The correct answer is to set a log retention policy of 5 years on the CloudWatch Logs log groups. This is the most cost-effective approach because CloudWatch Logs natively supports retention policies up to 10 years, allowing you to specify the exact number of days (e.g., 1825 days for 5 years) without incurring additional storage or retrieval costs beyond standard log storage rates. On the AWS Certified DevOps Engineer Professional DOP-C02 exam, this question tests your understanding of native CloudWatch Logs features versus more complex, costly alternatives like exporting to S3 Glacier Deep Archive, which is a common trap—exporting adds data transfer and retrieval fees that make it more expensive for simple long-term retention. The key distinction is that CloudWatch Logs retention policies are designed for compliance-driven, long-term storage directly within the service, while S3 exports are better for archival with infrequent access. Memory tip: Think "set it and forget it"—a retention policy is a simple configuration, not a data migration.
DOP-C02 Monitoring and Logging Practice Question
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 uses Amazon CloudWatch Logs to store application logs from EC2 instances. The security team requires that logs be retained for 5 years for compliance. Which action should be taken to meet this requirement cost-effectively?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Set a log retention policy of 5 years on the CloudWatch Logs log groups.
Option A is correct because CloudWatch Logs supports setting a retention policy of 5 years, which is cost-effective. Option B is wrong because exporting to S3 and using S3 Glacier Deep Archive is more expensive than simply setting a retention policy. Option C is wrong because AWS CloudTrail is for API activity logs, not application logs. Option D is wrong because disabling retention deletes logs, which fails compliance.
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.
✗
Export the logs to Amazon S3 and use S3 Glacier Deep Archive for long-term storage.
Why it's wrong here
Exporting to S3 and using Glacier Deep Archive is more expensive than simply setting a retention policy.
✓
Set a log retention policy of 5 years on the CloudWatch Logs log groups.
Why this is correct
CloudWatch Logs supports setting a retention policy of 5 years, which is cost-effective.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Disable log retention and let CloudWatch Logs keep the logs indefinitely.
Why it's wrong here
Disabling retention may delete logs based on default settings, which fails compliance.
✗
Use AWS CloudTrail to store the logs for 5 years.
Why it's wrong here
CloudTrail is for API activity logs, not application logs.
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.
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: Set a log retention policy of 5 years on the CloudWatch Logs log groups. — Option A is correct because CloudWatch Logs supports setting a retention policy of 5 years, which is cost-effective. Option B is wrong because exporting to S3 and using S3 Glacier Deep Archive is more expensive than simply setting a retention policy. Option C is wrong because AWS CloudTrail is for API activity logs, not application logs. Option D is wrong because disabling retention deletes logs, which fails compliance.
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.
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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
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