- A
Deploy an Application Load Balancer in front of each service for inter-service communication.
Why wrong: ALB is for external traffic; inter-service communication can be direct via DNS names.
- B
Create a VPC peering connection between the services' subnets.
Why wrong: Services are in the same VPC; no peering needed.
- C
Enable AWS Cloud Map for service discovery.
Cloud Map allows services to register and discover each other via DNS.
- D
Configure the ECS task definitions to use the awsvpc network mode.
awsvpc mode gives each task its own ENI and a DNS hostname.
- E
Create VPC endpoints for Amazon ECR and Amazon S3 to allow Fargate tasks to pull images.
Fargate tasks need to pull container images; VPC endpoints avoid NAT gateways and provide private connectivity.
Question 990 of 1,746
Enabling Service Discovery and Secure Communication for ECS Fargate Tasks Using Cloud Map and awsvpc
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 designing a new microservices architecture using Amazon ECS with the Fargate launch type. The services need to communicate securely within a VPC. The company requires that inter-service communication is encrypted and that the services can discover each other using DNS names. Which THREE steps should the company take to meet these requirements?
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
✓
Enable AWS Cloud Map for service discovery.
AWS Cloud Map is a cloud resource discovery service that allows microservices to dynamically discover each other using DNS names or API calls. By integrating Cloud Map with ECS service discovery, tasks can register themselves with a namespace, enabling other services to resolve their IP addresses via DNS queries, which satisfies the requirement for DNS-based discovery.
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.
- ✗
Deploy an Application Load Balancer in front of each service for inter-service communication.
Why it's wrong here
ALB is for external traffic; inter-service communication can be direct via DNS names.
- ✗
Create a VPC peering connection between the services' subnets.
Why it's wrong here
Services are in the same VPC; no peering needed.
- ✓
Enable AWS Cloud Map for service discovery.
Why this is correct
Cloud Map allows services to register and discover each other via DNS.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✓
Configure the ECS task definitions to use the awsvpc network mode.
Why this is correct
awsvpc mode gives each task its own ENI and a DNS hostname.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✓
Create VPC endpoints for Amazon ECR and Amazon S3 to allow Fargate tasks to pull images.
Why this is correct
Fargate tasks need to pull container images; VPC endpoints avoid NAT gateways and provide private connectivity.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse VPC peering or load balancers as solutions for service discovery, but AWS specifically tests that Cloud Map with awsvpc network mode is the correct combination for DNS-based discovery and secure inter-service communication within a VPC.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
AWS Cloud Map uses Route 53 auto-naming APIs to create DNS records (A or SRV records) for each service instance, with a configurable TTL (default 60 seconds) to balance freshness and DNS caching. When combined with ECS's awsvpc network mode, each task receives a unique elastic network interface (ENI) and a private IP address, which Cloud Map registers, allowing other services to resolve the task's IP directly without a load balancer. This setup supports health checks and automatic deregistration of unhealthy or stopped tasks, ensuring that only healthy endpoints are returned in DNS responses.
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.
Visual reference
What to study next
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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: Enable AWS Cloud Map for service discovery. — AWS Cloud Map is a cloud resource discovery service that allows microservices to dynamically discover each other using DNS names or API calls. By integrating Cloud Map with ECS service discovery, tasks can register themselves with a namespace, enabling other services to resolve their IP addresses via DNS queries, which satisfies the requirement for DNS-based discovery.
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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