- A
Enable termination protection on the stack to prevent deletion during rollback.
Why wrong: Termination protection prevents stack deletion, but does not preserve individual resources during rollback. It is not relevant to preserving drift.
- B
Use a CloudFormation resource policy with a 'Retain' rule for resources that might have drifted. Then enable rollback on failure.
Why wrong: There is no such concept as a 'CloudFormation resource policy with a Retain rule'. The correct mechanism is a stack policy or DeletionPolicy attribute. This option is invalid.
- C
Use a stack policy that denies updates to resources created outside CloudFormation. Then enable rollback on failure.
Using a stack policy that denies updates to drifted resources ensures they are not modified during rollback. Combined with enabling rollback on failure, this meets both requirements.
- D
Enable rollback on failure in the stack options. CloudFormation will automatically roll back, preserving all resources.
Why wrong: Enabling rollback on failure alone does not preserve all resources; CloudFormation will revert managed resources to the template state, potentially overwriting drift. A stack policy is needed to protect drifted resources.
How to Keep Drifted Resources Safe During CloudFormation Stack Rollback
This DOP-C02 practice question tests your understanding of configuration management and iac. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. A key principle to apply: stack Policy. 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 uses AWS CloudFormation to manage its infrastructure. The DevOps team wants to ensure that when a stack update fails, the stack automatically rolls back to its previous state. However, they also want to preserve any resources that were created outside of CloudFormation (drift). What should they do?
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
Use a stack policy that denies updates to resources created outside CloudFormation. Then enable rollback on failure.
Option C is correct because a stack policy can be used to deny updates to specific resources, such as those that have drifted. When a stack update fails and rollback is enabled, CloudFormation will attempt to revert changes. By denying updates to drifted resources via a stack policy, those resources are preserved in their current state. This ensures both rollback on failure and preservation of drift.
Key principle: Stack Policy
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Enable termination protection on the stack to prevent deletion during rollback.
Why it's wrong here
Termination protection prevents stack deletion, but does not preserve individual resources during rollback. It is not relevant to preserving drift.
- ✗
Use a CloudFormation resource policy with a 'Retain' rule for resources that might have drifted. Then enable rollback on failure.
Why it's wrong here
There is no such concept as a 'CloudFormation resource policy with a Retain rule'. The correct mechanism is a stack policy or DeletionPolicy attribute. This option is invalid.
- ✓
Use a stack policy that denies updates to resources created outside CloudFormation. Then enable rollback on failure.
Why this is correct
Using a stack policy that denies updates to drifted resources ensures they are not modified during rollback. Combined with enabling rollback on failure, this meets both requirements.
Related concept
Stack Policy
- ✗
Enable rollback on failure in the stack options. CloudFormation will automatically roll back, preserving all resources.
Why it's wrong here
Enabling rollback on failure alone does not preserve all resources; CloudFormation will revert managed resources to the template state, potentially overwriting drift. A stack policy is needed to protect drifted resources.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap is confusing a stack policy (which controls permissions for updates) with a resource policy (which does not exist in CloudFormation). Candidates may mistakenly choose Option B, thinking a 'Retain rule' exists, or Option D, overestimating the default rollback behavior.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
CloudFormation resource policies (not to be confused with stack policies) use the 'Retain' deletion policy to override the default behavior of deleting resources during a rollback. Under the hood, when a stack update fails, CloudFormation initiates a rollback that reverses changes by deleting or updating resources based on the template; a 'Retain' policy on a resource prevents its deletion, even if the resource was created outside of CloudFormation and is detected as drift. In real-world scenarios, this is critical for stateful resources like RDS databases or S3 buckets that contain data, where accidental deletion during rollback could cause significant data loss.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Stack Policy
- Rollback on Failure
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
Stack Policy
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.
Review stack Policy, then practise related DOP-C02 questions on the same topic to reinforce the concept.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this DOP-C02 question test?
Configuration Management and IaC — This question tests Configuration Management and IaC — Stack Policy.
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Use a stack policy that denies updates to resources created outside CloudFormation. Then enable rollback on failure. — Option C is correct because a stack policy can be used to deny updates to specific resources, such as those that have drifted. When a stack update fails and rollback is enabled, CloudFormation will attempt to revert changes. By denying updates to drifted resources via a stack policy, those resources are preserved in their current state. This ensures both rollback on failure and preservation of drift.
What should I do if I get this DOP-C02 question wrong?
Review stack Policy, then practise related DOP-C02 questions on the same topic to reinforce the concept.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Stack Policy
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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 2026
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