- A
Place the Lambda function outside the VPC and use a NAT gateway to reach the database
Why wrong: NAT gateway is for outbound traffic; the database is inbound.
- B
Place the Lambda function inside the VPC with a security group allowing access to the database
Why wrong: Lambda in VPC requires ENI creation, increasing cold start latency.
- C
Use Amazon RDS Proxy to manage connections and keep Lambda outside the VPC
Why wrong: RDS Proxy requires the Lambda function to be in the VPC or use a VPC endpoint.
- D
Use an Amazon VPC interface endpoint for Lambda and keep the function outside the VPC
Interface endpoints allow VPC access without placing Lambda in the VPC, reducing cold starts.
Question 902 of 1,746
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 designing a serverless application using AWS Lambda that processes images uploaded to an S3 bucket. The processing time varies but typically completes within 5 minutes. The Lambda function needs to access a VPC-hosted database. What is the BEST way to configure the Lambda function to access the database while minimizing cold start latency?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue:
"best"Why it matters: Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.
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 an Amazon VPC interface endpoint for Lambda and keep the function outside the VPC
Option D is correct because using an Amazon VPC interface endpoint for Lambda allows the function to remain outside the VPC while securely accessing resources inside the VPC via AWS PrivateLink. This avoids the cold start latency penalty (often 10+ seconds) incurred when attaching a Lambda function to a VPC, which requires Elastic Network Interface (ENI) creation. The function can directly invoke the database through the interface endpoint without traversing the public internet or needing a NAT gateway.
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.
- ✗
Place the Lambda function outside the VPC and use a NAT gateway to reach the database
- ✗
Place the Lambda function inside the VPC with a security group allowing access to the database
Why it's wrong here
Lambda in VPC requires ENI creation, increasing cold start latency.
- ✗
Use Amazon RDS Proxy to manage connections and keep Lambda outside the VPC
Why it's wrong here
RDS Proxy requires the Lambda function to be in the VPC or use a VPC endpoint.
- ✓
Use an Amazon VPC interface endpoint for Lambda and keep the function outside the VPC
Why this is correct
Interface endpoints allow VPC access without placing Lambda in the VPC, reducing cold starts.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "best" in the question point toward this answer.
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 assume Lambda must be placed inside the VPC to access VPC resources, overlooking that VPC interface endpoints (PrivateLink) allow secure, low-latency access without the cold start penalty of VPC attachment.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
AWS Lambda VPC interface endpoints use AWS PrivateLink to provide private connectivity between Lambda and VPC resources without requiring the function to be attached to a subnet. When a Lambda function is VPC-attached, the Lambda service creates an ENI in the customer's VPC, which adds 10–30 seconds of cold start latency; interface endpoints avoid this entirely by routing traffic through the AWS network backbone. This is particularly beneficial for latency-sensitive workloads where the function's execution time is short (e.g., under 5 minutes) and cold starts would dominate the total duration.
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
Quick reference
AWS S3 Storage Class Comparison
| Storage Class | Min Duration | Retrieval | Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|
| S3 Standard | None | Immediate | Frequently accessed data |
| S3 Standard-IA | 30 days | Immediate | Infrequent access, rapid retrieval |
| S3 One Zone-IA | 30 days | Immediate | Non-critical infrequent data |
| S3 Intelligent-Tiering | None | Immediate–hours | Unknown or changing access patterns |
| S3 Glacier Instant | 90 days | Milliseconds | Archive with instant retrieval |
| S3 Glacier Flexible | 90 days | Minutes–hours | Archive, flexible retrieval |
| S3 Glacier Deep Archive | 180 days | Hours | Long-term compliance archive |
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: Use an Amazon VPC interface endpoint for Lambda and keep the function outside the VPC — Option D is correct because using an Amazon VPC interface endpoint for Lambda allows the function to remain outside the VPC while securely accessing resources inside the VPC via AWS PrivateLink. This avoids the cold start latency penalty (often 10+ seconds) incurred when attaching a Lambda function to a VPC, which requires Elastic Network Interface (ENI) creation. The function can directly invoke the database through the interface endpoint without traversing the public internet or needing a NAT gateway.
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.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "best". Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.
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
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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