The answer is port 8080 with HTTP protocol. SageMaker’s hosting infrastructure relies on a proxy that terminates all external HTTPS traffic and forwards plain HTTP requests to the custom inference container, which must listen exclusively on port 8080 to integrate seamlessly with this architecture. On the AWS Certified Machine Learning Engineer Associate MLA-C01 exam, this concept tests your understanding of SageMaker’s container contract and the proxy-based request flow—a common trap is assuming HTTPS or a different port like 443 is required. Remember that SageMaker handles encryption at the proxy layer, so your container only needs to speak HTTP on 8080. A useful memory tip: think “8080 is the gateway to inference”—the proxy opens the HTTPS door, then your container answers on 8080 with HTTP.
MLA-C01 Deployment and Orchestration of ML Workflows Practice Question
This MLA-C01 practice question tests your understanding of deployment and orchestration of ml workflows. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. 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 team wants to apply a custom container for inference on SageMaker. The container needs to implement a web server that responds to API requests. Which protocol and port must the container listen on to be compatible with SageMaker hosting?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
The container must listen on port 8080 and use HTTP protocol.
SageMaker requires custom inference containers to listen on port 8080 and communicate over HTTP (not HTTPS). The SageMaker hosting service uses a proxy that terminates HTTPS and forwards plain HTTP requests to the container on port 8080. This ensures compatibility with the built-in model serving infrastructure.
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.
✗
The container must listen on port 8080 and use HTTPS protocol.
Why it's wrong here
SageMaker uses HTTP, not HTTPS for internal communication.
✓
The container must listen on port 8080 and use HTTP protocol.
Why this is correct
SageMaker expects HTTP on port 8080 for /invocations and /ping.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
The container can listen on any port as long as the port is specified in the endpoint configuration.
Why it's wrong here
SageMaker only supports port 8080 for inference containers.
✗
The container must listen on port 8000 and use HTTP protocol.
Why it's wrong here
SageMaker uses port 8080 by default.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates assume SageMaker requires HTTPS for security, but the service actually handles encryption externally, so the container must use plain HTTP on port 8080.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, SageMaker runs a reverse proxy (nginx-based) in front of your container that listens on port 443 (HTTPS) and forwards requests to the container's port 8080 over HTTP. This design offloads SSL/TLS termination to the proxy, simplifying container development. A common real-world scenario is when a team mistakenly configures their container to use HTTPS directly, causing the proxy to fail when forwarding unencrypted requests to an encrypted endpoint.
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.
Deployment and Orchestration of ML Workflows — This question tests Deployment and Orchestration of ML Workflows — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: The container must listen on port 8080 and use HTTP protocol. — SageMaker requires custom inference containers to listen on port 8080 and communicate over HTTP (not HTTPS). The SageMaker hosting service uses a proxy that terminates HTTPS and forwards plain HTTP requests to the container on port 8080. This ensures compatibility with the built-in model serving infrastructure.
What should I do if I get this MLA-C01 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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