SAP-C02 Practice Question: Accelerate Workload Migration and Modernization
A company is migrating a web application to AWS and wants to use a containerized architecture. The application consists of multiple microservices that communicate via REST APIs. The company needs a solution that minimizes operational overhead for managing containers and orchestrating microservices. Which AWS service should the company use?
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 ECS with AWS Fargate launch type.
Amazon ECS with the Fargate launch type is the correct choice because it allows you to run containers without managing the underlying servers or cluster, thus minimizing operational overhead. Fargate is a serverless compute engine for containers, perfectly suited for microservices requiring minimal management. Option A (EKS with managed node groups) still requires management of worker nodes and is more complex. Option B (Lambda) is for functions, not containerized microservices. Option C (EC2 with Docker) involves significant operational overhead for managing instances and Docker.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Amazon EKS with managed node groups.
Why it's wrong here
Managed node groups still leave you patching nodes, scaling groups and upgrading Kubernetes versions, so operational overhead is not minimised. EKS suits teams needing Kubernetes APIs, custom controllers or portability across clouds, where that control justifies the management burden.
- ✗
AWS Lambda functions for each microservice.
Why it's wrong here
Lambda runs event-driven functions, not long-lived containerised microservices; REST APIs between services would need API Gateway or SDK wiring, and the stem specifies a containerised architecture. Lambda is right for sporadic, short-lived compute triggered by events.
- ✗
Amazon EC2 with Docker installed on each instance.
Why it's wrong here
Running Docker directly on EC2 leaves orchestration, scheduling, health checks and scaling entirely to you, which contradicts minimising operational overhead. This suits teams needing full host control or specific kernel and networking configurations unsupported by managed services.
- ✓
Amazon ECS with AWS Fargate launch type.
Why this is correct
Fargate removes the need to provision or patch EC2 instances, so AWS manages the container host layer entirely. ECS still orchestrates the microservices and their REST connectivity, satisfying the requirement to minimise operational overhead for container management and orchestration.
Quick reference
Cloud Service Model Comparison
| Model | You Manage | Provider Manages | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| IaaS | OS, runtime, apps, data | Hardware, hypervisor, networking | EC2, Azure VMs, GCP Compute Engine |
| PaaS | Apps and data | OS, runtime, middleware, hardware | Elastic Beanstalk, Azure App Service |
| SaaS | Data and settings only | Everything else | Microsoft 365, Salesforce, Workday |
| FaaS / Serverless | Function code only | Infra, scaling, runtime | Lambda, Azure Functions, Cloud Run |
| CaaS | Containers and apps | Kubernetes, OS, hardware | EKS, AKS, GKE |
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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.