- A
Use AWS Cloud Map for service discovery and an Application Load Balancer for inter-service communication with TLS termination.
Why wrong: ALB is designed for external traffic, not for direct service-to-service communication; also adds latency.
- B
Use the built-in service discovery in Amazon ECS and encrypt traffic using AWS Certificate Manager (ACM) certificates.
Why wrong: ECS built-in service discovery is limited; ACM does not automatically encrypt inter-service traffic.
- C
Use an Application Load Balancer with target groups for each service and enable TLS on the load balancer.
Why wrong: ALB does not provide service discovery; services would need to know the ALB endpoint.
- D
Use AWS Cloud Map for service discovery and AWS App Mesh with TLS enforcement for inter-service communication.
Cloud Map provides DNS-based service discovery; App Mesh enables mTLS between services.
Quick Answer
The correct combination is AWS Cloud Map for service discovery and AWS App Mesh with TLS enforcement for inter-service encryption. Cloud Map provides a dynamic DNS-based registry that allows ECS Fargate services to resolve each other by logical service names, while App Mesh acts as a service mesh that can enforce TLS encryption for all traffic between microservices, meeting the security team’s requirement for encrypted in-transit communication. On the SAP-C02 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of how to separate service discovery from traffic encryption—a common trap is assuming an Application Load Balancer can handle inter-service TLS, but ALBs are designed for external ingress, not east-west mTLS between services. Another pitfall is thinking ECS’s default service discovery suffices; it does not—you must explicitly integrate Cloud Map. Memory tip: “Cloud Map finds, App Mesh binds” — Cloud Map handles name resolution, App Mesh enforces the TLS handshake.
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.
A company is deploying a new microservices application on Amazon ECS using Fargate. The application consists of several services that need to communicate with each other. The company wants to use service discovery so that services can find each other by name. Additionally, the company needs to ensure that traffic between services is encrypted in transit. The security team requires that all inter-service traffic uses TLS. Which combination of services should be used 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
Use AWS Cloud Map for service discovery and AWS App Mesh with TLS enforcement for inter-service communication.
Option A is correct because AWS Cloud Map provides service discovery and AWS App Mesh can enforce TLS encryption for inter-service traffic. Option B: Service discovery via Cloud Map works, but ALB is for external traffic, not inter-service mTLS. Option C: Service discovery is not provided by default in ECS; you need Cloud Map. Option D: ALB can route traffic but does not provide service discovery by service name.
Key principle: NAT direction and interface roles matter as much as the IP address mapping. Inside/outside designation controls which traffic is translated.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Use AWS Cloud Map for service discovery and an Application Load Balancer for inter-service communication with TLS termination.
Why it's wrong here
ALB is designed for external traffic, not for direct service-to-service communication; also adds latency.
- ✗
Use the built-in service discovery in Amazon ECS and encrypt traffic using AWS Certificate Manager (ACM) certificates.
Why it's wrong here
ECS built-in service discovery is limited; ACM does not automatically encrypt inter-service traffic.
- ✗
Use an Application Load Balancer with target groups for each service and enable TLS on the load balancer.
Why it's wrong here
ALB does not provide service discovery; services would need to know the ALB endpoint.
- ✓
Use AWS Cloud Map for service discovery and AWS App Mesh with TLS enforcement for inter-service communication.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: NAT rules depend on direction and matching traffic
NAT is not only about the public address. The inside/outside interface roles and the ACL or rule that matches traffic are just as important.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
NAT questions usually test address translation, overload/PAT behaviour, static mappings and whether the right traffic is being translated. Read the interface direction and address terms carefully.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
- PAT allows many inside hosts to share one public address using ports.
- Inside local and inside global describe the private and translated addresses.
- NAT ACLs identify traffic for translation, not always security filtering.
TExam Day Tips
- Identify inside and outside interfaces first.
- Check whether the scenario needs static NAT, dynamic NAT or PAT.
- Do not confuse NAT matching ACLs with normal packet-filtering intent.
Key takeaway
NAT direction and interface roles matter as much as the IP address mapping. Inside/outside designation controls which traffic is translated.
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. NAT direction and interface roles matter as much as the IP address mapping. Inside/outside designation controls which traffic is translated. Cloud exam questions reward reading the constraint carefully: the same technology can be right or wrong depending on the use case.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Review the four NAT address types (inside local, inside global, outside local, outside global), PAT port overload, and static vs dynamic NAT use cases. Then practise related SAP-C02 NAT questions on configuration and troubleshooting.
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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 — Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Use AWS Cloud Map for service discovery and AWS App Mesh with TLS enforcement for inter-service communication. — Option A is correct because AWS Cloud Map provides service discovery and AWS App Mesh can enforce TLS encryption for inter-service traffic. Option B: Service discovery via Cloud Map works, but ALB is for external traffic, not inter-service mTLS. Option C: Service discovery is not provided by default in ECS; you need Cloud Map. Option D: ALB can route traffic but does not provide service discovery by service name.
What should I do if I get this SAP-C02 question wrong?
Review the four NAT address types (inside local, inside global, outside local, outside global), PAT port overload, and static vs dynamic NAT use cases. Then practise related SAP-C02 NAT questions on configuration and troubleshooting.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
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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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