Quick Answer
The answer is the strangler fig pattern, because it enables incremental monolith to microservices migration by gradually replacing legacy components with new microservices while routing traffic through a facade, allowing the old system to remain operational and be decommissioned piece by piece. This approach directly minimizes downtime and supports rollback, as each replaced component can be reverted independently if issues arise. On the AWS Certified Solutions Architect Professional SAP-C02 exam, this pattern tests your understanding of migration strategies that balance modernization with risk mitigation, often appearing in scenario-based questions where business continuity is critical. A common trap is confusing the strangler fig pattern with a big bang migration, which risks extended outages, or with rehosting, which fails to modernize. Remember the mnemonic “FIG” for this pattern: Facade, Incremental, Gradual—think of the fig vine slowly enveloping the host tree, just as microservices replace monolithic functions without disrupting the whole system.
This SAP-C02 practice question tests your understanding of accelerate workload migration and modernization. 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 migrating a monolithic e-commerce application to a microservices architecture on AWS. The migration must minimize downtime and allow rollback. Which migration strategy should the company use?
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.
Refactor
Why wrong: General term; not specific to incremental migration.
Big bang migration
Why wrong: High risk of downtime and rollback complexity.
Strangler fig pattern
Gradually replaces monolith with microservices, allowing rollback.
Rehost (lift and shift)
Why wrong: Moves the monolith as-is, no modernization.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Strangler fig pattern
Option C is correct because the strangler fig pattern allows incremental replacement of monolithic components with microservices, minimizing risk and enabling rollback. Option A (big bang) risks extended downtime. Option B (rehost) does not modernize. Option D (refactor) is correct but not a pattern name.
Key principle: NAT direction and interface roles matter as much as the IP address mapping. Inside/outside designation controls which traffic is translated.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
Refactor
Why it's wrong here
General term; not specific to incremental migration.
Big bang migration
Why it's wrong here
High risk of downtime and rollback complexity.
Strangler fig pattern
Why this is correct
Gradually replaces monolith with microservices, allowing rollback.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "minimum / minimize" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
Rehost (lift and shift)
Why it's wrong here
Moves the monolith as-is, no modernization.
Common exam traps
NAT is not only about the public address. The inside/outside interface roles and the ACL or rule that matches traffic are just as important.
Detailed technical explanation
NAT questions usually test address translation, overload/PAT behaviour, static mappings and whether the right traffic is being translated. Read the interface direction and address terms carefully.
Key takeaway
NAT direction and interface roles matter as much as the IP address mapping. Inside/outside designation controls which traffic is translated.
Real-world example
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. NAT direction and interface roles matter as much as the IP address mapping. Inside/outside designation controls which traffic is translated. 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
Review the four NAT address types (inside local, inside global, outside local, outside global), PAT port overload, and static vs dynamic NAT use cases. Then practise related SAP-C02 NAT questions on configuration and troubleshooting.
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FAQ
Accelerate Workload Migration and Modernization — This question tests Accelerate Workload Migration and Modernization — Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address..
The correct answer is: Strangler fig pattern — Option C is correct because the strangler fig pattern allows incremental replacement of monolithic components with microservices, minimizing risk and enabling rollback. Option A (big bang) risks extended downtime. Option B (rehost) does not modernize. Option D (refactor) is correct but not a pattern name.
Review the four NAT address types (inside local, inside global, outside local, outside global), PAT port overload, and static vs dynamic NAT use cases. Then practise related SAP-C02 NAT questions on configuration and troubleshooting.
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.
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
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Last reviewed: Jun 20, 2026
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