Quick Answer
The answer is AWS CloudTrail because it is the only service that records every API call made to your AWS account, capturing details like the identity, source IP, and timestamp, and it can deliver those logs directly to an S3 bucket for long-term storage. This meets the compliance requirement to retain logs for at least 7 years by using S3 lifecycle policies to transition objects to cheaper storage classes like Glacier or to delete them after the specified period. On the AWS Certified DevOps Engineer Professional DOP-C02 exam, this question tests your understanding of governance and audit controls; a common trap is confusing CloudTrail with CloudWatch Logs, which captures application logs rather than API activity. Remember the mnemonic: CloudTrail tracks the trail of API calls, while CloudWatch watches metrics and logs.
This DOP-C02 practice question tests your understanding of security and compliance. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. 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 needs to ensure that all API calls made to AWS are logged for compliance. The logs must be stored in S3 for at least 7 years. Which AWS service should they use?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "least"
Why it matters: You want the option with minimum overhead, fewest steps, or lowest impact — not the most feature-rich or comprehensive answer.
VPC Flow Logs
Why wrong: VPC Flow Logs capture IP traffic information, not API calls.
AWS Config
Why wrong: Config records resource configuration history, not API calls.
Amazon CloudWatch Logs
Why wrong: CloudWatch Logs captures log data from applications, not AWS API calls.
AWS CloudTrail
CloudTrail records all AWS API calls and can deliver logs to S3 for long-term retention.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
AWS CloudTrail
AWS CloudTrail is the correct service because it records all API calls made to AWS, including the identity, source IP, and timestamp, and can deliver log files to an S3 bucket for long-term retention. The requirement to store logs for at least 7 years aligns with CloudTrail's ability to integrate with S3 lifecycle policies for archival or deletion after a specified period.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
VPC Flow Logs
Why it's wrong here
VPC Flow Logs capture IP traffic information, not API calls.
AWS Config
Why it's wrong here
Config records resource configuration history, not API calls.
Amazon CloudWatch Logs
Why it's wrong here
CloudWatch Logs captures log data from applications, not AWS API calls.
AWS CloudTrail
Why this is correct
CloudTrail records all AWS API calls and can deliver logs to S3 for long-term retention.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "least" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates often confuse CloudTrail with CloudWatch Logs or AWS Config, thinking that any logging service can capture API calls, but only CloudTrail is designed specifically for auditing AWS API activity.
Detailed technical explanation
CloudTrail uses a trail configuration to deliver log files to S3 in gzipped JSON format, with each event containing the eventSource, eventName, and userIdentity fields. Under the hood, CloudTrail captures management events by default (e.g., CreateVpc, DeleteBucket) and can be enabled for data events (e.g., GetObject, PutObject) for S3 and Lambda. A common real-world scenario is enabling CloudTrail in all regions via an organization trail to ensure global API activity is logged for compliance with frameworks like PCI DSS or SOC 2.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
A media company stores terabytes of video archives that are accessed once a year for audit purposes. Moving these objects to a cold storage tier (Azure Archive, S3 Glacier, or Google Nearline) costs a fraction of hot storage. Questions like this test whether you understand storage tiers, access frequency tradeoffs, and retrieval latency requirements.
What to study next
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Security and Compliance — study guide chapter
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FAQ
Security and Compliance — This question tests Security and Compliance — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: AWS CloudTrail — AWS CloudTrail is the correct service because it records all API calls made to AWS, including the identity, source IP, and timestamp, and can deliver log files to an S3 bucket for long-term retention. The requirement to store logs for at least 7 years aligns with CloudTrail's ability to integrate with S3 lifecycle policies for archival or deletion after a specified period.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Yes — watch for: "least". You want the option with minimum overhead, fewest steps, or lowest impact — not the most feature-rich or comprehensive answer.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
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Same concept, more angles
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 wants to centralize logging of all API calls made within their AWS account for auditing. Which service should they use?
easyWhy B: Option B is correct because AWS CloudTrail records API calls for auditing. Option A is wrong because CloudWatch Logs is for log storage, not API call recording. Option C is wrong because VPC Flow Logs capture network traffic, not API calls. Option D is wrong because S3 is storage, not a logging service.
Last reviewed: Jun 24, 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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