- A
AWS X-Ray
Why wrong: Incorrect: X-Ray is for tracing.
- B
AWS Config
Why wrong: Incorrect: Config records configuration changes but not real-time notifications.
- C
Amazon CloudWatch Alarms
Why wrong: Incorrect: Alarms are for metric thresholds, not instance lifecycle events.
- D
AWS CloudTrail
Correct: CloudTrail logs Auto Scaling API calls and can be used with EventBridge for notifications.
- E
Amazon Simple Notification Service (SNS)
Correct: Auto Scaling can publish notifications to SNS.
Question 245 of 1,750
DOP-C02 AWS CloudTrail Practice Question
This DOP-C02 practice question tests your understanding of monitoring and logging. 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. A key principle to apply: aWS CloudTrail. 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 is monitoring an Amazon EC2 Auto Scaling group. The engineer wants to receive notifications when instances are launched or terminated. Which TWO AWS services can be used together to achieve this? (Choose TWO.)
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
✓
AWS CloudTrail
Amazon CloudTrail captures API calls made to the EC2 Auto Scaling service, including RunInstances and TerminateInstances events. CloudTrail can be configured to deliver these events directly to an Amazon SNS topic, enabling real-time notifications when instances are launched or terminated. This makes CloudTrail and SNS a valid combination. Amazon CloudWatch Alarms (option C) are not required for this purpose, as CloudTrail's direct integration with SNS provides the notification capability without additional services.
Key principle: AWS CloudTrail
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
AWS X-Ray
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect: X-Ray is for tracing.
- ✗
AWS Config
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect: Config records configuration changes but not real-time notifications.
- ✗
Amazon CloudWatch Alarms
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect: Alarms are for metric thresholds, not instance lifecycle events.
- ✓
AWS CloudTrail
Why this is correct
Correct: CloudTrail logs Auto Scaling API calls and can be used with EventBridge for notifications.
Related concept
AWS CloudTrail
- ✓
Amazon Simple Notification Service (SNS)
Why this is correct
Correct: Auto Scaling can publish notifications to SNS.
Related concept
AWS CloudTrail
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
A common mistake is to assume that CloudWatch Alarms are necessary to trigger SNS notifications for these events. However, CloudWatch Alarms are not one of the two services required; the pairing of CloudTrail (to capture the API calls) and SNS (to deliver the notifications) is sufficient when combined with additional integration like EventBridge or Lambda.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, CloudTrail records all Auto Scaling API calls as events in a specified S3 bucket or CloudWatch Logs log group. You can then create a CloudWatch Logs metric filter that matches the eventName field (e.g., 'RunInstances' or 'TerminateInstances') and set a CloudWatch Alarm on that metric. The alarm transitions to ALARM state when the metric exceeds a threshold (e.g., >0), which then publishes to an SNS topic to send email or SMS notifications. This approach is stateless and event-driven, ensuring near real-time alerts without polling.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- AWS CloudTrail
- Amazon SNS
- Amazon EventBridge
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
AWS CloudTrail
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. AWS CloudTrail 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 aWS CloudTrail, then practise related DOP-C02 questions on the same topic to reinforce the concept.
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Monitoring and Logging — study guide chapter
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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 — AWS CloudTrail.
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: AWS CloudTrail — Amazon CloudTrail captures API calls made to the EC2 Auto Scaling service, including RunInstances and TerminateInstances events. CloudTrail can be configured to deliver these events directly to an Amazon SNS topic, enabling real-time notifications when instances are launched or terminated. This makes CloudTrail and SNS a valid combination. Amazon CloudWatch Alarms (option C) are not required for this purpose, as CloudTrail's direct integration with SNS provides the notification capability without additional services.
What should I do if I get this DOP-C02 question wrong?
Review aWS CloudTrail, then practise related DOP-C02 questions on the same topic to reinforce the concept.
What is the key concept behind this question?
AWS CloudTrail
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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
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