Quick Answer
The answer is Amazon SQS, AWS Lambda, and Amazon S3. This combination directly addresses the need to decouple a monolithic application on AWS by replacing synchronous HTTP calls with asynchronous message queues via SQS, converting tightly coupled components into stateless, auto-scaling functions with Lambda, and migrating the shared file system to S3 for durable, scalable object storage. On the SAA-C03 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of the decoupling pattern for resilience—a common trap is choosing Amazon RDS or EC2 Auto Scaling instead of S3 and Lambda, but remember that stateless processing and message buffering are key to breaking monolith dependencies. A useful memory tip is “Queue, Compute, Store”: SQS for async messaging, Lambda for stateless compute, and S3 for shared storage replacement.
SAA-C03 Design Resilient Architectures Practice Question
This SAA-C03 practice question tests your understanding of design resilient architectures. 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 is migrating a legacy monolithic application to AWS and wants to improve its resilience by decoupling components. The application currently writes directly to a shared file system and uses synchronous HTTP calls between modules. Which three AWS services should the company use to achieve a more resilient, decoupled architecture? (Choose three.)
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
Amazon SQS for asynchronous message passing between application components.
Amazon SQS is correct because it enables asynchronous message passing between application components, decoupling them so that a failure in one component does not block others. This replaces the synchronous HTTP calls, improving resilience by allowing messages to be buffered and processed independently.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse shared storage solutions (EFS, EBS Multi-Attach) with decoupling mechanisms, but these still create tight coupling and single points of failure, whereas the correct services (SQS, SNS, Lambda) enable true asynchronous, stateless, and event-driven decoupling.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Amazon SQS uses a pull-based model where producers send messages to a queue and consumers poll for them, allowing for variable processing rates and fault isolation. Amazon SNS uses a push-based fan-out pattern to deliver messages to multiple subscribers (e.g., SQS queues, Lambda functions) simultaneously, enabling event-driven architectures. AWS Lambda runs stateless functions that scale automatically based on incoming events, eliminating the need to manage servers and allowing components to be independently deployed and scaled.
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 media company stores terabytes of video archives that are accessed once a year for audit purposes. Moving these objects to a cold storage tier (Azure Archive, S3 Glacier, or Google Nearline) costs a fraction of hot storage. Questions like this test whether you understand storage tiers, access frequency tradeoffs, and retrieval latency requirements.
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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 — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Amazon SQS for asynchronous message passing between application components. — Amazon SQS is correct because it enables asynchronous message passing between application components, decoupling them so that a failure in one component does not block others. This replaces the synchronous HTTP calls, improving resilience by allowing messages to be buffered and processed independently.
What should I do if I get this SAA-C03 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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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
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