The answer is to monitor ElastiCache metrics such as CPUUtilization, CacheHits, and Evictions to determine if the Redis cluster is overloaded. This is correct because when session caching via Redis becomes a bottleneck, increased latency and fluctuating healthy hosts occur even when EC2 and database CPU remain normal, as the application stalls waiting for cache responses. On the AWS Certified DevOps Engineer Professional DOP-C02 exam, this scenario tests your ability to correlate application-layer symptoms with the correct caching layer metrics, a common trap being to scale compute or database resources instead of investigating the cache. A key memory tip is "Cache or Crash": if CPU and DB are fine but latency spikes, suspect the cache layer first—check Evictions for memory pressure and CacheHits for inefficient key usage.
DOP-C02 Monitoring and Logging Practice Question
This DOP-C02 practice question tests your understanding of monitoring and logging. 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 company runs a critical e-commerce platform on AWS. The architecture includes an Application Load Balancer (ALB) that distributes traffic to a fleet of EC2 instances in an Auto Scaling group. The EC2 instances run a custom Java application that uses an RDS for MySQL database and an ElastiCache Redis cluster for session caching. The DevOps team has set up CloudWatch alarms for CPU utilization, memory, and database connections. Recently, customers have been reporting slow page load times and occasional timeouts. The team notices that during peak hours, the ALB's TargetResponseTime metric spikes, and the number of healthy hosts in the target group fluctuates. The CPU and memory metrics on the EC2 instances remain within normal ranges. The database CPU is also normal. The team suspects the issue is related to the application's session management. Which course of action should the DevOps team take to identify the root cause?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Monitor ElastiCache metrics such as CPUUtilization, CacheHits, and Evictions to determine if the Redis cluster is overloaded
Option C is correct because the symptoms (increased latency, fluctuating healthy hosts) and the role of ElastiCache in session caching suggest that Redis performance may be degrading. Monitoring ElastiCache metrics like CPUUtilization, cache hits/misses, and evictions can confirm if Redis is the bottleneck. Option A is wrong because scaling the ALB does not address session management issues. Option B is wrong because database connection pooling is not indicated; database CPU is normal. Option D is wrong because CloudWatch Agent on EC2 would not capture Redis metrics.
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.
✗
Enable RDS Performance Insights and look for slow queries or connection storms
Why it's wrong here
Database performance is normal; the issue is likely with ElastiCache.
✗
Install the CloudWatch Agent on the EC2 instances to collect additional application-level metrics
Why it's wrong here
Agent-based metrics may not capture Redis performance.
✓
Monitor ElastiCache metrics such as CPUUtilization, CacheHits, and Evictions to determine if the Redis cluster is overloaded
Why this is correct
ElastiCache metrics will reveal if session caching is causing latency.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Increase the number of ALB targets and adjust the target group health check interval
Why it's wrong here
This does not address the session caching issue.
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.
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: Monitor ElastiCache metrics such as CPUUtilization, CacheHits, and Evictions to determine if the Redis cluster is overloaded — Option C is correct because the symptoms (increased latency, fluctuating healthy hosts) and the role of ElastiCache in session caching suggest that Redis performance may be degrading. Monitoring ElastiCache metrics like CPUUtilization, cache hits/misses, and evictions can confirm if Redis is the bottleneck. Option A is wrong because scaling the ALB does not address session management issues. Option B is wrong because database connection pooling is not indicated; database CPU is normal. Option D is wrong because CloudWatch Agent on EC2 would not capture Redis metrics.
What should I do if I get this DOP-C02 question wrong?
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.
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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