The correct answer is to configure the environment’s load balancer to listen on port 443 with the ACM certificate and port 80 with a redirect rule. This works because the Elastic Beanstalk HTTPS redirect is handled at the load balancer level, where the ACM certificate terminates SSL/TLS on port 443, and a separate listener on port 80 uses a redirect action to send all HTTP traffic to HTTPS, offloading both encryption and redirection from the EC2 instances. On the AWS Certified Solutions Architect Professional SAP-C02 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of decoupling security concerns from application code, often appearing as a trap where candidates mistakenly configure redirection on the web server itself or use a self-signed certificate. The key insight is that Elastic Beanstalk with an ALB or CLB supports native redirect rules, making instance-level configuration unnecessary and less scalable. Memory tip: think “443 for secure, 80 for redirect” — the load balancer does the heavy lifting, not the instances.
SAP-C02 Design for New Solutions Practice Question
This SAP-C02 practice question tests your understanding of design for new solutions. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. 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 web application on AWS Elastic Beanstalk. The application must be accessible over HTTPS only and must automatically redirect HTTP requests to HTTPS. The SSL/TLS certificate is provided by AWS Certificate Manager (ACM). How should this be configured?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Configure the environment’s load balancer to listen on port 443 with the ACM certificate and port 80 with a redirect rule.
Option C is correct because Elastic Beanstalk environments using a load balancer (ALB or CLB) can be configured to listen on port 443 with the ACM certificate for HTTPS termination, and simultaneously define a listener on port 80 with a redirect action that sends HTTP traffic to HTTPS. This is the simplest and most scalable approach, as it offloads SSL termination and redirection to the load balancer, eliminating the need to manage certificates or redirection logic on individual instances.
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.
✗
Use a NAT instance to perform SSL termination and redirect.
Why it's wrong here
NAT instances are not designed for SSL termination.
✗
Install the certificate on each EC2 instance and configure the web server to redirect HTTP to HTTPS.
Why it's wrong here
Instance-level termination is not recommended; ACM certificates are best used with load balancers.
✓
Configure the environment’s load balancer to listen on port 443 with the ACM certificate and port 80 with a redirect rule.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Deploy a CloudFront distribution with the ACM certificate and redirect HTTP to HTTPS at the distribution level.
Why it's wrong here
CloudFront is overkill for a simple redirect; it adds cost and complexity.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often assume SSL termination must happen on the EC2 instances (Option B) or that a separate service like CloudFront (Option D) is required, when in fact the Elastic Beanstalk load balancer can natively handle both HTTPS termination and HTTP-to-HTTPS redirection with minimal configuration.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, Elastic Beanstalk's load balancer (Application Load Balancer) supports native redirect actions via listener rules. When you configure a port 80 listener with a redirect action to port 443, the ALB sends an HTTP 301 or 302 response to the client, which then retries the request over HTTPS. This avoids any round-trip to the backend instances for redirection, reducing latency and instance load. ACM certificates are automatically renewed, and the load balancer handles the TLS handshake, so backend instances only see plain HTTP traffic on a separate port (e.g., 8080).
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 company's IT admin needs to give a contractor read-only access to production logs without sharing account credentials. Using role-based access control (RBAC) and temporary scoped permissions — not a permanent shared password — is the correct pattern. Questions like this test whether you can apply least-privilege access across cloud identity services.
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.
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: Configure the environment’s load balancer to listen on port 443 with the ACM certificate and port 80 with a redirect rule. — Option C is correct because Elastic Beanstalk environments using a load balancer (ALB or CLB) can be configured to listen on port 443 with the ACM certificate for HTTPS termination, and simultaneously define a listener on port 80 with a redirect action that sends HTTP traffic to HTTPS. This is the simplest and most scalable approach, as it offloads SSL termination and redirection to the load balancer, eliminating the need to manage certificates or redirection logic on individual instances.
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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Question Discussion
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