The answer is the IAM instance profile lacking permission to download the revision from S3. CodeDeploy requires the EC2 instances in the Auto Scaling group to have an IAM instance profile attached that grants s3:GetObject and s3:GetObjectVersion on the bucket storing the application revision; without these permissions, the CodeDeploy agent cannot retrieve the deployment artifacts, causing the deployment to fail and trigger a rollback. On the AWS Certified SysOps Administrator Associate SOA-C02 exam, this question tests your understanding of the least-privilege principle for instance profiles versus service roles—a common trap is confusing the CodeDeploy service role (which manages deployments) with the instance profile (which the agent uses to fetch revisions). Remember that the instance profile is the “hands” of the instance, not the “brain” of the service. Memory tip: “Instance profile pulls the file; service role pulls the trigger.”
SOA-C02 Deployment, Provisioning, and Automation Practice Question
This SOA-C02 practice question tests your understanding of deployment, provisioning, and automation. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. 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 SysOps administrator is deploying a new version of an application using AWS CodeDeploy. The deployment to an Auto Scaling group fails, and the instances are rolled back. What is the most likely reason for the failure?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "most likely"
Why it matters: Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
The IAM instance profile does not have permission to download the revision from S3.
The correct answer is B because CodeDeploy requires the IAM instance profile to have permissions to read from the S3 bucket where the revision is stored. Option A is incorrect because CodeDeploy agent does not need internet access if using VPC endpoints. Option C is incorrect because the application's load balancer health check is separate. Option D is incorrect because CodeDeploy does not require the instance to be in a public subnet.
Key principle: Count usable hosts — not total addresses — and remember that the network and broadcast addresses are not available to hosts in standard IPv4 subnets.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✗
The instances are in a private subnet without a NAT gateway.
Why it's wrong here
CodeDeploy does not require public IP or NAT if using VPC endpoints.
✗
The instances do not have internet access.
Why it's wrong here
CodeDeploy can use VPC endpoints for S3, so internet access is not required.
✓
The IAM instance profile does not have permission to download the revision from S3.
Why this is correct
CodeDeploy agent on the instance needs s3:GetObject permission for the revision bucket.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "most likely" in the question point toward this answer.
The application's health check is failing on the target group.
Why it's wrong here
Health check failures cause deregistration, not deployment failure.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: usable hosts are not the same as total addresses
Subnetting questions often tempt you into counting all addresses. In normal IPv4 subnets, the network and broadcast addresses are not usable host addresses.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Subnetting questions test whether you can identify the network, broadcast address, usable range, mask and correct subnet. Slow down enough to calculate the block size correctly.
KKey Concepts to Remember
CIDR notation defines the prefix length.
Block size helps identify subnet boundaries.
Network and broadcast addresses are not usable hosts in normal IPv4 subnets.
The required host count determines the smallest suitable subnet.
TExam Day Tips
→Write the block size before choosing the subnet.
→Check whether the question asks for hosts, subnets or a specific address range.
→Do not confuse /24, /25, /26 and /27 host counts.
Key takeaway
Count usable hosts — not total addresses — and remember that the network and broadcast addresses are not available to hosts in standard IPv4 subnets.
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.
Review block sizes, usable host formulas (2^n − 2), and how to find network and broadcast addresses for /24 through /30. Then practise related SOA-C02 subnetting questions on CIDR, address ranges, and subnet selection.
Deployment, Provisioning, and Automation — This question tests Deployment, Provisioning, and Automation — CIDR notation defines the prefix length..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: The IAM instance profile does not have permission to download the revision from S3. — The correct answer is B because CodeDeploy requires the IAM instance profile to have permissions to read from the S3 bucket where the revision is stored. Option A is incorrect because CodeDeploy agent does not need internet access if using VPC endpoints. Option C is incorrect because the application's load balancer health check is separate. Option D is incorrect because CodeDeploy does not require the instance to be in a public subnet.
What should I do if I get this SOA-C02 question wrong?
Review block sizes, usable host formulas (2^n − 2), and how to find network and broadcast addresses for /24 through /30. Then practise related SOA-C02 subnetting questions on CIDR, address ranges, and subnet selection.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "most likely". Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
What is the key concept behind this question?
CIDR notation defines the prefix length.
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