SAP-C02 Practice Question: Accelerate Workload Migration and Modernization
A company is migrating a multi-tier e-commerce application to AWS. The application consists of a web tier, an application tier, and a MySQL database tier. The company wants to improve scalability and availability while reducing administrative overhead. Which THREE actions should the solutions architect take? (Select THREE.)
⚠ Common exam trap
SAP-C02 often tests whether candidates confuse EFS with ElastiCache for session state and whether they over-apply Spot Instances to production critical workloads, so picking EFS or Spot is the common error.
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
✓
Migrate the MySQL database to Amazon RDS Multi-AZ
Option A is correct because Amazon RDS Multi-AZ maintains a synchronous standby replica in a second Availability Zone and automatically fails over the DNS endpoint during an AZ outage, which improves database availability while removing the administrative overhead of self-managed MySQL replication and patching. Option B is correct because storing session state in Amazon ElastiCache (Redis or Memcached) externalizes sessions from individual web instances, allowing any instance in the Auto Scaling group to serve any user request and enabling stateless, horizontally scalable web and application tiers. Option D is correct because an Application Load Balancer distributes HTTP/HTTPS traffic across targets in multiple AZs and an Auto Scaling group automatically replaces unhealthy instances and scales capacity with demand, directly delivering the required scalability and availability. Option C is not appropriate here because Amazon EFS is a shared POSIX file system that is unnecessary once sessions are externalized to ElastiCache, and it adds latency and cost without addressing the stated goals. Option E is not appropriate because Spot Instances can be reclaimed with a two-minute interruption notice, making them unsuitable for all instances of a production e-commerce application; they should be limited to fault-tolerant, stateless workloads.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Migrate the MySQL database to Amazon RDS Multi-AZ
Why this is correct
Amazon RDS Multi-AZ maintains a synchronous standby in a second Availability Zone with automatic failover, satisfying the availability requirement. RDS also removes database patching, backups and replication administration, directly addressing the reduced administrative overhead constraint.
- ✓
Use Amazon ElastiCache to cache session data
Why this is correct
Amazon ElastiCache stores session data in an in-memory tier shared by all application instances, so sessions survive instance replacement and any web or app tier node can serve any user. This removes the single-node session bottleneck, supporting horizontal scalability.
- ✗
Use Amazon EFS for shared storage between web instances
Why it's wrong here
Amazon EFS provides shared POSIX file storage, which the web tier does not need; session state belongs in ElastiCache or DynamoDB. EFS suits lift-and-shift applications requiring shared filesystem semantics across instances, such as content management systems, not horizontally scaled stateless web servers.
- ✓
Configure an Application Load Balancer and Auto Scaling group for the web tier
Why this is correct
An Application Load Balancer distributes HTTP traffic across targets in multiple Availability Zones, while an Auto Scaling group adds or removes web instances on demand. Together they deliver the required scalability and availability without manual provisioning.
- ✗
Use Spot Instances for all EC2 instances to reduce costs
Why it's wrong here
Spot Instances can be reclaimed with two minutes' notice, so they cannot underpin an e-commerce tier requiring sustained availability. They suit interruption-tolerant batch or stateless fault-tolerant workloads. The stem's availability goal demands On-Demand or Reserved capacity across the tiers instead.
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Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official Amazon Web Services exam blueprint
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.