- A
Network Load Balancer (NLB) with target group stickiness.
NLB supports TLS termination and sticky sessions via target group stickiness (source IP affinity). This makes it a valid option for the requirements.
- B
Application Load Balancer (ALB) with stickiness and SSL termination.
Why wrong: ALB also supports sticky sessions and SSL termination, but it is not the only option. The question asks for what should be used, and NLB is equally suitable.
- C
Classic Load Balancer (CLB) with SSL termination at the instance.
Why wrong: Classic Load Balancer supports SSL termination at the instance, but it lacks advanced routing features and is legacy. It is not recommended for microservices.
- D
AWS Lambda with API Gateway.
Why wrong: AWS Lambda with API Gateway is not a load balancer and cannot provide sticky sessions or SSL termination for containerized services directly.
SAP-C02 Continuous Improvement for Existing Solutions Practice Question
This SAP-C02 practice question tests your understanding of continuous improvement for existing solutions. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. 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 plan to use Amazon ECS with Fargate for containerized microservices. The application requires sticky sessions and SSL termination. What should the company use 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
Network Load Balancer (NLB) with target group stickiness.
Network Load Balancer (NLB) supports TLS termination at the listener level and provides sticky sessions through target group stickiness (source IP affinity). This meets the requirements for containerized microservices on Amazon ECS with Fargate. Application Load Balancer (ALB) also supports sticky sessions and SSL termination, but NLB is more cost-effective for high-throughput scenarios and works well with Fargate. Options C and D are incorrect because Classic Load Balancer is legacy and lacks advanced features, while AWS Lambda with API Gateway is not a load balancer and cannot directly provide sticky sessions.
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.
- ✓
Network Load Balancer (NLB) with target group stickiness.
Why this is correct
NLB supports TLS termination and sticky sessions via target group stickiness (source IP affinity). This makes it a valid option for the requirements.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Application Load Balancer (ALB) with stickiness and SSL termination.
Why it's wrong here
ALB also supports sticky sessions and SSL termination, but it is not the only option. The question asks for what should be used, and NLB is equally suitable.
- ✗
Classic Load Balancer (CLB) with SSL termination at the instance.
Why it's wrong here
Classic Load Balancer supports SSL termination at the instance, but it lacks advanced routing features and is legacy. It is not recommended for microservices.
- ✗
AWS Lambda with API Gateway.
Why it's wrong here
AWS Lambda with API Gateway is not a load balancer and cannot provide sticky sessions or SSL termination for containerized services directly.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
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
How to think about this question
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.
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.
- Use explanations to understand the rule behind the answer.
TExam Day Tips
- Underline the problem statement mentally.
- 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 startup's cloud architect reviews their monthly bill and notices costs are higher than expected for a long-running batch job. Switching from on-demand instances to Reserved Instances — or using Spot/Preemptible VMs — can reduce compute costs by up to 72 %. Questions like this test whether you understand the tradeoffs between commitment, flexibility, and cost across cloud pricing models.
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 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.
- →
Continuous Improvement for Existing Solutions — study guide chapter
Learn the concepts, then practise the questions
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Continuous Improvement for Existing Solutions practice questions
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SAP-C02 question test?
Continuous Improvement for Existing Solutions — This question tests Continuous Improvement for Existing Solutions — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Network Load Balancer (NLB) with target group stickiness. — Network Load Balancer (NLB) supports TLS termination at the listener level and provides sticky sessions through target group stickiness (source IP affinity). This meets the requirements for containerized microservices on Amazon ECS with Fargate. Application Load Balancer (ALB) also supports sticky sessions and SSL termination, but NLB is more cost-effective for high-throughput scenarios and works well with Fargate. Options C and D are incorrect because Classic Load Balancer is legacy and lacks advanced features, while AWS Lambda with API Gateway is not a load balancer and cannot directly provide sticky sessions.
What should I do if I get this SAP-C02 question wrong?
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.
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: 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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