The correct answer is the Strangler Fig pattern for an incremental monolith to microservices migration strategy on AWS. This approach minimizes risk by allowing you to gradually replace specific monolithic components with microservices, routing traffic to the new services while the legacy system continues to operate, until the monolith is fully strangled. On the AWS Certified Solutions Architect Professional SAP-C02 exam, this question tests your understanding of modernization trade-offs, often contrasting the Strangler Fig pattern against high-risk big bang migrations or non-modernizing rehost/replatform options. A common trap is choosing a lift-and-shift strategy when the question explicitly asks for modernization, so remember that rehost (Option C) does not break the monolith. Memory tip: think of a strangler vine gradually overtaking a tree—the new microservices slowly replace the old monolith without ever cutting the roots all at once.
SAP-C02 Practice Question: Accelerate Workload Migration and Modernization
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 migrating a monolithic application to AWS and wants to modernize it into microservices. The application currently uses a single relational database. Which migration strategy is most appropriate to minimize risk while starting the modernization process?
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 the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Incremental migration using the Strangler Fig pattern
Option B (Strangler Fig pattern) is correct as it allows incremental replacement of monolithic components with microservices, reducing risk. Option A (big bang) is risky. Option C (rehost) doesn't modernize. Option D (replatform) still keeps monolith.
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
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✓
Incremental migration using the Strangler Fig pattern
Why this is correct
The Strangler Fig pattern allows gradual replacement of monolith components with microservices, minimizing risk.
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.
✗
Big bang migration of the entire application to containers
Why it's wrong here
Big bang migration is high risk and not recommended for complex monoliths.
✗
Replatform to Amazon RDS for MySQL
Why it's wrong here
Replatforming the database does not address the monolith-to-microservices architecture.
✗
Rehost the application using AWS VM Import/Export
Why it's wrong here
Rehosting does not modernize; it's a lift-and-shift approach.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: NAT rules depend on direction and matching traffic
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
How to think about this question
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.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
PAT allows many inside hosts to share one public address using ports.
Inside local and inside global describe the private and translated addresses.
NAT ACLs identify traffic for translation, not always security filtering.
TExam Day Tips
→Identify inside and outside interfaces first.
→Check whether the scenario needs static NAT, dynamic NAT or PAT.
→Do not confuse NAT matching ACLs with normal packet-filtering intent.
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
How this comes up in practice
An e-commerce site experiences heavy traffic on Black Friday and near-zero traffic during off-peak weeks. Rather than provisioning permanent large VMs, the team uses auto-scaling groups that add capacity automatically under load and reduce it overnight. Questions like this test whether you understand elasticity, availability zones, and cloud compute scaling patterns.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
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.
Accelerate Workload Migration and Modernization — This question tests Accelerate Workload Migration and Modernization — Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Incremental migration using the Strangler Fig pattern — Option B (Strangler Fig pattern) is correct as it allows incremental replacement of monolithic components with microservices, reducing risk. Option A (big bang) is risky. Option C (rehost) doesn't modernize. Option D (replatform) still keeps monolith.
What should I do if I get this SAP-C02 question wrong?
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.
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?
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
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 →
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 using the 7 Rs strategy to migrate a monolithic application to AWS. They want to move the application to the cloud without modifying the code but plan to later refactor parts of it. Which migration strategy should they choose initially?
medium
A.Relocate
B.Refactor
C.Replatform
✓ D.Rehost
Why D: Rehost (lift-and-shift) moves the application as-is without code changes. Option A is wrong because Replatform involves minor optimizations. Option C is wrong because Refactor involves code changes. Option D is wrong because Relocate moves only the server level.
Last reviewed: Jun 20, 2026
Question Discussion
Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.
This SAP-C02 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Amazon Web Services certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the SAP-C02 exam.
Question Discussion
Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.
Sign in to join the discussion.