- A
Create a CloudWatch dashboard with a line chart for error count and manually monitor it.
Why wrong: Dashboards provide visualization but do not send alerts.
- B
Use CloudWatch Logs Insights to run a query every 5 minutes and trigger an alert based on the result.
Why wrong: CloudWatch Logs Insights is not designed for real-time alerting; it is a query tool.
- C
Create a CloudWatch Logs subscription filter to send matching logs to a Lambda function, which counts errors and sends an alert.
Why wrong: This could work but is more complex; the simplest approach is using a metric filter and alarm.
- D
Create a metric filter on the log group for 'ERROR', then create a CloudWatch alarm on the resulting metric with a threshold of 100.
Metric filters extract metrics from logs, and alarms can be set on those metrics to trigger actions when thresholds are breached.
Quick Answer
The correct answer is to create a metric filter on the log group for 'ERROR', then create a CloudWatch alarm on the resulting metric with a threshold of 100. This works because a CloudWatch Logs metric filter acts as a pattern matcher that scans incoming log events in real time, counting occurrences of the string 'ERROR' and publishing that count as a custom metric to CloudWatch. An alarm can then be set on that metric to trigger when the count exceeds 100 within a 5-minute period, directly meeting the requirement. On the AWS Certified DevOps Engineer Professional DOP-C02 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of CloudWatch Logs monitoring versus other services—a common trap is confusing metric filters with subscription filters, which forward logs to destinations like Lambda or Kinesis, or with CloudWatch Logs Insights, which is for ad-hoc querying, not continuous alerting. Remember the key distinction: metric filters create metrics for alarms, while subscription filters move data elsewhere. Memory tip: “Filter for numbers, subscribe for destinations.”
DOP-C02 Monitoring and Logging Practice Question
This DOP-C02 practice question tests your understanding of monitoring and logging. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. 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 engineer wants to receive an alert when the total number of error logs in an application exceeds 100 within a 5-minute period. The application writes logs to CloudWatch Logs. How can this be achieved?
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 metric filter on the log group for 'ERROR', then create a CloudWatch alarm on the resulting metric with a threshold of 100.
Option A is correct because a metric filter in CloudWatch Logs can count the occurrence of 'ERROR' in log events and create a metric. A CloudWatch alarm can then be set on that metric with a threshold of 100. Option B is wrong because CloudWatch Logs subscription filters send logs to destinations, not trigger alarms. Option C is wrong because CloudWatch Logs Insights is for querying, not real-time alerting. Option D is wrong because CloudWatch dashboards are for visualization, not alerting.
Key principle: NAT direction and interface roles matter as much as the IP address mapping. Inside/outside designation controls which traffic is translated.
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 a CloudWatch dashboard with a line chart for error count and manually monitor it.
Why it's wrong here
Dashboards provide visualization but do not send alerts.
- ✗
Use CloudWatch Logs Insights to run a query every 5 minutes and trigger an alert based on the result.
Why it's wrong here
CloudWatch Logs Insights is not designed for real-time alerting; it is a query tool.
- ✗
Create a CloudWatch Logs subscription filter to send matching logs to a Lambda function, which counts errors and sends an alert.
Why it's wrong here
This could work but is more complex; the simplest approach is using a metric filter and alarm.
- ✓
Create a metric filter on the log group for 'ERROR', then create a CloudWatch alarm on the resulting metric with a threshold of 100.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: NAT rules depend on direction and matching traffic
NAT is not only about the public address. The inside/outside interface roles and the ACL or rule that matches traffic are just as important.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
NAT questions usually test address translation, overload/PAT behaviour, static mappings and whether the right traffic is being translated. Read the interface direction and address terms carefully.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
- PAT allows many inside hosts to share one public address using ports.
- Inside local and inside global describe the private and translated addresses.
- NAT ACLs identify traffic for translation, not always security filtering.
TExam Day Tips
- Identify inside and outside interfaces first.
- Check whether the scenario needs static NAT, dynamic NAT or PAT.
- Do not confuse NAT matching ACLs with normal packet-filtering intent.
Key takeaway
NAT direction and interface roles matter as much as the IP address mapping. Inside/outside designation controls which traffic is translated.
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. NAT direction and interface roles matter as much as the IP address mapping. Inside/outside designation controls which traffic is translated. 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.
Review the four NAT address types (inside local, inside global, outside local, outside global), PAT port overload, and static vs dynamic NAT use cases. Then practise related DOP-C02 NAT questions on configuration and troubleshooting.
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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 — Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Create a metric filter on the log group for 'ERROR', then create a CloudWatch alarm on the resulting metric with a threshold of 100. — Option A is correct because a metric filter in CloudWatch Logs can count the occurrence of 'ERROR' in log events and create a metric. A CloudWatch alarm can then be set on that metric with a threshold of 100. Option B is wrong because CloudWatch Logs subscription filters send logs to destinations, not trigger alarms. Option C is wrong because CloudWatch Logs Insights is for querying, not real-time alerting. Option D is wrong because CloudWatch dashboards are for visualization, not alerting.
What should I do if I get this DOP-C02 question wrong?
Review the four NAT address types (inside local, inside global, outside local, outside global), PAT port overload, and static vs dynamic NAT use cases. Then practise related DOP-C02 NAT questions on configuration and troubleshooting.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
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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 is using Amazon CloudWatch Logs Insights to analyze application logs. The DevOps team needs to create a metric filter that counts occurrences of the word 'ERROR' in the log events. Which CloudWatch Logs Insights query should be used to test the metric filter?
medium- A.fields @timestamp, @message | stats count() by bin(5m)
- ✓ B.fields @timestamp, @message | filter @message like /ERROR/
- C.fields @timestamp, @message | parse @message '[*] *' as @severity, @log
- D.fields @timestamp, @message | sort @timestamp desc
Why B: Option B is correct because the `fields @timestamp, @message` command retrieves the relevant fields, and `filter @message like /ERROR/` filters events containing 'ERROR'. Option A is wrong because `stats count() by bin(5m)` aggregates but doesn't show individual matches. Option C is wrong because `parse @message` extracts fields but doesn't filter. Option D is wrong because `sort @timestamp desc` only sorts.
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.
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