Quick Answer
The answer is Amazon SQS and Amazon SNS. These are the only two supported services for a Lambda dead-letter queue, meaning that when an asynchronous Lambda invocation fails after all retries, the event payload is redirected to either an SQS queue or an SNS topic for durable storage and later reprocessing. This design ensures zero data loss during burst traffic, as failed events are persisted rather than discarded. On the AWS Certified Solutions Architect Professional SAP-C02 exam, this concept often appears in questions about serverless resilience, where a common trap is assuming Lambda can send DLQ events to DynamoDB or Kinesis—it cannot. Remember, Lambda’s DLQ is strictly limited to SQS and SNS, so think “queue or topic, nothing else.” A helpful memory tip: “DLQ = SQS or SNS, no DDB or Kinesis.”
This SAP-C02 practice question tests your understanding of design for new solutions. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. 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 designing a new serverless application that uses AWS Lambda, Amazon DynamoDB, and Amazon API Gateway. The application must handle burst traffic and cannot lose any data. The company wants to use a dead-letter queue (DLQ) for failed Lambda invocations. Which TWO services can be used as a DLQ for Lambda? (Choose two.)
Amazon DynamoDB Streams
Why wrong: DynamoDB Streams is not a DLQ.
Amazon SNS
Lambda can use SNS as a DLQ for asynchronous invocations.
Amazon Kinesis Data Streams
Why wrong: Kinesis is not supported as a Lambda DLQ.
Amazon SQS
Lambda can use SQS as a DLQ for asynchronous invocations.
Amazon Simple Email Service (SES)
Why wrong: SES is for email, not a DLQ.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Amazon SNS
Amazon SNS and Amazon SQS are the two supported destinations for Lambda's dead-letter queue (DLQ) configuration. When a Lambda invocation fails synchronously or asynchronously, the event can be redirected to an SNS topic or an SQS queue for later reprocessing or analysis. This ensures no data is lost during burst traffic, as failed events are persisted in the DLQ.
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.
Amazon DynamoDB Streams
Why it's wrong here
DynamoDB Streams is not a DLQ.
Amazon SNS
Why this is correct
Lambda can use SNS as a DLQ for asynchronous invocations.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Amazon Kinesis Data Streams
Why it's wrong here
Kinesis is not supported as a Lambda DLQ.
Amazon SQS
Why this is correct
Lambda can use SQS as a DLQ for asynchronous invocations.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Amazon Simple Email Service (SES)
Why it's wrong here
SES is for email, not a DLQ.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates often confuse Lambda's event sources (like DynamoDB Streams or Kinesis) with supported DLQ destinations, but Lambda only allows SQS and SNS as DLQ targets for asynchronous invocations.
Detailed technical explanation
Lambda's DLQ feature works only with asynchronous invocation (event sources like S3, SNS, or CloudWatch Events). When a function fails after all retries, the event is sent to the configured SQS queue or SNS topic. For SQS, the message is stored with the same payload and attributes, allowing a separate consumer to process failures. For SNS, the event is published to subscribers (e.g., email, HTTP endpoint, or another Lambda). Note that Lambda's maximum retention period for DLQ messages in SQS is 14 days, and SNS delivery attempts follow the topic's retry policy.
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
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FAQ
Design for New Solutions — This question tests Design for New Solutions — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: Amazon SNS — Amazon SNS and Amazon SQS are the two supported destinations for Lambda's dead-letter queue (DLQ) configuration. When a Lambda invocation fails synchronously or asynchronously, the event can be redirected to an SNS topic or an SQS queue for later reprocessing or analysis. This ensures no data is lost during burst traffic, as failed events are persisted in the DLQ.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 24, 2026
This SAP-C02 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 SAP-C02 exam.
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