This SCS-C02 practice question tests your understanding of security logging and monitoring. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. 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.
Which TWO AWS services provide native integration with Amazon CloudWatch Logs for real-time monitoring of application logs? (Choose TWO.)
Amazon S3
Why wrong: S3 requires S3 event notifications or Lambda to send to CloudWatch.
Amazon Route 53
Why wrong: Route 53 logs DNS queries to Route 53 Resolver logs, not CloudWatch Logs.
Amazon EC2
EC2 can use the CloudWatch agent to send logs.
AWS Lambda
Lambda automatically sends logs to CloudWatch Logs.
AWS CloudTrail
Why wrong: CloudTrail delivers logs to S3; to send to CloudWatch Logs, a subscription is needed.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Amazon EC2
Amazon EC2 is correct because it can be configured to send application logs to CloudWatch Logs via the CloudWatch Logs agent or unified CloudWatch agent, enabling real-time monitoring, search, and alerting on log data. AWS Lambda is correct because it natively integrates with CloudWatch Logs: every Lambda function execution automatically streams its logs to a CloudWatch Logs group, providing real-time visibility into function output and errors.
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.
Amazon S3
Why it's wrong here
S3 requires S3 event notifications or Lambda to send to CloudWatch.
Amazon Route 53
Why it's wrong here
Route 53 logs DNS queries to Route 53 Resolver logs, not CloudWatch Logs.
Amazon EC2
Why this is correct
EC2 can use the CloudWatch agent to send logs.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
AWS Lambda
Why this is correct
Lambda automatically sends logs to CloudWatch Logs.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
AWS CloudTrail
Why it's wrong here
CloudTrail delivers logs to S3; to send to CloudWatch Logs, a subscription is needed.
Common exam traps
Cisco often tests the distinction between services that natively produce or stream application logs to CloudWatch Logs versus services that can only send logs via additional configuration or are limited to audit/API logs, leading candidates to mistakenly select CloudTrail or S3 as native integrations.
Detailed technical explanation
The CloudWatch Logs agent uses the PutLogEvents API to send log data to log streams within log groups, supporting real-time ingestion with a maximum of 5 requests per second per log stream. For Lambda, the runtime environment automatically writes stdout and stderr to CloudWatch Logs via the Logs API, with log retention and encryption managed at the log group level. A real-world scenario is using EC2 with the unified agent to monitor web server access logs and trigger CloudWatch alarms on 5xx errors, while Lambda logs are essential for debugging serverless function failures in production.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
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
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FAQ
Security Logging and Monitoring — This question tests Security Logging and Monitoring — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: Amazon EC2 — Amazon EC2 is correct because it can be configured to send application logs to CloudWatch Logs via the CloudWatch Logs agent or unified CloudWatch agent, enabling real-time monitoring, search, and alerting on log data. AWS Lambda is correct because it natively integrates with CloudWatch Logs: every Lambda function execution automatically streams its logs to a CloudWatch Logs group, providing real-time visibility into function output and errors.
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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