The answer is to use an Application Load Balancer in front of the ECS service and associate it with AWS WAF. This configuration is correct because AWS WAF can only be attached to application-layer resources like an ALB or Amazon CloudFront, not directly to a Fargate task or a Network Load Balancer. The ALB terminates TLS and routes internet traffic to the ECS service, while WAF inspects the decrypted HTTP/HTTPS payload to block common exploits such as SQL injection or cross-site scripting. On the SAP-C02 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of how to architect secure, internet-facing containerized workloads using Fargate, and the common trap is choosing a Network Load Balancer or a VPC endpoint, which do not support WAF integration. Remember the memory tip: “WAF needs to see the payload, so it must sit behind a Layer 7 load balancer.”
SAP-C02 Design for New Solutions Practice Question
This SAP-C02 practice question tests your understanding of design for new solutions. 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 deploying a containerized application on Amazon ECS with Fargate. The application needs to be accessible from the internet and must be secured with an AWS WAF. Which TWO steps should be taken to achieve this?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Associate the ALB with an AWS WAF web ACL.
Option A is correct because AWS WAF can be associated with an Application Load Balancer (ALB) to filter HTTP/HTTPS traffic at the application layer. This allows you to protect the containerized application from common web exploits like SQL injection or cross-site scripting. Option B is correct because an ALB is required to route internet traffic to the ECS Fargate service and to terminate TLS, which is necessary for WAF to inspect the request payload.
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.
✓
Associate the ALB with an AWS WAF web ACL.
Why this is correct
WAF can be associated with ALB to filter malicious traffic.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✓
Use an Application Load Balancer in front of the ECS service.
Why this is correct
ALB supports integration with AWS WAF.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Use a Network Load Balancer in front of the ECS service.
Why it's wrong here
NLB does not support AWS WAF integration.
✗
Assign public IP addresses to the Fargate tasks.
Why it's wrong here
Direct internet access to tasks is not recommended; use a load balancer.
✗
Use Amazon CloudFront as a CDN.
Why it's wrong here
CloudFront can be used but adds unnecessary complexity.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often assume a Network Load Balancer can be used with WAF or that assigning public IPs to tasks is acceptable, but WAF requires Layer 7 inspection which only an ALB (or CloudFront) can provide, and direct public IPs bypass all security controls.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
AWS WAF integrates with ALB via web ACLs that evaluate rules against each incoming HTTP/HTTPS request before it reaches the target group. The ALB must be internet-facing and have a listener on port 80 or 443; WAF rules can inspect headers, query strings, URI paths, and body content. In a real-world scenario, you might also configure the ALB security group to only accept traffic from CloudFront IP ranges if using CloudFront, but the direct ALB+WAF approach is simpler and sufficient for most use cases.
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 company's IT admin needs to give a contractor read-only access to production logs without sharing account credentials. Using role-based access control (RBAC) and temporary scoped permissions — not a permanent shared password — is the correct pattern. Questions like this test whether you can apply least-privilege access across cloud identity services.
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.
Design for New Solutions — This question tests Design for New Solutions — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Associate the ALB with an AWS WAF web ACL. — Option A is correct because AWS WAF can be associated with an Application Load Balancer (ALB) to filter HTTP/HTTPS traffic at the application layer. This allows you to protect the containerized application from common web exploits like SQL injection or cross-site scripting. Option B is correct because an ALB is required to route internet traffic to the ECS Fargate service and to terminate TLS, which is necessary for WAF to inspect the request payload.
What should I do if I get this SAP-C02 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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