- A
Use AWS Secrets Manager to store and rotate service credentials.
Secrets Manager securely stores credentials for database or API keys.
- B
Configure mutual TLS (mTLS) between services using certificates from ACM.
Why wrong: mTLS is possible but adds complexity; Service Connect already provides encryption.
- C
Enable ECS Service Connect between services for automatic DNS and TLS encryption.
Service Connect provides secure service discovery and encryption.
- D
Deploy an API Gateway in front of each microservice.
Why wrong: API Gateway is for external APIs, not internal service-to-service communication.
- E
Use IAM roles for tasks and attach policies that allow access to other services.
IAM roles grant permissions for tasks to call other AWS services.
Question 1,583 of 1,746
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 designing a microservices architecture on Amazon ECS with Fargate. The services need to communicate securely and efficiently. The company wants to implement service-to-service authentication and authorization. Which THREE steps should the company take? (Choose THREE.)
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 Secrets Manager to store and rotate service credentials.
Option A is correct because AWS Secrets Manager provides a secure way to store and automatically rotate service credentials (such as database passwords or API keys) used by microservices running on ECS Fargate. This eliminates hard-coded secrets and reduces the risk of credential exposure, aligning with security best practices for service-to-service authentication.
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 Secrets Manager to store and rotate service credentials.
Why this is correct
Secrets Manager securely stores credentials for database or API keys.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Configure mutual TLS (mTLS) between services using certificates from ACM.
Why it's wrong here
mTLS is possible but adds complexity; Service Connect already provides encryption.
- ✓
Enable ECS Service Connect between services for automatic DNS and TLS encryption.
Why this is correct
Service Connect provides secure service discovery and encryption.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Deploy an API Gateway in front of each microservice.
Why it's wrong here
API Gateway is for external APIs, not internal service-to-service communication.
- ✓
Use IAM roles for tasks and attach policies that allow access to other services.
Why this is correct
IAM roles grant permissions for tasks to call other AWS services.
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 may confuse mTLS with standard TLS or assume ACM can be used for internal mTLS, but ACM does not support issuing client certificates for service-to-service mutual authentication in ECS Fargate.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
ECS Service Connect (Option C) uses a built-in proxy sidecar that automatically handles DNS resolution and TLS encryption between services, simplifying service discovery and securing traffic without manual certificate management. IAM roles for tasks (Option E) allow fine-grained access control by attaching policies that grant permissions to other AWS services (e.g., DynamoDB, SQS), enabling secure service-to-service authorization without managing static credentials.
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.
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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 AWS Secrets Manager to store and rotate service credentials. — Option A is correct because AWS Secrets Manager provides a secure way to store and automatically rotate service credentials (such as database passwords or API keys) used by microservices running on ECS Fargate. This eliminates hard-coded secrets and reduces the risk of credential exposure, aligning with security best practices for service-to-service authentication.
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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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 2026
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