SAP-C02 Continuous Improvement for Existing Solutions Practice Question
A company uses an AWS CodePipeline to deploy a serverless application. The pipeline includes a build stage that runs on AWS CodeBuild and a deploy stage that updates an AWS Lambda function. The company wants to add a manual approval step before the deploy stage. What is the most efficient way to implement this?
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
✓
Add a manual approval action in the CodePipeline stage before deploy.
AWS CodePipeline has a built-in manual approval action that can be added as a stage before the deploy stage, providing the most efficient way to add manual approval. Option A is incorrect because using a Lambda function for approval is unnecessarily complex compared to the built-in action. Option B is incorrect because a CloudFormation wait condition is not designed for approval workflows in CodePipeline. Option C is incorrect because an SNS topic can notify approvers but does not integrate directly as an approval action in CodePipeline; the manual approval action is the native solution.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Add an AWS Lambda function that sends an email for approval.
Why it's wrong here
A custom Lambda sending email provides no pipeline gate: CodePipeline cannot pause on it, so the deploy stage proceeds regardless of any reply. It fits bespoke notification workflows outside pipeline control; the requirement is a native approval action that halts execution until an approver responds.
- ✗
Use an AWS CloudFormation stack with a wait condition.
Why it's wrong here
A CloudFormation wait condition blocks stack creation pending a signal, not a CodePipeline stage transition, so the deploy stage still runs. It suits coordinating EC2 bootstrapping within a template; the stem needs an approval action inside the pipeline before deploy.
- ✗
Configure an Amazon SNS topic to notify approvers.
Why it's wrong here
An SNS topic only delivers notifications; it neither pauses the pipeline nor records an approval decision, so the deploy stage would still run. It is tempting because SNS is the notification channel used by CodePipeline's manual approval action, but the action itself must be added to the deploy stage.
- ✓
Add a manual approval action in the CodePipeline stage before deploy.
Why this is correct
CodePipeline natively supports a manual approval action, which pauses the pipeline and notifies approvers before the deploy stage runs. Inserting it directly into the existing stage avoids custom Lambda polling or external tooling, meeting the requirement for the most efficient implementation.
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.