- A
Increase the interval in the linear traffic shifting to 30 minutes to allow more time for instances to stabilize.
Why wrong: Longer intervals don't fix the crash; the application will still fail on startup.
- B
Configure the deployment to automatically roll back when a failure occurs and ignore the error.
Why wrong: Rolling back avoids the immediate failure but does not prevent future failures.
- C
Switch to a blue/green deployment strategy to minimize the impact on existing instances.
Why wrong: Blue/green still requires the new application to start correctly; the crash would still occur.
- D
Add a script in the AppSpec file's 'Validate Service' lifecycle hook to check the application health and fail the deployment if the application does not start successfully.
This ensures that unhealthy instances are detected early and the deployment is stopped before traffic is shifted.
DOP-C02 SDLC Automation Practice Question
This DOP-C02 practice question tests your understanding of sdlc automation. 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 is using AWS CodeDeploy to deploy a web application to an Auto Scaling group. The deployment fails with the error 'The overall deployment failed because too many individual instances failed deployment, too few healthy instances are available, or some instances in your deployment group are experiencing problems.' The deployment configuration uses a linear traffic shifting with a 10-minute interval. The application logs show that the new version of the application crashes on startup. What is the MOST effective way to handle this situation to ensure successful future deployments?
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
Add a script in the AppSpec file's 'Validate Service' lifecycle hook to check the application health and fail the deployment if the application does not start successfully.
Option D is correct because the 'Validate Service' lifecycle hook in the AppSpec file runs after the application is installed and started, allowing you to execute a custom script that verifies the application is healthy. If the script detects that the new version crashes on startup, it can return a non-zero exit code, which causes CodeDeploy to mark that instance as failed and trigger the deployment failure. This provides an early, automated validation that prevents the deployment from proceeding with a broken application, directly addressing the root cause of the crash.
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.
- ✗
Increase the interval in the linear traffic shifting to 30 minutes to allow more time for instances to stabilize.
Why it's wrong here
Longer intervals don't fix the crash; the application will still fail on startup.
- ✗
Configure the deployment to automatically roll back when a failure occurs and ignore the error.
Why it's wrong here
Rolling back avoids the immediate failure but does not prevent future failures.
- ✗
Switch to a blue/green deployment strategy to minimize the impact on existing instances.
Why it's wrong here
Blue/green still requires the new application to start correctly; the crash would still occur.
- ✓
Add a script in the AppSpec file's 'Validate Service' lifecycle hook to check the application health and fail the deployment if the application does not start successfully.
Why this is correct
This ensures that unhealthy instances are detected early and the deployment is stopped before traffic is shifted.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse recovery mechanisms (like rollback or blue/green) with prevention mechanisms, failing to realize that the most effective solution is to catch the failure early using the ValidateService lifecycle hook, which directly validates application health before traffic is shifted.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
The 'Validate Service' hook is part of the AppSpec file's lifecycle event hooks, which run in a specific order: BeforeInstall, AfterInstall, ApplicationStart, ValidateService, and ApplicationStop. The ValidateService hook is designed to run health checks or integration tests after the application is started, and if the script exits with a non-zero code, CodeDeploy immediately marks the instance as failed and stops the deployment. This is critical in linear traffic shifting deployments because CodeDeploy uses the minimum healthy instance count to determine if the deployment should continue; a failing ValidateService hook ensures that unhealthy instances are not counted as healthy, preventing the deployment from progressing with broken instances.
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.
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
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 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. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. 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.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this DOP-C02 question test?
SDLC Automation — This question tests SDLC Automation — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Add a script in the AppSpec file's 'Validate Service' lifecycle hook to check the application health and fail the deployment if the application does not start successfully. — Option D is correct because the 'Validate Service' lifecycle hook in the AppSpec file runs after the application is installed and started, allowing you to execute a custom script that verifies the application is healthy. If the script detects that the new version crashes on startup, it can return a non-zero exit code, which causes CodeDeploy to mark that instance as failed and trigger the deployment failure. This provides an early, automated validation that prevents the deployment from proceeding with a broken application, directly addressing the root cause of the crash.
What should I do if I get this DOP-C02 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 2026
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