Flow Logs to deliver to a Lambda function in each account, which forwards logs to the central account.
Why it's wrong here
Lambda is not a native destination for VPC Flow Logs; also, this adds complexity and cost.
- ✓
Deliver logs from the central account's CloudWatch Logs to Amazon Kinesis Data Firehose, which writes to Amazon S3.
Why this is correct
Kinesis Data Firehose provides near real-time delivery to S3 at low cost.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Use Amazon OpenSearch Service to index and search the logs in near real time.
Why it's wrong here
OpenSearch is more expensive and adds operational overhead; not required for cost-effective solution.
- ✓
Use Amazon Athena to query the logs stored in S3 for analysis.
Why this is correct
Athena allows serverless SQL queries on S3 data, enabling cost-effective analysis.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✓
Use CloudWatch cross-account subscription to stream logs from source accounts to a central account's CloudWatch Logs.
Why this is correct
Cross-account subscription enables real-time log streaming to a central account.
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 startup's cloud architect reviews their monthly bill and notices costs are higher than expected for a long-running batch job. Switching from on-demand instances to Reserved Instances — or using Spot/Preemptible VMs — can reduce compute costs by up to 72 %. Questions like this test whether you understand the tradeoffs between commitment, flexibility, and cost across cloud pricing models.
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: Deliver logs from the central account's CloudWatch Logs to Amazon Kinesis Data Firehose, which writes to Amazon S3. — Options B, C, and D are correct. CloudWatch cross-account subscription allows sending logs from source accounts to a central account (Option B). Kinesis Data Firehose can buffer and deliver logs to S3 at low cost (Option C). Athena can query logs in S3 efficiently (Option D). Option A (direct delivery to S3) does not support near real-time aggregation; VPC Flow Logs can be delivered to S3, but not Lambda directly. Option E (OpenSearch) is more expensive and not necessary for cost-effective storage and analysis.
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
2 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 DevOps engineer needs to set up a centralized logging solution for multiple AWS accounts. The logs must be stored in a central Amazon S3 bucket for long-term retention and analysis. Which combination of services should the engineer use?
easy- A.Use AWS CloudTrail to deliver logs to the central S3 bucket.
- B.Use Amazon Athena and Amazon QuickSight to query logs across accounts.
- ✓ C.Use Amazon CloudWatch Logs and Amazon Kinesis Data Firehose to deliver logs to the central S3 bucket.
- D.Use Amazon VPC Flow Logs to send logs to the central S3 bucket.
Why C: Option D is correct because Amazon CloudWatch Logs can deliver log data to Amazon S3 via export tasks or subscription filters, and Amazon Kinesis Data Firehose can also stream logs to S3. Together they enable centralized logging. Option A is wrong because CloudTrail alone does not capture application logs. Option B is wrong because VPC Flow Logs only capture network traffic. Option C is wrong because Amazon Athena and Amazon QuickSight are analysis tools, not ingestion services.
Variation 2. A DevOps engineer is setting up centralized logging for multiple AWS accounts. They need to collect VPC Flow Logs, CloudTrail logs, and application logs into a single Amazon S3 bucket. What is the most efficient approach?
medium- A.Configure a Lambda function in each account to copy logs to a central S3 bucket.
- B.Create an S3 bucket in each account and use S3 replication.
- C.Use Amazon Kinesis Data Firehose to stream logs from all accounts to a central S3 bucket.
- ✓ D.Use an S3 bucket in a centralized logging account with a bucket policy that grants write access from all other accounts.
Why D: Option B is correct because using an S3 bucket policy in a centralized account to allow cross-account log delivery is a common pattern. Option A is wrong because aggregating logs in a single account's S3 bucket requires cross-account permissions. Option C is wrong because Kinesis Data Firehose is not needed for simple log aggregation. Option D is wrong because Lambda functions would add complexity and cost.
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Last reviewed: Jun 20, 2026
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