← DOP-C02·Amazon Web Services

Question 1,025 of 1,750

Monitoring and Logging →hardMultiple SelectObjective-mapped

Creating a Metric Filter for HTTP Status Codes in CloudWatch Logs

This DOP-C02 practice question tests your understanding of monitoring and logging. 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 company uses Amazon CloudWatch Logs to centralize logs from multiple EC2 instances running a web application. The DevOps team needs to create a metric filter that parses logs for HTTP status codes (e.g., 4xx and 5xx) and increment a metric. Additionally, they need to create a CloudWatch alarm on the error count. Which of the following are required to achieve this? (Select TWO.)

A
Create an IAM role that allows CloudWatch Logs to read the log data and publish metrics.
Why wrong: No additional IAM role is needed; the instance profile provides necessary permissions.
B
Define the metric filter pattern to match HTTP status codes in the log entries.
The filter pattern is essential to parse the logs correctly.
C
Create a metric filter in CloudWatch Logs on the log group that contains the application logs.
Metric filters are defined on log groups to extract metrics.
D
Configure a subscription filter to forward the logs to a Lambda function that creates the metric.
Why wrong: Subscription filters are for streaming, not for metric filters.
E
Install the CloudWatch Agent on the EC2 instances to send the logs.
Why wrong: The older CloudWatch Logs agent can also send logs; the CloudWatch Agent is an alternative but not required.

Full breakdown with real-world context →

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

✓

Define the metric filter pattern to match HTTP status codes in the log entries.

The correct answers are B and C. A metric filter must be defined on a log group (option C) to extract metrics, and the filter pattern must match the HTTP status codes in the log entries (option B). Option A is not required because CloudWatch Logs can publish metrics without an additional IAM role; the log group already has sufficient permissions. Option D is incorrect because subscription filters are for streaming logs to other destinations, not for creating metrics. Option E is not required because the CloudWatch Logs agent or the unified CloudWatch agent can send logs, but the question does not specify which agent; the default agent suffices.

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.

✗
Create an IAM role that allows CloudWatch Logs to read the log data and publish metrics.
Why it's wrong here
No additional IAM role is needed; the instance profile provides necessary permissions.
✓
Define the metric filter pattern to match HTTP status codes in the log entries.
Why this is correct
The filter pattern is essential to parse the logs correctly.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✓
Create a metric filter in CloudWatch Logs on the log group that contains the application logs.
Why this is correct
Metric filters are defined on log groups to extract metrics.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Configure a subscription filter to forward the logs to a Lambda function that creates the metric.
Why it's wrong here
Subscription filters are for streaming, not for metric filters.
✗
Install the CloudWatch Agent on the EC2 instances to send the logs.
Why it's wrong here
The older CloudWatch Logs agent can also send logs; the CloudWatch Agent is an alternative but not required.

Common exam traps

Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword

Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.

Detailed technical explanation

How to think about this question

This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.

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.
Use explanations to understand the rule behind the answer.

TExam Day Tips

Underline the problem statement mentally.
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 company's IT admin needs to give a contractor read-only access to production logs without sharing account credentials. Using role-based access control (RBAC) and temporary scoped permissions — not a permanent shared password — is the correct pattern. Questions like this test whether you can apply least-privilege access across cloud identity services.

What to study next

Got this wrong? Here's your next step.

Identify which DOP-C02 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.

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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 — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..

What is the correct answer to this question?

The correct answer is: Define the metric filter pattern to match HTTP status codes in the log entries. — The correct answers are B and C. A metric filter must be defined on a log group (option C) to extract metrics, and the filter pattern must match the HTTP status codes in the log entries (option B). Option A is not required because CloudWatch Logs can publish metrics without an additional IAM role; the log group already has sufficient permissions. Option D is incorrect because subscription filters are for streaming logs to other destinations, not for creating metrics. Option E is not required because the CloudWatch Logs agent or the unified CloudWatch agent can send logs, but the question does not specify which agent; the default agent suffices.

What should I do if I get this DOP-C02 question wrong?

What is the key concept behind this question?

Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.

About these practice questions

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Same concept, more angles

1 more ways this is tested on DOP-C02

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 is using Amazon CloudWatch Logs to collect logs from multiple applications. The DevOps team wants to create a metric filter to count the number of ERROR log entries and trigger an alarm when the count exceeds 10 in 5 minutes. Which TWO steps must the team take? (Choose TWO.)

medium

A.Create a subscription filter to stream logs to Amazon Kinesis Data Firehose.
✓ B.Create a metric filter on the log group that extracts ERROR count.
✓ C.Create a CloudWatch alarm on the metric with the threshold of 10.
D.Set a log group retention policy to retain logs indefinitely.
E.Create a CloudWatch dashboard to visualize the ERROR count.

Why B: Options B and C are correct. A metric filter must be created on the log group to extract the count of ERROR log entries (B), and then a CloudWatch alarm must be created on that metric with a threshold of 10 (C). Option A is incorrect because a subscription filter is used to stream logs to another service, not for metric filtering. Option D is incorrect because setting a log group retention policy does not help count ERROR entries or trigger alarms. Option E is incorrect because a dashboard is for visualization, not triggering alarms.

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