- A
Set the target group HealthCheckGracePeriod to a very short value so the ALB quickly declares instances healthy or unhealthy.
Why wrong: A short grace period makes the target group start health evaluation before the application is ready. Instances that are still bootstrapping can be marked unhealthy, increasing the likelihood that all targets become unhealthy during rollout.
- B
Use an ASG rolling update approach that launches replacement instances first, ensures the new instances pass the ALB target group health checks, and only then terminates the old instances (for example, by configuring sufficient minimum healthy capacity and waiting on ALB health).
This sequencing avoids a “no healthy targets” window. By keeping capacity stable (or maintaining a minimum healthy percentage) and waiting for the new instances to be marked healthy by the ALB, traffic is only sent to healthy targets during replacement.
- C
Disable ALB target group health checks and route traffic to any registered targets so replacements do not depend on health check status.
Why wrong: Without ALB target health checks, the ALB cannot prevent requests from being forwarded to targets that are not ready or are failing during deployment. That directly increases the risk of 502 errors.
- D
Reduce the ASG desired capacity by one instance during deployments so the replacement happens faster.
Why wrong: Lowering desired capacity reduces the number of instances that can be healthy during the deployment. During transient bootstrapping or restart periods, it becomes easier for the entire target group to reach zero healthy targets.
Quick Answer
The answer is to use a rolling update deployment that launches replacement instances first, waits for them to pass the ALB target group health checks, and only then terminates the old instances. This approach prevents zero healthy targets in the ALB by ensuring that during the entire instance replacement process, the old instances continue serving traffic until the new ones are fully bootstrapped and verified healthy by the target group. On the SAA-C03 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of how ASG rolling updates interact with ALB health checks to maintain availability; the common trap is choosing a strategy that terminates old instances immediately, which causes the brief period of zero healthy targets and 502 errors. A key memory tip is “launch before you kill”—always ensure new instances are healthy and passing ALB checks before removing the old ones, using the minimum healthy capacity setting as your safety net.
SAA-C03 Design Resilient Architectures Practice Question
This SAA-C03 practice question tests your understanding of design resilient architectures. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. A key principle to apply: aSG rolling updates can launch new instances before terminating old ones.. 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 web application runs on an Auto Scaling group (ASG) behind an Application Load Balancer (ALB). The ASG uses the ALB target group health checks to decide when instances are healthy (for example, by using the ELB/target-group health check integration). During a deployment, the ASG performs instance replacement. Shortly after the deployment starts and while new instances are still bootstrapping, CloudWatch shows the ALB target group briefly has zero healthy targets, and users intermittently receive 502 responses. Which ASG deployment configuration best reduces the chance that there will be a period with zero healthy ALB targets, while still keeping failover behavior resilient?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue:
"best"Why it matters: Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.
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 an ASG rolling update approach that launches replacement instances first, ensures the new instances pass the ALB target group health checks, and only then terminates the old instances (for example, by configuring sufficient minimum healthy capacity and waiting on ALB health).
Option B is correct because it describes a rolling update strategy that launches new instances first, waits for them to pass ALB target group health checks, and only then terminates old instances. This ensures that at all times during the deployment, there is a sufficient number of healthy instances to serve traffic, preventing the ALB target group from ever having zero healthy targets. The ASG's minimum healthy capacity setting and the wait for ALB health check integration guarantee that failover remains resilient because the old instances continue to handle requests until the new ones are fully ready.
Key principle: ASG rolling updates can launch new instances before terminating old ones.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Set the target group HealthCheckGracePeriod to a very short value so the ALB quickly declares instances healthy or unhealthy.
Why it's wrong here
A short grace period makes the target group start health evaluation before the application is ready. Instances that are still bootstrapping can be marked unhealthy, increasing the likelihood that all targets become unhealthy during rollout.
- ✓
Use an ASG rolling update approach that launches replacement instances first, ensures the new instances pass the ALB target group health checks, and only then terminates the old instances (for example, by configuring sufficient minimum healthy capacity and waiting on ALB health).
Why this is correct
This sequencing avoids a “no healthy targets” window. By keeping capacity stable (or maintaining a minimum healthy percentage) and waiting for the new instances to be marked healthy by the ALB, traffic is only sent to healthy targets during replacement.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "best" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
ASG rolling updates can launch new instances before terminating old ones.
- ✗
Disable ALB target group health checks and route traffic to any registered targets so replacements do not depend on health check status.
Why it's wrong here
Without ALB target health checks, the ALB cannot prevent requests from being forwarded to targets that are not ready or are failing during deployment. That directly increases the risk of 502 errors.
- ✗
Reduce the ASG desired capacity by one instance during deployments so the replacement happens faster.
Why it's wrong here
Lowering desired capacity reduces the number of instances that can be healthy during the deployment. During transient bootstrapping or restart periods, it becomes easier for the entire target group to reach zero healthy targets.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often think reducing the health check grace period or disabling health checks will speed up recovery, but in reality, these actions either cause premature removal of healthy instances or allow traffic to unhealthy instances, both of which increase the likelihood of 502 errors and reduce resilience.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, the ASG's rolling update with 'wait on ALB health' uses the ELB health check integration to monitor the target group's health status before proceeding to terminate old instances. The minimum healthy capacity parameter (e.g., 100% or a specific number) ensures that the ASG never allows the number of healthy instances to drop below that threshold during the update. In real-world scenarios, this prevents the 'thundering herd' problem where all old instances are terminated simultaneously, causing a full outage until new instances bootstrap and pass health checks.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- ASG rolling updates can launch new instances before terminating old ones.
- ALB target group health checks determine if an instance receives traffic.
- ASG can be configured to wait for ALB health checks during instance replacement.
- Maintaining minimum healthy capacity prevents zero healthy targets during deployments.
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
ASG rolling updates can launch new instances before terminating old ones.
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. ASG rolling updates can launch new instances before terminating old ones. 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.
Review aSG rolling updates can launch new instances before terminating old ones., then practise related SAA-C03 questions on the same topic to reinforce the concept.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SAA-C03 question test?
Design Resilient Architectures — This question tests Design Resilient Architectures — ASG rolling updates can launch new instances before terminating old ones..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Use an ASG rolling update approach that launches replacement instances first, ensures the new instances pass the ALB target group health checks, and only then terminates the old instances (for example, by configuring sufficient minimum healthy capacity and waiting on ALB health). — Option B is correct because it describes a rolling update strategy that launches new instances first, waits for them to pass ALB target group health checks, and only then terminates old instances. This ensures that at all times during the deployment, there is a sufficient number of healthy instances to serve traffic, preventing the ALB target group from ever having zero healthy targets. The ASG's minimum healthy capacity setting and the wait for ALB health check integration guarantee that failover remains resilient because the old instances continue to handle requests until the new ones are fully ready.
What should I do if I get this SAA-C03 question wrong?
Review aSG rolling updates can launch new instances before terminating old ones., then practise related SAA-C03 questions on the same topic to reinforce the concept.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "best". Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.
What is the key concept behind this question?
ASG rolling updates can launch new instances before terminating old ones.
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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
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