- A
Add an Amazon ElastiCache cluster to cache frequent database queries.
Why wrong: While helpful, it adds cost and complexity; the three chosen actions are more critical for resilience.
- B
Use dedicated instances for the EC2 instances to ensure consistent performance.
Why wrong: Dedicated instances are costly and not necessary for resilience.
- C
Switch the Elastic Beanstalk environment to a load-balanced, auto-scaled environment with a minimum of 2 instances across 2 Availability Zones.
Provides compute resilience and scalability.
- D
Enable Multi-AZ deployment for the RDS instance to provide a standby in another AZ.
Provides database high availability.
- E
Add Amazon RDS Proxy in front of the RDS instance to handle connection pooling.
Helps manage database connections during high traffic, improving resilience.
Quick Answer
The correct combination is to configure Elastic Beanstalk for a load-balanced, auto-scaled environment, enable Multi-AZ for the RDS instance, and add RDS Proxy in front of the database. This trio directly addresses the 10x traffic spike by ensuring the web tier can scale horizontally, the database has a synchronous standby replica for failover, and connection pooling prevents the database from being overwhelmed by a flood of open connections from the auto-scaled application instances. On the AWS Certified DevOps Engineer Professional DOP-C02 exam, this scenario tests your ability to balance cost with resilience—many candidates mistakenly add ElastiCache or provisioned IOPS, but the core high availability pattern for a stateless app with RDS is simply scaling the web tier, database redundancy via Multi-AZ, and connection management via RDS Proxy. A useful memory tip is "Scale, Standby, Pool"—these three actions provide the most resilience for the least cost without over-provisioning.
DOP-C02 Resilient Cloud Solutions Practice Question
This DOP-C02 practice question tests your understanding of resilient cloud solutions. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. 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 startup runs a stateless web application on AWS Elastic Beanstalk with a single environment. The application uses an Amazon RDS for MySQL database instance. The startup is preparing for a marketing campaign that is expected to increase traffic by 10x. The CTO is concerned about the application's ability to handle the load and wants to ensure high availability and resilience. The current architecture has a single RDS instance (db.t3.medium) and a single Elastic Beanstalk environment with one EC2 instance (t3.medium). The startup has a limited budget but wants to improve resilience without over-provisioning. Which combination of actions should the DevOps engineer recommend? (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
Switch the Elastic Beanstalk environment to a load-balanced, auto-scaled environment with a minimum of 2 instances across 2 Availability Zones.
Option A is correct because Elastic Beanstalk can be configured for load-balanced, auto-scaled environments. Option B is correct because Multi-AZ RDS provides high availability for the database. Option C is correct because RDS Proxy helps manage connections efficiently during traffic spikes. Option D (dedicated instances) is costly and not necessary. Option E (ElastiCache) is additional cost; focus on core resilience first.
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.
- ✗
Add an Amazon ElastiCache cluster to cache frequent database queries.
Why it's wrong here
While helpful, it adds cost and complexity; the three chosen actions are more critical for resilience.
- ✗
Use dedicated instances for the EC2 instances to ensure consistent performance.
Why it's wrong here
Dedicated instances are costly and not necessary for resilience.
- ✓
Switch the Elastic Beanstalk environment to a load-balanced, auto-scaled environment with a minimum of 2 instances across 2 Availability Zones.
Why this is correct
Provides compute resilience and scalability.
Related concept
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
- ✓
Enable Multi-AZ deployment for the RDS instance to provide a standby in another AZ.
Why this is correct
Provides database high availability.
Related concept
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
- ✓
Add Amazon RDS Proxy in front of the RDS instance to handle connection pooling.
Why this is correct
Helps manage database connections during high traffic, improving resilience.
Related concept
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
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 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 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.
- →
Resilient Cloud Solutions — study guide chapter
Learn the concepts, then practise the questions
- →
Resilient Cloud Solutions practice questions
Targeted practice on this topic area only
- →
All DOP-C02 questions
1,740 questions across all exam domains
- →
AWS Certified DevOps Engineer Professional DOP-C02 study guide
Full concept coverage aligned to exam objectives
- →
DOP-C02 practice test guide
How to use practice tests most effectively before exam day
Related practice questions
Related DOP-C02 practice-question pages
Use these pages to review the topic behind this question. This is how one missed question becomes focused revision.
Configuration Management and IaC practice questions
Practise DOP-C02 questions linked to Configuration Management and IaC.
Resilient Cloud Solutions practice questions
Practise DOP-C02 questions linked to Resilient Cloud Solutions.
Monitoring and Logging practice questions
Practise DOP-C02 questions linked to Monitoring and Logging.
Incident and Event Response practice questions
Practise DOP-C02 questions linked to Incident and Event Response.
Security and Compliance practice questions
Practise DOP-C02 questions linked to Security and Compliance.
SDLC Automation practice questions
Practise DOP-C02 questions linked to SDLC Automation.
DOP-C02 fundamentals practice questions
Practise DOP-C02 questions linked to DOP-C02 fundamentals.
DOP-C02 scenario practice questions
Practise DOP-C02 questions linked to DOP-C02 scenario.
DOP-C02 troubleshooting practice questions
Practise DOP-C02 questions linked to DOP-C02 troubleshooting.
Practice this exam
Start a free DOP-C02 practice session
Short sessions build daily habit. Longer sessions build exam-day stamina. Try a timed session to simulate real conditions.
FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this DOP-C02 question test?
Resilient Cloud Solutions — This question tests Resilient Cloud Solutions — Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Switch the Elastic Beanstalk environment to a load-balanced, auto-scaled environment with a minimum of 2 instances across 2 Availability Zones. — Option A is correct because Elastic Beanstalk can be configured for load-balanced, auto-scaled environments. Option B is correct because Multi-AZ RDS provides high availability for the database. Option C is correct because RDS Proxy helps manage connections efficiently during traffic spikes. Option D (dedicated instances) is costly and not necessary. Option E (ElastiCache) is additional cost; focus on core resilience first.
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.
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 →
Keep practising
More DOP-C02 practice questions
- A company uses AWS CodePipeline with a multi-branch strategy. A new feature branch triggers a pipeline that runs unit te…
- A development team uses AWS CodeBuild to compile a Java application and run unit tests. The build takes 30 minutes, but…
- A company uses AWS CodePipeline with multiple stages: Source (Amazon S3), Build (AWS CodeBuild), and Deploy (AWS CodeDep…
- A company uses AWS CodeCommit for source control. Developers frequently push large binary files (e.g., compiled JARs) to…
- An organization uses AWS CodePipeline to orchestrate deployments to multiple environments (dev, test, prod). Each enviro…
- A company uses AWS Key Management Service (KMS) to encrypt data at rest in Amazon S3. The security team wants to ensure…
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.
Question Discussion
Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.
Sign in to join the discussion.