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Question 374 of 1,740

SDLC Automation →hardMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped

Quick Answer

The answer is to use CodeDeploy's blue/green deployment with an Application Load Balancer, creating a new Auto Scaling group for the green environment, deploying to it, and then shifting traffic. This achieves zero downtime because the blue/green strategy provisions a completely separate set of instances (the green fleet) while the original blue fleet continues serving traffic; traffic is only switched after the new instances pass health checks, eliminating any window of unavailability. On the AWS Certified DevOps Engineer Professional DOP-C02 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of deployment strategies that preserve availability for stateless applications, with a common trap being to select "HalfAtATime" or increasing the Auto Scaling group's minimum size—both fail to guarantee zero downtime because they still involve in-place updates or temporary capacity reduction. Remember the key distinction: blue/green is about parallel environments, not just rolling updates. Memory tip: "Blue is live, green is clean—switch traffic, no downtime in between."

DOP-C02 SDLC Automation Practice Question

This DOP-C02 practice question tests your understanding of sdlc automation. 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.

Your company uses AWS CodePipeline to automate the deployment of a critical web application. The pipeline consists of a source stage (CodeCommit), a build stage (CodeBuild), and a deploy stage (CodeDeploy) that deploys to an Auto Scaling group of EC2 instances running Amazon Linux 2. The deployment strategy is 'AllAtOnce'. Recently, the team noticed that during deployments, the application becomes completely unavailable for a few minutes until the new instances are registered with the load balancer. The business requires zero downtime during deployments. You need to modify the deployment process to achieve zero downtime while minimizing cost and complexity. The Auto Scaling group currently has a minimum of 2 instances and a maximum of 4 instances. The application is stateless and sessions are stored in ElastiCache. Which solution should you implement?

Clue words in this question

Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.

Clue: "minimum / minimize"
Why it matters: Asks for the least resource use — fewest addresses, smallest subnet, lowest overhead. Eliminate over-provisioned options even if they would technically work.

Question 1hardmultiple choice

Full question →

A
Create a second Auto Scaling group, deploy to it, and then update Route 53 to point to the new group.
Why wrong: This is a valid approach but more manual and complex; CodeDeploy's blue/green is easier and integrates with the pipeline.
B
Change the deployment configuration to 'HalfAtATime' to update half the instances at a time.
Why wrong: This reduces impact but still causes some downtime during the switch.
C
Use CodeDeploy's blue/green deployment with an Application Load Balancer. Create a new Auto Scaling group for the green environment, deploy to it, and then shift traffic.
Blue/green deployment provides zero downtime by keeping the old instances serving traffic until new ones are ready.
D
Increase the Auto Scaling group's minimum size to 4 so there are always extra instances.
Why wrong: This does not change the deployment method; instances are still replaced all at once.

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

✓

Use CodeDeploy's blue/green deployment with an Application Load Balancer. Create a new Auto Scaling group for the green environment, deploy to it, and then shift traffic.

Option C is correct because CodeDeploy's 'Blue/Green' deployment creates new instances, shifts traffic, and allows rollback, achieving zero downtime. Option A is incorrect because 'HalfAtATime' still causes temporary capacity reduction. Option B is incorrect because increasing minimum size does not change deployment strategy. Option D is incorrect because creating a new ASG and using DNS can work but is more complex and costly than CodeDeploy's built-in blue/green.

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 a second Auto Scaling group, deploy to it, and then update Route 53 to point to the new group.
Why it's wrong here
This is a valid approach but more manual and complex; CodeDeploy's blue/green is easier and integrates with the pipeline.
✗
Change the deployment configuration to 'HalfAtATime' to update half the instances at a time.
Why it's wrong here
This reduces impact but still causes some downtime during the switch.
✓
Use CodeDeploy's blue/green deployment with an Application Load Balancer. Create a new Auto Scaling group for the green environment, deploy to it, and then shift traffic.
Why this is correct
Blue/green deployment provides zero downtime by keeping the old instances serving traffic until new ones are ready.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "minimum / minimize" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Increase the Auto Scaling group's minimum size to 4 so there are always extra instances.
Why it's wrong here
This does not change the deployment method; instances are still replaced all at once.

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 startup's cloud architect reviews their monthly bill and notices costs are higher than expected for a long-running batch job. Switching from on-demand instances to Reserved Instances — or using Spot/Preemptible VMs — can reduce compute costs by up to 72 %. Questions like this test whether you understand the tradeoffs between commitment, flexibility, and cost across cloud pricing models.

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?

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: Use CodeDeploy's blue/green deployment with an Application Load Balancer. Create a new Auto Scaling group for the green environment, deploy to it, and then shift traffic. — Option C is correct because CodeDeploy's 'Blue/Green' deployment creates new instances, shifts traffic, and allows rollback, achieving zero downtime. Option A is incorrect because 'HalfAtATime' still causes temporary capacity reduction. Option B is incorrect because increasing minimum size does not change deployment strategy. Option D is incorrect because creating a new ASG and using DNS can work but is more complex and costly than CodeDeploy's built-in blue/green.

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

Are there clue words in this question I should notice?

Yes — watch for: "minimum / minimize". Asks for the least resource use — fewest addresses, smallest subnet, lowest overhead. Eliminate over-provisioned options even if they would technically work.

What is the key concept behind this question?

Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.

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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.