CV0-004 Cloud Architecture and Design Practice Question
A company runs a stateless web application on AWS EC2 instances behind an Application Load Balancer. To reduce costs, they want to use the most cost-effective compute option that can handle variable traffic and be interrupted. Which pricing model should they use for the EC2 instances?
⚠ Common exam trap
CV0-004 often tests the misconception that Reserved Instances are always the cheapest option, but they require commitment and are unsuitable for variable or interruptible workloads; the key is recognizing that 'interrupted' and 'stateless' point directly to Spot.
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
✓
Spot instances
Spot instances are the most cost-effective EC2 option for stateless, interruption-tolerant workloads. They leverage unused AWS capacity at discounts up to 90% off On-Demand, and since the application is stateless and sits behind an ALB, instances can be terminated and replaced without data loss or session disruption. This matches the requirement for variable traffic handling with cost reduction.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Dedicated hosts
Why it's wrong here
Dedicated hosts provide physical server isolation for licensing and compliance, billed per host regardless of instance usage, so they cost far more and are not interruptible. They are tempting when regulatory separation is required, but this stateless application needs only low-cost interruptible capacity.
- ✓
Spot instances
Why this is correct
Spot instances exploit spare EC2 capacity at steep discounts, suiting the stateless, interruptible workload described. The Application Load Balancer distributes traffic across instances, so a reclaimed Spot instance causes no data loss, and variable demand is met elastically. This satisfies the stem's cost-effectiveness and tolerance-for-interruption constraints better than On-Demand or Reserved pricing.
- ✗
Reserved instances
Why it's wrong here
Reserved instances require a one- or three-year commitment and carry no interruption mechanism, so they cannot handle being stopped and restarted by AWS. They are tempting for predictable baseline capacity, but this workload is variable and explicitly interruptible, which suits Spot.
- ✗
On-demand instances
Why it's wrong here
On-demand pricing bills per second with no commitment or discount, so it costs the most for steady variable traffic. It is tempting because it tolerates interruption and requires no upfront commitment, but Spot instances deliver the same flexibility at far lower rates for interruptible stateless workloads.
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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.