Quick Answer
The correct choice is a public certificate issued by ACM with DNS validation. ACM automatically renews public certificates that use DNS validation because the service can re-verify domain ownership by checking the DNS record it originally created, eliminating any manual intervention. On the AWS Certified Advanced Networking Specialty ANS-C01 exam, this concept tests your understanding of ACM’s managed renewal lifecycle versus manual renewal for imported or private certificates—a common trap is assuming any ACM certificate renews automatically, but only public certificates with DNS validation qualify. For a website on an ALB, private certificates won’t be trusted by browsers, and imported or self-signed certificates require manual renewal steps. Remember the memory tip: “DNS does the dirty work” for automatic renewal.
This ANS-C01 practice question tests your understanding of network security, compliance and governance. 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 wants to use AWS Certificate Manager (ACM) to provide a TLS certificate for a website hosted on an ALB. The domain is example.com, and the certificate must be renewed automatically. Which type of certificate should be requested?
A private certificate issued by ACM Private CA
Why wrong: Private CA for internal use.
A self-signed certificate generated with OpenSSL
Why wrong: Not trusted by browsers.
A certificate imported into ACM from a third-party CA
Why wrong: Must be manually renewed before expiration.
A public certificate issued by ACM with DNS validation
ACM handles renewal automatically.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
A public certificate issued by ACM with DNS validation
Option B is correct because ACM automatically renews public certificates if DNS validation is used. Option A is wrong because private certificates are not for public websites. Option C is wrong because imported certificates must be manually renewed. Option D is wrong because self-signed certificates are not trusted by browsers.
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.
A private certificate issued by ACM Private CA
Why it's wrong here
Private CA for internal use.
A self-signed certificate generated with OpenSSL
Why it's wrong here
Not trusted by browsers.
A certificate imported into ACM from a third-party CA
Why it's wrong here
Must be manually renewed before expiration.
A public certificate issued by ACM with DNS validation
Why this is correct
ACM handles renewal automatically.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
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
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.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
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
Identify which ANS-C01 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
Network Security, Compliance and Governance — This question tests Network Security, Compliance and Governance — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: A public certificate issued by ACM with DNS validation — Option B is correct because ACM automatically renews public certificates if DNS validation is used. Option A is wrong because private certificates are not for public websites. Option C is wrong because imported certificates must be manually renewed. Option D is wrong because self-signed certificates are not trusted by browsers.
Identify which ANS-C01 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.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 20, 2026
This ANS-C01 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 ANS-C01 exam.
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