CV0-004 Cloud Architecture and Design Practice Question
A cloud architect is designing a containerized microservices application that must handle unpredictable traffic spikes and scale rapidly. The architect wants to minimize operational overhead while ensuring high availability across multiple Availability Zones. Which solution best meets these requirements?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is assuming that serverless functions like AWS Lambda are always the best choice for microservices, but Lambda has runtime and execution duration limits that may not suit all microservices.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Use AWS Fargate with an Application Load Balancer and configure an ECS service that spans multiple Availability Zones.
AWS Fargate with an Application Load Balancer and a multi-AZ ECS service provides a serverless container platform that scales rapidly and eliminates server management. The Application Load Balancer offers advanced routing for microservices, and spanning multiple Availability Zones ensures high availability. This combination directly satisfies the need for minimal operational overhead and resilience.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Deploy the application on a cluster of EC2 instances managed by an Auto Scaling group, with a Classic Load Balancer distributing traffic.
Why it's wrong here
While an Auto Scaling group can scale EC2 instances, it requires managing the underlying instances, including patching and capacity planning. A Classic Load Balancer operates at the connection level and does not support advanced routing for containers. This approach increases operational overhead and lacks the rapid, granular scaling needed for microservices.
- ✗
Create an AWS Lambda function for each microservice and expose them through an API Gateway with caching enabled.
Why it's wrong here
AWS Lambda is serverless and scales automatically, but it is designed for event-driven, short-lived functions. Microservices often require long-running processes, custom runtimes, or persistent connections, which Lambda may not support well. API Gateway caching improves performance but does not address the need for container orchestration or multi-AZ deployment of microservices.
- ✗
Deploy the application on a single large EC2 instance with an Elastic IP address and use Route 53 latency-based routing to direct traffic.
Why it's wrong here
A single EC2 instance is a single point of failure and cannot provide high availability across Availability Zones. Latency-based routing in Route 53 distributes traffic to different regions, but with only one instance, it does not improve availability. This design does not meet the requirement for high availability or rapid scaling.
- ✓
Use AWS Fargate with an Application Load Balancer and configure an ECS service that spans multiple Availability Zones.
Why this is correct
AWS Fargate is a serverless compute engine for containers that eliminates the need to manage servers. An Application Load Balancer provides advanced routing and integrates with ECS. Configuring the ECS service across multiple Availability Zones ensures high availability. This solution scales rapidly and reduces operational overhead, directly addressing the requirements.
Quick reference
Cloud Service Model Comparison
| Model | You Manage | Provider Manages | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| IaaS | OS, runtime, apps, data | Hardware, hypervisor, networking | EC2, Azure VMs, GCP Compute Engine |
| PaaS | Apps and data | OS, runtime, middleware, hardware | Elastic Beanstalk, Azure App Service |
| SaaS | Data and settings only | Everything else | Microsoft 365, Salesforce, Workday |
| FaaS / Serverless | Function code only | Infra, scaling, runtime | Lambda, Azure Functions, Cloud Run |
| CaaS | Containers and apps | Kubernetes, OS, hardware | EKS, AKS, GKE |
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JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official CompTIA exam blueprint
This CV0-004 practice question is part of Courseiva's free CompTIA 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 CV0-004 exam.