The answer is to assign an IAM role to the Lambda function with permissions to connect to RDS, place the Lambda function in the same VPC as the RDS instance, and use security groups to control traffic between them. This configuration is correct because it ensures that Lambda accesses the database over a private IP address within the VPC, eliminating exposure to the public internet while using IAM credentials for fine-grained authentication. On the AWS Certified Solutions Architect Professional SAP-C02 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of VPC networking, security group stateful filtering, and least-privilege IAM policies—a common trap is assuming Lambda can natively reach private RDS instances without VPC attachment or that security groups alone replace IAM roles. Remember the mnemonic “VPC, IAM, SG” to recall the three pillars: VPC placement for private routing, IAM role for permissions, and security groups for port-level access control.
SAP-C02 Design for New Solutions Practice Question
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 using AWS Lambda. The application needs to access an Amazon RDS database. Which THREE steps are required to secure the database access? (Choose THREE.)
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Place the Lambda function in a VPC with access to the RDS instance
Option A is correct because placing the Lambda function in the same VPC as the RDS instance allows it to communicate over a private IP address, eliminating exposure to the public internet. This is essential for secure database access, as Lambda functions outside the VPC cannot directly connect to RDS instances that are not publicly accessible.
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.
✓
Place the Lambda function in a VPC with access to the RDS instance
Why this is correct
Lambda in VPC can access RDS.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Store database credentials in the Lambda function code
Why it's wrong here
Credentials should not be hardcoded.
✓
Assign an IAM role to the Lambda function with permissions to connect to RDS
Why this is correct
IAM role grants permissions.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Use a public IP address for the RDS instance
Why it's wrong here
Public IP is not secure.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse IAM roles with direct database authentication, thinking that assigning an IAM role alone is sufficient without also configuring IAM database authentication on the RDS side, or they overlook the necessity of VPC placement for private network connectivity.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
When a Lambda function is attached to a VPC, it uses an elastic network interface (ENI) in the VPC to communicate with resources like RDS. The IAM role assigned to the Lambda function must include permissions for actions such as `rds-db:connect` (for IAM database authentication) or the function can use Secrets Manager to retrieve credentials, which also requires IAM permissions. This layered security model ensures that network access and authentication are both controlled.
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: Place the Lambda function in a VPC with access to the RDS instance — Option A is correct because placing the Lambda function in the same VPC as the RDS instance allows it to communicate over a private IP address, eliminating exposure to the public internet. This is essential for secure database access, as Lambda functions outside the VPC cannot directly connect to RDS instances that are not publicly accessible.
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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