- A
Configure the CloudWatch Logs agent on each instance to stream logs to CloudWatch Logs.
CloudWatch Logs persists logs independently of instance lifecycle and supports real-time streaming.
- B
Store logs on an EBS volume and take regular snapshots.
Why wrong: Snapshots are periodic backups, not a solution for continuous log access; logs on the volume are lost if the instance is terminated.
- C
Write logs to the instance store volume of each EC2 instance.
Why wrong: Instance store data is lost when the instance is stopped or terminated.
- D
Write logs to an Amazon S3 bucket mounted on each instance using NFS.
Why wrong: S3 is object storage, not a file system; mounting via NFS is not a native feature and adds complexity.
Question 841 of 1,746
SAP-C02 Design for New Solutions Practice Question
This SAP-C02 practice question tests your understanding of design for new solutions. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. 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 multi-tier web application on AWS. The web tier must automatically scale based on CPU utilization, and the application tier must process messages from an SQS queue. The application tier instances are frequently terminated and replaced due to scaling events. Where should the application logs be stored to ensure they are retained regardless of instance lifecycle?
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
✓
Configure the CloudWatch Logs agent on each instance to stream logs to CloudWatch Logs.
Option A is correct because the CloudWatch Logs agent streams log data to Amazon CloudWatch Logs in real-time, decoupling log retention from the EC2 instance lifecycle. When instances are terminated, the logs are already persisted in CloudWatch Logs, ensuring they are retained regardless of scaling events.
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.
- ✓
Configure the CloudWatch Logs agent on each instance to stream logs to CloudWatch Logs.
Why this is correct
CloudWatch Logs persists logs independently of instance lifecycle and supports real-time streaming.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Store logs on an EBS volume and take regular snapshots.
Why it's wrong here
Snapshots are periodic backups, not a solution for continuous log access; logs on the volume are lost if the instance is terminated.
- ✗
Write logs to the instance store volume of each EC2 instance.
Why it's wrong here
Instance store data is lost when the instance is stopped or terminated.
- ✗
Write logs to an Amazon S3 bucket mounted on each instance using NFS.
Why it's wrong here
S3 is object storage, not a file system; mounting via NFS is not a native feature and adds complexity.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates may confuse instance store (ephemeral) with EBS (persistent) storage, or assume that mounting S3 via NFS is a straightforward AWS feature, when in fact CloudWatch Logs is the only fully managed, instance-lifecycle-independent solution for log retention in this scenario.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
The CloudWatch Logs agent uses the PutLogEvents API to send log data to log streams within log groups, supporting automatic log retention policies and encryption at rest via AWS KMS. In a multi-tier architecture with frequent scaling, this approach ensures logs are centralized and searchable without relying on instance persistence, and it integrates with CloudWatch Logs Insights for querying and alarms for operational monitoring.
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 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
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SAP-C02 question test?
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: Configure the CloudWatch Logs agent on each instance to stream logs to CloudWatch Logs. — Option A is correct because the CloudWatch Logs agent streams log data to Amazon CloudWatch Logs in real-time, decoupling log retention from the EC2 instance lifecycle. When instances are terminated, the logs are already persisted in CloudWatch Logs, ensuring they are retained regardless of scaling events.
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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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 2026
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