- 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.
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 D is correct because AWS Cloud Map provides service discovery, allowing ECS services to find each other by name. AWS App Mesh can enforce TLS encryption for inter-service traffic, meeting the security requirement. Option A is incorrect because an Application Load Balancer is used for external traffic and does not provide service discovery for internal service-to-service communication. Option B is incorrect because ECS built-in service discovery (which relies on Cloud Map) does not automatically encrypt traffic; ACM certificates alone do not enforce TLS for all inter-service traffic. Option C is incorrect because an ALB is designed for load balancing external traffic, not for internal service discovery and mTLS.
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 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.
Why this is correct
Cloud Map provides DNS-based service discovery; App Mesh enables mTLS between services.
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 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. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. 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.
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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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 AWS Cloud Map for service discovery and AWS App Mesh with TLS enforcement for inter-service communication. — Option D is correct because AWS Cloud Map provides service discovery, allowing ECS services to find each other by name. AWS App Mesh can enforce TLS encryption for inter-service traffic, meeting the security requirement. Option A is incorrect because an Application Load Balancer is used for external traffic and does not provide service discovery for internal service-to-service communication. Option B is incorrect because ECS built-in service discovery (which relies on Cloud Map) does not automatically encrypt traffic; ACM certificates alone do not enforce TLS for all inter-service traffic. Option C is incorrect because an ALB is designed for load balancing external traffic, not for internal service discovery and mTLS.
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.
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Last reviewed: Jun 20, 2026
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