Quick Answer
The answer is Amazon EKS. This is the correct choice because Amazon EKS is a fully managed Kubernetes service that provides native container orchestration for microservices, allowing you to run and scale containerized applications using the open-source Kubernetes control plane. On the AWS Certified Solutions Architect Professional SAP-C02 exam, this question tests your ability to distinguish between AWS container services based on orchestration versus compute: EKS and ECS are both orchestration services, but ECS uses AWS proprietary scheduling, while EKS uses the industry-standard Kubernetes API. A common trap is selecting Fargate, which is a serverless compute engine for containers, not an orchestration layer, or Lambda, which is for functions, not containers. For the exam, remember the mnemonic "K8s for Kubernetes, ECS for Amazon’s own" — when the question emphasizes open-source orchestration or Kubernetes, always choose EKS.
This SAP-C02 practice question tests your understanding of design for new solutions. 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 migrating a legacy monolithic application to AWS. They want to refactor the application into microservices and use container orchestration. Which AWS service should they use to manage the containers?
AWS Lambda
Why wrong: Lambda is for serverless functions, not containers.
Amazon ECS
Why wrong: ECS is a container orchestration service but not Kubernetes-based.
Amazon EKS
EKS is a managed Kubernetes service.
AWS Fargate
Why wrong: Fargate is a compute platform for containers, not orchestration.
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 EKS
Option B is correct because Amazon EKS is a managed Kubernetes service for container orchestration. Option A is wrong because ECS is also a container orchestration service but uses AWS proprietary, not Kubernetes. Option D is wrong because Fargate is a compute engine for containers, not an orchestration service. Option C is wrong because Lambda is serverless, not for containers.
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.
AWS Lambda
Why it's wrong here
Lambda is for serverless functions, not containers.
Amazon ECS
Why it's wrong here
ECS is a container orchestration service but not Kubernetes-based.
Amazon EKS
Why this is correct
EKS is a managed Kubernetes service.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
AWS Fargate
Why it's wrong here
Fargate is a compute platform for containers, not orchestration.
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
An e-commerce site experiences heavy traffic on Black Friday and near-zero traffic during off-peak weeks. Rather than provisioning permanent large VMs, the team uses auto-scaling groups that add capacity automatically under load and reduce it overnight. Questions like this test whether you understand elasticity, availability zones, and cloud compute scaling patterns.
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.
Design for New Solutions — study guide chapter
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FAQ
Design for New Solutions — This question tests Design for New Solutions — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: Amazon EKS — Option B is correct because Amazon EKS is a managed Kubernetes service for container orchestration. Option A is wrong because ECS is also a container orchestration service but uses AWS proprietary, not Kubernetes. Option D is wrong because Fargate is a compute engine for containers, not an orchestration service. Option C is wrong because Lambda is serverless, not for containers.
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
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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.
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