- A
AWS Lambda
Why wrong: Lambda is for short-running functions, not for web/application servers.
- B
Elastic Load Balancing (ELB)
ELB distributes traffic to improve availability.
- C
Amazon EC2 instances
Why wrong: EC2 instances require management; using ECS reduces overhead.
- D
Amazon ECS with Fargate
ECS with Fargate runs containers without managing servers.
- E
Amazon RDS for MySQL
RDS manages the database, reducing operational overhead.
Question 690 of 1,746
Modernizing a Three-Tier Web App — Managed Services with ECS Fargate | AWS Solutions Architect Professional Explained
This SAP-C02 practice question tests your understanding of accelerate workload migration and modernization. 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 planning to migrate a three-tier web application to AWS. The application consists of a web server, an application server, and a MySQL database. The company wants to minimize operational overhead and improve scalability. Which THREE AWS services should the company use to modernize the architecture? (Choose THREE.)
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue:
"minimum / minimize"Why it matters: Asks for the least resource use — fewest addresses, smallest subnet, lowest overhead. Eliminate over-provisioned options even if they would technically work.
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
✓
Elastic Load Balancing (ELB)
Option B (Elastic Load Balancing) distributes incoming traffic across multiple targets, improving scalability and availability. Option D (Amazon ECS with Fargate) runs containers without managing servers, reducing operational overhead. Option E (Amazon RDS for MySQL) manages the MySQL database with automated backups, patching, and scaling, minimizing administrative tasks. Option A (AWS Lambda) is not suitable for long-running application servers due to execution time limits and stateless nature. Option C (Amazon EC2 instances) requires manual management of instances, increasing operational overhead.
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.
- ✗
AWS Lambda
Why it's wrong here
Lambda is for short-running functions, not for web/application servers.
- ✓
Elastic Load Balancing (ELB)
Why this is correct
ELB distributes traffic to improve availability.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "minimum / minimize" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Amazon EC2 instances
Why it's wrong here
EC2 instances require management; using ECS reduces overhead.
- ✓
Amazon ECS with Fargate
Why this is correct
ECS with Fargate runs containers without managing servers.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "minimum / minimize" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✓
Amazon RDS for MySQL
Why this is correct
RDS manages the database, reducing operational overhead.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "minimum / minimize" 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
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 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.
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.
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Accelerate Workload Migration and Modernization — study guide chapter
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Accelerate Workload Migration and Modernization practice questions
Targeted practice on this topic area only
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SAP-C02 question test?
Accelerate Workload Migration and Modernization — This question tests Accelerate Workload Migration and Modernization — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Elastic Load Balancing (ELB) — Option B (Elastic Load Balancing) distributes incoming traffic across multiple targets, improving scalability and availability. Option D (Amazon ECS with Fargate) runs containers without managing servers, reducing operational overhead. Option E (Amazon RDS for MySQL) manages the MySQL database with automated backups, patching, and scaling, minimizing administrative tasks. Option A (AWS Lambda) is not suitable for long-running application servers due to execution time limits and stateless nature. Option C (Amazon EC2 instances) requires manual management of instances, increasing operational overhead.
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.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "minimum / minimize". Asks for the least resource use — fewest addresses, smallest subnet, lowest overhead. Eliminate over-provisioned options even if they would technically work.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
Same concept, more angles
4 more ways this is tested on SAP-C02
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. A company is replatforming a legacy application to use AWS managed services. The application consists of a web server, an application server, and a MySQL database. Which THREE AWS services should the company use to modernize the architecture? (Choose THREE.)
hard- ✓ .Amazon RDS for MySQL
- ✓ A.Amazon ElastiCache
- B.Amazon EBS
- ✓ C.Elastic Load Balancing
- D.Amazon Route 53
- E.Amazon EC2
Why : To modernize the legacy application to use AWS managed services, the company should use Amazon RDS for MySQL to replace the self-managed MySQL database, Elastic Load Balancing to distribute traffic across web/application servers, and Amazon ElastiCache to add caching for improved performance. Amazon EBS is a block storage service, not a managed compute or database service. Amazon Route 53 is a DNS service and not relevant to the application architecture modernization in this context. Amazon EC2 is an unmanaged compute service, which does not align with the goal of using managed services.
Variation 2. A company is migrating a multi-tier web application to AWS. The application consists of a web server, application server, and Oracle database. Which TWO AWS services should be used to modernize the application while reducing operational overhead?
medium- ✓ A.Amazon RDS for Oracle
- B.Amazon Lightsail
- ✓ C.AWS Elastic Beanstalk
- D.Amazon EC2
- E.Amazon DynamoDB
Why A: Option A (Amazon RDS for Oracle) is correct because it manages the Oracle database, reducing operational overhead compared to self-managed EC2. Option C (AWS Elastic Beanstalk) is correct because it automatically handles the deployment and scaling of the web and application servers, reducing operational overhead. Option B (Amazon Lightsail) is not suitable for complex multi-tier applications. Option D (Amazon EC2) would increase operational overhead as it requires manual management. Option E (Amazon DynamoDB) is a NoSQL database and not suitable for migrating an Oracle database.
Variation 3. A company is migrating a multi-tier web application to AWS. The application consists of a web tier, an application tier, and a database tier. The company wants to use AWS services to improve scalability and reduce management overhead. The web and application tiers run on Linux. The database is Oracle running on Linux. Which solution meets these requirements with the LEAST operational overhead?
medium- A.Deploy web and application tiers on Amazon EC2 instances in an Auto Scaling group. Migrate the database to an Amazon RDS for Oracle DB instance.
- B.Containerize the web and application tiers and deploy them on Amazon ECS with AWS Fargate. Migrate the database to Amazon RDS for Oracle.
- ✓ C.Deploy the web and application tiers using AWS Elastic Beanstalk with an Auto Scaling group. Migrate the database to Amazon RDS for Oracle.
- D.Deploy web and application tiers on Amazon EC2 instances in an Auto Scaling group. Migrate the database to Oracle on Amazon RDS Custom.
Why C: Option C is correct because AWS Elastic Beanstalk automatically manages the capacity provisioning, load balancing, and scaling of the web and application tiers, significantly reducing management overhead. Amazon RDS for Oracle handles database administration tasks such as patching, backups, and replication. Option A (EC2 + Auto Scaling) requires manual configuration and management of EC2 instances, increasing operational overhead. Option B (ECS with Fargate) introduces containerization complexity that is not necessary for a straightforward migration and may require additional learning and orchestration. Option D (RDS Custom) provides more customization but at the cost of increased operational overhead compared to standard RDS. Therefore, Option C offers the least operational overhead.
Variation 4. A company is migrating a web application to AWS. The application consists of a stateless web tier, a stateful application tier, and a MySQL database. The company wants to use AWS managed services to improve scalability and reduce operational overhead. Which THREE services should the company use? (Choose THREE.)
hard- A.Amazon EC2 Auto Scaling
- B.Amazon S3
- ✓ C.Application Load Balancer
- ✓ D.Amazon ElastiCache for Redis
- ✓ E.Amazon RDS for MySQL
Why C: The correct choices are C, D, and E. For the stateless web tier, an Application Load Balancer (ALB) distributes traffic and integrates with Auto Scaling for scalability, but EC2 Auto Scaling itself is not a managed service for the database or stateful tier. The stateful application tier requires a managed in-memory caching service; Amazon ElastiCache for Redis is ideal for session state storage. The MySQL database should be migrated to Amazon RDS for MySQL, a managed relational database service that reduces operational overhead. Option A (EC2 Auto Scaling) is incorrect because it is an infrastructure-level scaling service, not a managed service for the database or stateful tier. Option B (S3) is incorrect because it is object storage, not suitable for stateful application data or session state.
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Last reviewed: Jun 20, 2026
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