CV0-004 Cloud Architecture and Design Practice Question
A company is experiencing increased traffic to its web application. They want to handle the load by adding more web server instances behind a load balancer. This approach is known as:
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap is conflating horizontal scaling (adding instances) with auto-scaling (the automation that performs it) or vertical scaling (adding resources to one host) — the question asks for the approach, not the trigger mechanism.
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
✓
Horizontal scaling
Horizontal scaling (scaling out) means adding more instances of a resource — here, additional web servers behind a load balancer — to distribute increased traffic across multiple nodes. This increases capacity by adding parallel units rather than making a single server more powerful, which is exactly what the scenario describes.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Stateless design
Why it's wrong here
Stateless design stores no session data on individual servers, which enables load balancing across instances, but it is an architectural property rather than the act of adding servers. It tempts because it accompanies horizontal scaling, yet the scenario asks for the name of the scaling approach itself.
- ✓
Horizontal scaling
Why this is correct
Horizontal scaling adds more server instances to the pool behind the load balancer, distributing increased traffic across them. Vertical scaling instead increases the CPU, memory or other resources of an existing instance, which does not match adding instances.
- ✗
Auto-scaling
Why it's wrong here
Auto-scaling adjusts instance count automatically in response to metrics such as CPU or request rate; the scenario describes manually adding instances behind a load balancer, which is horizontal scaling. Auto-scaling tempts because it also adds instances, but it requires configured triggers and policies rather than an administrator's deliberate action.
- ✗
Vertical scaling
Why it's wrong here
Vertical scaling increases the CPU, memory or other resources of an existing server; it does not add instances behind a load balancer. It tempts because it also addresses capacity, but it is correct when a single workload needs a larger instance size, not when distributing traffic across multiple web servers.
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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.