Quick Answer
The answer is SwapUsage and MemoryUtilization, both of which are custom metrics that must be published to Amazon CloudWatch via the CloudWatch Agent, as EC2 does not expose memory-related metrics natively. Monitoring MemoryUtilization over time reveals a steady upward trend that fails to drop after processes complete, which is the classic symptom of a memory leak, while SwapUsage spikes as the OS compensates for exhausted RAM. On the AWS Certified DevOps Engineer Professional DOP-C02 exam, this question tests your understanding that default EC2 metrics cover CPU, network, and disk, but not memory—a common trap is assuming MemoryUtilization is a standard metric, when in fact you must install and configure the CloudWatch Agent to publish it. Remember the mnemonic: “Memory leaks make MemoryUtilization climb, and SwapUsage is the safety valve that fills up in time.”
This DOP-C02 practice question tests your understanding of incident and event response. 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.
Which TWO metrics should be monitored in Amazon CloudWatch to detect a potential memory leak in an EC2 instance? (Choose two.)
DiskReadOps
Why wrong: Disk I/O is not a direct indicator of memory leak.
MemoryUtilization (custom metric published via CloudWatch Agent).
Directly measures memory usage.
NetworkIn
Why wrong: Network traffic is unrelated to memory.
SwapUsage (custom metric published via CloudWatch Agent).
Increasing swap usage indicates memory pressure.
CPUUtilization
Why wrong: CPU can be high due to many reasons, not just memory leak.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
MemoryUtilization (custom metric published via CloudWatch Agent).
MemoryUtilization is a custom metric that must be published via the CloudWatch Agent because EC2 does not expose memory metrics by default. Monitoring this metric over time can reveal a steady upward trend in memory usage that does not drop after processes complete, which is a classic symptom of a memory leak.
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.
DiskReadOps
Why it's wrong here
Disk I/O is not a direct indicator of memory leak.
MemoryUtilization (custom metric published via CloudWatch Agent).
Why this is correct
Directly measures memory usage.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
NetworkIn
Why it's wrong here
Network traffic is unrelated to memory.
SwapUsage (custom metric published via CloudWatch Agent).
Why this is correct
Increasing swap usage indicates memory pressure.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
CPUUtilization
Why it's wrong here
CPU can be high due to many reasons, not just memory leak.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates assume EC2 provides memory metrics by default (like CPUUtilization), but they must be explicitly enabled via the CloudWatch Agent, and they overlook SwapUsage as a complementary indicator of memory pressure from a leak.
Detailed technical explanation
A memory leak occurs when an application allocates memory (e.g., via malloc() or new) but fails to release it after use, causing the OS to eventually exhaust available physical memory and rely on swap. The CloudWatch Agent collects MemoryUtilization from /proc/meminfo on Linux or Performance Counters on Windows, while SwapUsage shows when the system is paging memory to disk—a secondary indicator that memory pressure is building. In a real-world scenario, a Java application with an unclosed connection pool might show a gradual climb in MemoryUtilization over days, while SwapUsage spikes only after physical memory is depleted.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
A healthcare organisation deploys an application with a public-facing web tier and a private database tier. The database subnet has no public IP and only accepts connections from the web tier's security group. Questions like this test whether you can design cloud network isolation using VNets/VPCs, subnets, and security group rules.
What to study next
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FAQ
Incident and Event Response — This question tests Incident and Event Response — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: MemoryUtilization (custom metric published via CloudWatch Agent). — MemoryUtilization is a custom metric that must be published via the CloudWatch Agent because EC2 does not expose memory metrics by default. Monitoring this metric over time can reveal a steady upward trend in memory usage that does not drop after processes complete, which is a classic symptom of a memory leak.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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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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