This SCS-C02 practice question tests your understanding of identity and access management. 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 solutions architect needs to design a system where an EC2 instance can write logs to CloudWatch Logs. Which IAM entity should be used to grant permissions to the EC2 instance?
A resource-based policy on the EC2 instance
Why wrong: EC2 instances do not have resource-based policies.
An IAM role with an instance profile
Role with instance profile provides temporary credentials to the instance.
An IAM user with access keys stored on the instance
Why wrong: Not recommended due to security risks; keys could be compromised.
An IAM group
Why wrong: Groups are not assigned to instances.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
An IAM role with an instance profile
An IAM role with an instance profile is the correct approach because it allows the EC2 instance to assume temporary, rotated credentials via the AWS Security Token Service (STS). The instance profile is attached to the EC2 instance, and the AWS SDK or CLI automatically retrieves credentials from the instance metadata service (IMDS) to authenticate API calls to CloudWatch Logs. This eliminates the need to store long-term credentials on the instance and follows the principle of least privilege.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
A resource-based policy on the EC2 instance
Why it's wrong here
EC2 instances do not have resource-based policies.
An IAM role with an instance profile
Why this is correct
Role with instance profile provides temporary credentials to the instance.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
An IAM user with access keys stored on the instance
Why it's wrong here
Not recommended due to security risks; keys could be compromised.
An IAM group
Why it's wrong here
Groups are not assigned to instances.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates may confuse IAM groups with IAM roles, thinking a group can be attached to an EC2 instance, but groups only apply to IAM users and cannot be assumed by AWS services.
Detailed technical explanation
When an EC2 instance is launched with an instance profile, the AWS SDK or CLI automatically retrieves temporary credentials from the EC2 instance metadata service (IMDS) at http://169.254.169.254/latest/meta-data/iam/security-credentials/. These credentials are valid for a default duration of up to 6 hours and are automatically rotated by AWS, reducing the risk of credential exposure. In real-world scenarios, if the instance needs to write logs to CloudWatch Logs, the IAM role must include a policy with actions like `logs:CreateLogGroup`, `logs:CreateLogStream`, and `logs:PutLogEvents`.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
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
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FAQ
Identity and Access Management — This question tests Identity and Access Management — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: An IAM role with an instance profile — An IAM role with an instance profile is the correct approach because it allows the EC2 instance to assume temporary, rotated credentials via the AWS Security Token Service (STS). The instance profile is attached to the EC2 instance, and the AWS SDK or CLI automatically retrieves credentials from the instance metadata service (IMDS) to authenticate API calls to CloudWatch Logs. This eliminates the need to store long-term credentials on the instance and follows the principle of least privilege.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
This SCS-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 SCS-C02 exam.
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