Quick Answer
The correct answer is Amazon RDS for MySQL, Elastic Load Balancing, and Amazon ElastiCache. This combination directly addresses the need to replatform a legacy application onto AWS managed services by replacing the self-managed MySQL database with a fully managed RDS instance, distributing incoming web traffic across multiple targets with ELB, and offloading database reads with an in-memory caching layer via ElastiCache to improve performance. On the AWS Certified Solutions Architect Professional SAP-C02 exam, this scenario tests your ability to distinguish between managed and unmanaged services—a common trap is selecting Amazon EC2 or Amazon EBS, which are not fully managed and still require operational overhead. The search intent for replatforming a legacy application with AWS managed services emphasizes reducing administrative burden while modernizing the stack. Remember the mnemonic “REC” for RDS, ElastiCache, and ELB to quickly recall the three managed services that replace a traditional three-tier architecture without touching the application code.
This SAP-C02 practice question tests your understanding of accelerate workload migration and modernization. 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 replatforming a legacy application to use AWS managed services. The application consists of a web server, an application server, and a MySQL database. Which THREE AWS services should the company use to modernize the architecture? (Choose THREE.)
Amazon ElastiCache
ElastiCache provides managed caching.
Amazon EBS
Why wrong: EBS is block storage, not a managed service for modernization.
Elastic Load Balancing
ELB distributes traffic across instances.
Amazon Route 53
Why wrong: Route 53 is DNS, not part of the application modernization.
Amazon EC2
Why wrong: EC2 is not a managed service; it requires management.
Amazon RDS for MySQL
RDS is a managed database service.
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 ElastiCache
Amazon RDS for MySQL replaces the self-managed database. Elastic Load Balancing distributes traffic. Amazon ElastiCache adds caching for performance. Option A is wrong because EC2 is not a managed service. Option D is wrong because EBS is block storage. Option E is wrong because Route 53 is DNS.
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 ElastiCache
Why this is correct
ElastiCache provides managed caching.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Amazon EBS
Why it's wrong here
EBS is block storage, not a managed service for modernization.
Elastic Load Balancing
Why this is correct
ELB distributes traffic across instances.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Amazon Route 53
Why it's wrong here
Route 53 is DNS, not part of the application modernization.
Amazon EC2
Why it's wrong here
EC2 is not a managed service; it requires management.
Amazon RDS for MySQL
Why this is correct
RDS is a managed database service.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.
Detailed technical explanation
This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
A media company stores terabytes of video archives that are accessed once a year for audit purposes. Moving these objects to a cold storage tier (Azure Archive, S3 Glacier, or Google Nearline) costs a fraction of hot storage. Questions like this test whether you understand storage tiers, access frequency tradeoffs, and retrieval latency requirements.
What to study next
Identify which SAP-C02 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
Accelerate Workload Migration and Modernization — study guide chapter
Learn the concepts, then practise the questions
Accelerate Workload Migration and Modernization practice questions
Targeted practice on this topic area only
All SAP-C02 questions
1,746 questions across all exam domains
AWS Certified Solutions Architect Professional SAP-C02 study guide
Full concept coverage aligned to exam objectives
SAP-C02 practice test guide
How to use practice tests most effectively before exam day
Related practice questions
Use these pages to review the topic behind this question. This is how one missed question becomes focused revision.
Practise SAP-C02 questions linked to Design Solutions for Organizational Complexity.
Practise SAP-C02 questions linked to Design for New Solutions.
Practise SAP-C02 questions linked to Continuous Improvement for Existing Solutions.
Practise SAP-C02 questions linked to Accelerate Workload Migration and Modernization.
Practise SAP-C02 questions linked to SAA-C03 VPC.
Practise SAP-C02 questions linked to SAA-C03 S3 lifecycle policy questions.
Practise SAP-C02 questions linked to SAA-C03 RDS Multi-AZ questions.
Practise SAP-C02 questions linked to SAA-C03 IAM policy.
Practise SAP-C02 questions linked to SAA-C03 Route 53 failover questions.
Practise SAP-C02 questions linked to SAA-C03 CloudFront.
Practise SAP-C02 questions linked to SAA-C03 NAT gateway questions.
Practise SAP-C02 questions linked to SAA-C03 VPC endpoint questions.
Practice this exam
Short sessions build daily habit. Longer sessions build exam-day stamina. Try a timed session to simulate real conditions.
FAQ
Accelerate Workload Migration and Modernization — This question tests Accelerate Workload Migration and Modernization — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: Amazon ElastiCache — Amazon RDS for MySQL replaces the self-managed database. Elastic Load Balancing distributes traffic. Amazon ElastiCache adds caching for performance. Option A is wrong because EC2 is not a managed service. Option D is wrong because EBS is block storage. Option E is wrong because Route 53 is DNS.
Identify which SAP-C02 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
Same concept, more angles
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. A company is planning to migrate a three-tier web application to AWS. The application consists of a web server, an application server, and a MySQL database. The company wants to minimize operational overhead and improve scalability. Which THREE AWS services should the company use to modernize the architecture? (Choose THREE.)
mediumWhy B: Option A (ELB), Option C (Amazon RDS), and Option D (Amazon ECS) are correct. ELB distributes traffic, RDS manages MySQL, and ECS runs containers with minimal overhead. Option B (Amazon EC2) adds operational overhead. Option E (AWS Lambda) is not suitable for long-running application servers.
Variation 2. A company is migrating a multi-tier web application to AWS. The application consists of a web server, application server, and Oracle database. Which TWO AWS services should be used to modernize the application while reducing operational overhead?
mediumWhy A: Option A (Elastic Beanstalk) and Option D (RDS) are correct. Elastic Beanstalk manages the web and application servers, reducing operational overhead. RDS for Oracle manages the database. Option B (EC2) increases operational overhead. Option C (DynamoDB) is not suitable for Oracle migration. Option E (Lightsail) is limited for complex applications.
Variation 3. A company is migrating a multi-tier web application to AWS. The application consists of a web tier, an application tier, and a database tier. The company wants to use AWS services to improve scalability and reduce management overhead. The web and application tiers run on Linux. The database is Oracle running on Linux. Which solution meets these requirements with the LEAST operational overhead?
mediumWhy C: Option D is correct: Elastic Beanstalk manages web and app tiers automatically, and RDS for Oracle manages the database. Option A (EC2 + Auto Scaling) requires more manual management. Option B (ECS + Fargate) is more complex for a simple migration. Option C (ECS + EC2) requires managing EC2 instances.
Variation 4. A company is migrating a web application to AWS. The application consists of a stateless web tier, a stateful application tier, and a MySQL database. The company wants to use AWS managed services to improve scalability and reduce operational overhead. Which THREE services should the company use? (Choose THREE.)
hardWhy C: Options A, C, and E are correct. Option A: ALB for load balancing. Option C: ElastiCache for session state. Option E: RDS for MySQL. Option B is wrong because EC2 is not managed. Option D is wrong because S3 is not for stateful data.
Last reviewed: Jun 20, 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.
Question Discussion
Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.
Sign in to join the discussion.