- A
Store session state in Amazon DynamoDB
Why wrong: DynamoDB is a database, not optimized for session state.
- B
Store session state on the local instance store of each EC2 instance
Why wrong: Instance store is ephemeral and not shared.
- C
Store session state in Amazon S3
Why wrong: S3 is object storage, not suitable for session state.
- D
Store session state in Amazon ElastiCache for Redis
ElastiCache provides a centralized, highly available session store.
Question 456 of 1,746
SAP-C02 Design for New Solutions Practice Question
This SAP-C02 practice question tests your understanding of design for new solutions. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. 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 new web application on AWS. The application must be highly available and scale automatically based on traffic. The architecture includes an Application Load Balancer (ALB) and an Auto Scaling group of EC2 instances. The application stores session state. What is the BEST way to handle session state to ensure high availability?
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
✓
Store session state in Amazon ElastiCache for Redis
Amazon ElastiCache for Redis is the best choice for handling session state in a highly available, auto-scaling web application because it provides a centralized, in-memory data store that is external to the EC2 instances. This ensures that session data persists independently of instance lifecycle events (e.g., scaling in/out or failures), and Redis offers sub-millisecond latency, replication, and automatic failover, which are critical for maintaining session continuity across the fleet.
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.
- ✗
Store session state in Amazon DynamoDB
Why it's wrong here
DynamoDB is a database, not optimized for session state.
- ✗
Store session state on the local instance store of each EC2 instance
Why it's wrong here
Instance store is ephemeral and not shared.
- ✗
Store session state in Amazon S3
Why it's wrong here
S3 is object storage, not suitable for session state.
- ✓
Store session state in Amazon ElastiCache for Redis
Why this is correct
ElastiCache provides a centralized, highly available session store.
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 often choose DynamoDB (Option A) because it is a managed, highly available database, but they overlook the latency and cost implications for session state, which is a classic in-memory caching use case where ElastiCache for Redis is the optimal AWS service.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, ElastiCache for Redis uses a primary-replica architecture with automatic failover, ensuring that if the primary node fails, a replica is promoted with minimal downtime. Redis supports key-level TTL (Time-To-Live) for automatic session expiration, and its atomic operations (e.g., SETEX, GETSET) are ideal for session state updates without race conditions. In a real-world scenario, during a sudden traffic spike that triggers Auto Scaling, new EC2 instances can immediately access existing sessions from the Redis cluster, preventing user logout or data loss.
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.
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: Store session state in Amazon ElastiCache for Redis — Amazon ElastiCache for Redis is the best choice for handling session state in a highly available, auto-scaling web application because it provides a centralized, in-memory data store that is external to the EC2 instances. This ensures that session data persists independently of instance lifecycle events (e.g., scaling in/out or failures), and Redis offers sub-millisecond latency, replication, and automatic failover, which are critical for maintaining session continuity across the fleet.
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
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