- A
Amazon Simple Notification Service (SNS)
SNS is a pub/sub service for decoupling.
- B
AWS Direct Connect
Why wrong: Direct Connect is a dedicated network connection.
- C
Amazon Route 53
Why wrong: Route 53 is a DNS service.
- D
Amazon Simple Queue Service (SQS)
SQS is a message queue service for decoupling.
- E
Amazon ElastiCache
Why wrong: ElastiCache is a caching service, not for decoupling.
Question 1,157 of 1,746
SAP-C02 Design for New Solutions Practice Question
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.
Which TWO AWS services can be used to decouple components in a new microservices architecture? (Choose two.)
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 Simple Notification Service (SNS)
Amazon Simple Notification Service (SNS) is a fully managed pub/sub messaging service that enables microservices to communicate asynchronously. One service can publish a message to an SNS topic, and multiple subscriber services (e.g., Lambda, SQS, HTTP endpoints) can receive and process that message independently, decoupling the producer from the consumers.
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.
- ✓
Amazon Simple Notification Service (SNS)
Why this is correct
SNS is a pub/sub service for decoupling.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
AWS Direct Connect
Why it's wrong here
Direct Connect is a dedicated network connection.
- ✗
Amazon Route 53
Why it's wrong here
Route 53 is a DNS service.
- ✓
Amazon Simple Queue Service (SQS)
Why this is correct
SQS is a message queue service for decoupling.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Amazon ElastiCache
Why it's wrong here
ElastiCache is a caching service, not for decoupling.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse caching services (ElastiCache) or network services (Direct Connect, Route 53) with messaging services, failing to recognize that decoupling requires asynchronous communication via queues or pub/sub topics.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
SNS supports fan-out patterns where a single message published to a topic is delivered to multiple SQS queues, Lambda functions, and HTTP endpoints in parallel, enabling event-driven architectures. SQS provides at-least-once delivery and supports message retention up to 14 days, with visibility timeouts to handle consumer failures. Together, they form the backbone of AWS's asynchronous messaging, with SNS handling push-based broadcast and SQS handling pull-based buffering.
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 cloud solutions architect for a retail company is evaluating services for a new workload. The correct answer here reflects best practice for the specific scenario described — not a general cloud recommendation. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Cloud exam questions reward reading the constraint carefully: the same technology can be right or wrong depending on the use case.
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 |
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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Design for New Solutions — study guide chapter
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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: Amazon Simple Notification Service (SNS) — Amazon Simple Notification Service (SNS) is a fully managed pub/sub messaging service that enables microservices to communicate asynchronously. One service can publish a message to an SNS topic, and multiple subscriber services (e.g., Lambda, SQS, HTTP endpoints) can receive and process that message independently, decoupling the producer from the consumers.
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.
About these practice questions
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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 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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