Question 1easymultiple choice
Full question →easymultiple choiceObjective-mapped
A backend API uses an AWS Lambda function behind API Gateway. The first requests after every weekly deployment experience cold starts, causing p95 latency spikes for a few minutes. Which configuration most directly prevents those cold starts for the published version?
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Good practice is not just finding the correct option. The wrong answers often show the exact trap the exam wants you to fall into.
A
Distractor review
Increase the Lambda memory size only, without changing how Lambda is invoked
Higher memory increases available CPU and can reduce execution time, which may help average latency. However, it does not guarantee that execution environments are already initialized after a deployment, so cold starts can still occur.
B
Best answer
Use Lambda provisioned concurrency for the version via an alias
Provisioned concurrency keeps Lambda execution environments initialized and ready for a specific published version. By attaching it to an alias (for example, pointing the alias used by API Gateway to the new version), you pre-warm environments so the first requests after deployment are served without cold-start initialization.
C
Distractor review
Enable dead-letter queues (DLQ) to retry failed cold starts
Dead-letter queues are for events that fail after retries (for example, invocation errors). Cold starts are not invocation failures; they are increased latency due to environment initialization. DLQs do not pre-initialize environments.
D
Distractor review
Attach a CloudFront distribution to cache API Gateway responses for 5 minutes
Caching API responses can reduce origin/API Gateway traffic for repeat reads, but it does not change Lambda’s initialization behavior for requests that do reach Lambda. Cold starts would still occur for any cache misses or uncached requests.
Common exam trap
Common exam trap: NAT rules depend on direction and matching traffic
NAT is not only about the public address. The inside/outside interface roles and the ACL or rule that matches traffic are just as important.
Technical deep dive
How to think about this question
NAT questions usually test address translation, overload/PAT behaviour, static mappings and whether the right traffic is being translated. Read the interface direction and address terms carefully.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
- PAT allows many inside hosts to share one public address using ports.
- Inside local and inside global describe the private and translated addresses.
- NAT ACLs identify traffic for translation, not always security filtering.
TExam Day Tips
- Identify inside and outside interfaces first.
- Check whether the scenario needs static NAT, dynamic NAT or PAT.
- Do not confuse NAT matching ACLs with normal packet-filtering intent.
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More questions from this exam
Keep practising from the same exam bank, or move into a focused topic page if this question exposed a weak area.
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Question 2
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Question 3
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Question 4
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Question 5
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SAA-C03 question test?
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Use Lambda provisioned concurrency for the version via an alias — Use Lambda provisioned concurrency for the version through an alias. Provisioned concurrency pre-initializes a configurable number of Lambda execution environments and keeps them warm. Because it is associated with a specific Lambda version and configured on an alias, API Gateway traffic can consistently hit already-initialized environments immediately after deployments, preventing the cold-start-driven p95 latency spikes for the first requests. Why others are wrong: Changing memory size can reduce execution duration but does not reserve warm environments for new versions. DLQs handle failed event processing, not cold-start initialization. CloudFront caching can reduce the number of Lambda invocations, but it does not eliminate cold starts when the request ultimately invokes Lambda (for example, after cache misses or for dynamic responses).
What should I do if I get this SAA-C03 question wrong?
Then try more questions from the same exam bank and focus on understanding why the wrong options are tempting.
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