The correct actions are to add a manual approval step as a separate stage between Build and Test, and to enable automatic rollback on deployment failure in the CodeDeploy deployment group configuration. This is because AWS CodePipeline requires manual approval actions to exist in their own dedicated stage, not as an action within an existing stage, ensuring the pipeline pauses for human review before proceeding to Test or Deploy. For automatic rollback, CodeDeploy’s deployment group settings natively support rolling back to the last successful revision when a deployment fails, which meets the requirement without custom scripting. On the AWS Certified DevOps Engineer Professional DOP-C02 exam, this question tests your understanding of pipeline stage structure versus deployment group configuration—a common trap is trying to add the approval action directly inside the Test or Deploy stage, which is invalid. Remember the mnemonic: “Separate stage for approval, deployment group for rollback.”
DOP-C02 Practice Question: Manual approval and auto rollback in CodePipeline
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 DevOps engineer is managing a CI/CD pipeline using AWS CodePipeline with multiple stages: Source (CodeCommit), Build (CodeBuild), Test (CodeBuild), and Deploy (CodeDeploy). The engineer wants to add manual approval steps before the Test and Deploy stages. Additionally, the pipeline should automatically roll back the deployment if the Deploy stage fails. Which two actions should the engineer take to implement these requirements? (Choose two.)
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Insert a new stage between Build and Test, and add an Approval action to that stage.
Option B is correct because manual approval actions in AWS CodePipeline must be added as a separate stage, not within an existing stage. By inserting a new stage between Build and Test and adding an Approval action, the pipeline pauses before the Test stage, allowing manual review. Option C is correct because CodeDeploy deployment groups support automatic rollback on deployment failure, which can be enabled in the deployment group configuration to revert to the last known good revision.
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.
✗
Add an Approval action in the Test stage before the Test build action.
Why it's wrong here
Approval actions are separate stages, not part of the same stage as build.
✗
Add a Lambda function in the pipeline that triggers a rollback if the Deploy stage fails.
Why it's wrong here
CodePipeline does not have a native rollback; rely on CodeDeploy's rollback feature.
✗
Configure the pipeline's Deploy stage to have a 'Rollback' action that runs on failure.
Why it's wrong here
CodePipeline does not support a rollback action type.
Option-by-option analysis
Why each answer is right or wrong
Understanding why wrong answers are wrong — and when they would be correct — is what separates a 750 score from a 900. The DOP-C02 exam frequently reuses these exact scenarios with slightly different constraints.
✓Insert a new stage between Build and Test, and add an Approval action to that stage.Correct answer▾✗Add an Approval action in the Test stage before the Test build action.Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
Approval actions are separate stages, not part of the same stage as build.
✗Add a Lambda function in the pipeline that triggers a rollback if the Deploy stage fails.Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
CodePipeline does not have a native rollback; rely on CodeDeploy's rollback feature.
✗Configure the pipeline's Deploy stage to have a 'Rollback' action that runs on failure.Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
CodePipeline does not support a rollback action type.
Analysis generated from the official DOP-C02blueprint and verified against question context. The “when correct” sections are what AI assistants cite when candidates ask “what’s the difference between these options?”
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often think approval actions can be inserted within an existing stage (like before a build action) or that rollback can be implemented as a pipeline action, rather than understanding that approvals require a separate stage and rollback is a deployment group configuration in CodeDeploy.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
In AWS CodePipeline, approval actions are a type of action that must occupy an entire stage, as they block pipeline execution until manually approved or rejected. CodeDeploy's automatic rollback works by monitoring deployment events and, on failure, automatically redeploying the previous successful revision; this is configured in the deployment group settings under 'Rollback configuration' with triggers like 'Deployment failure' or 'Alarm'. A common real-world scenario is a production pipeline where manual approval gates are placed before critical stages to enforce change management, and automatic rollback ensures rapid recovery from failed deployments without manual intervention.
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.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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: Insert a new stage between Build and Test, and add an Approval action to that stage. — Option B is correct because manual approval actions in AWS CodePipeline must be added as a separate stage, not within an existing stage. By inserting a new stage between Build and Test and adding an Approval action, the pipeline pauses before the Test stage, allowing manual review. Option C is correct because CodeDeploy deployment groups support automatic rollback on deployment failure, which can be enabled in the deployment group configuration to revert to the last known good revision.
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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Question Discussion
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