AWS Cloud Practitioner Questions | Serverless Overview from a Solutions Architect Perspective

Question 1:

You have created a Lambda function that typically will take around 1 hour to process some data. The code works fine when you run it locally on your machine, but when you invoke the Lambda function it fails with a "timeout" error after 3 seconds. What should you do?

Correct Answer: (3) Lambda's maximum execution time is limited to 15 minutes, which is insufficient for your 1-hour processing task. Using services like EC2 allows you to run your code without these time constraints, enabling you to complete your processing as needed.

Question 2:

Before you create a DynamoDB table, you need to provision the EC2 instance the DynamoDB table will be running on.

Correct Answer: (2) DynamoDB is a fully managed, serverless database service that doesn't require you to provision or manage any servers, allowing it to automatically handle capacity changes and maintain performance without your intervention. This clarity helps you understand the distinction between serverless and traditional server-based architectures.

Question 3:

You have provisioned a DynamoDB table with 10 RCUs and 10 WCUs. A month later you want to increase the RCU to handle more read traffic. What should you do?

Correct Answer: (1) DynamoDB allows you to adjust read and write capacities independently; since your need is only an increase in read capacity, you don't need to change the write capacity. This understanding demonstrates your grasp of how provisioned throughput works in DynamoDB.

Question 4:

You have an e-commerce website where you are using DynamoDB as your database. You are about to enter the Christmas sale and you have a few items which are very popular and you expect that they will be read often. Unfortunately, last year due to the huge traffic you had the ProvisionedThroughputExceededException exception. What would you do to prevent this error from happening again?

Correct Answer: (2) It enhances your DynamoDB performance by caching frequently accessed data, which helps prevent exceeding your provisioned throughput and eliminates the "ProvisionedThroughputExceededException" during high-traffic events like sales. This solution effectively balances data retrieval needs with cost efficiency, ensuring a smoother customer experience.

Question 5:

You have developed a mobile application that uses DynamoDB as its datastore. You want to automate sending welcome emails to new users after they sign up. What is the most efficient way to achieve this?

Correct Answer: (3) this approach allows your application to react instantly to new user sign-ups, sending welcome emails efficiently without the need for manual intervention. By leveraging DynamoDB Streams with Lambda, you ensure a scalable and real-time solution that enhances user engagement as soon as they join.

Question 6:

To create a serverless API, you should integrate Amazon API Gateway with ………………….

Correct Answer: (3) It enables you to create a serverless API by automatically running your code in response to HTTP requests without needing to manage any server infrastructure. This aligns with the learning objective of understanding serverless architecture and the components that support it.

Question 7:

When you are using an Edge-Optimized API Gateway, your API Gateway lives in CloudFront Edge Locations across all AWS Regions.

Correct Answer: (1) Edge-Optimized API Gateway primarily serves geographically distributed clients by routing requests to the nearest CloudFront Edge Location, but it is still fundamentally hosted in a single AWS Region. This distinction is key for understanding how latency is reduced while maintaining a centralized API design.

Question 8:

You are running an application in production that is leveraging DynamoDB as its datastore and is experiencing smooth sustained usage. There is a need to make the application run in development mode as well, where it will experience the unpredictable volume of requests. What is the most cost-effective solution that you recommend?

Correct Answer: (2) It effectively balances cost and performance. In production, the predictable workload benefits from Provisioned Capacity with Auto Scaling, while development's unpredictable requests are handled flexibly and cost-effectively with On-Demand Capacity.

Question 9:

You have an application that is served globally using CloudFront Distribution. You want to authenticate users at the CloudFront Edge Locations instead of authentication requests go all the way to your origins. What should you use to satisfy this requirement?

Correct Answer: (1) it allows you to run code directly at CloudFront Edge Locations, enabling you to authenticate users closer to where they access your application, which enhances performance and minimizes latency. This aligns perfectly with your goal of efficiently managing user authentication in a global context.

Question 10:

The maximum size of an item in a DynamoDB table is ……………….

Correct Answer: (3) Maximum size of a single item in an Amazon DynamoDB table is indeed 400 KB. This knowledge is essential for understanding DynamoDB's storage limitations and how to effectively design your data structure.

Question 11:

Which AWS service allows you to build Serverless workflows using AWS services (e.g., Lambda) and supports human approval?

Correct Answer: (3) It allows you to orchestrate multiple AWS services, including Lambda, into serverless workflows and facilitates human approval steps, making it ideal for complex applications that require coordination between automated and manual processes. This aligns perfectly with understanding how to manage serverless architecture efficiently.

Question 12:

A company has a serverless application on AWS which consists of Lambda, DynamoDB, and Step Functions. In the last month, there are an increase in the number of requests against the application which results in an increase in DynamoDB costs, and requests started to be throttled. After further investigation, it shows that the majority of requests are read requests against some queries in the DynamoDB table. What do you recommend to prevent throttles and reduce costs efficiently?

Correct Answer: (4) DAX significantly improves read performance for DynamoDB by providing in-memory caching, reducing latency and costs associated with frequent read requests, which is crucial in your scenario where throttling occurred. This approach aligns with the learning objective of optimizing serverless applications on AWS for efficiency and cost-effectiveness.

Question 13:

You are a DevOps engineer in a football company that has a website that is backed by a DynamoDB table. The table stores viewers' feedback for football matches. You have been tasked to work with the analytics team to generate reports on the viewers' feedback. The analytics team wants the data in DynamoDB json format and hosted in an S3 bucket to start working on it and create the reports. What is the best and most cost-effective way you can achieve this task?

Correct Answer: (1) This method directly allows you to export data from DynamoDB in JSON format to an S3 bucket with minimal effort and cost, aligning with the analytics team's requirements for generating reports efficiently. This approach demonstrates your understanding of optimizing workflows in AWS services.

Question 14:

A website is currently in the development process and it is going to be hosted on AWS. There is a requirement to store user sessions for users logged in to the website with an automatic expiry and deletion of expired user sessions. Which of the following AWS services are best suited for this use case?

Correct Answer: (3) It allows you to efficiently manage user sessions with automatic expiration through Time to Live (TTL), ensuring that expired sessions are deleted without manual intervention. This aligns with the learning objective of utilizing AWS services to automate data management processes effectively.

Question 15:

You have a mobile application and would like to give your users access to their own personal space in the S3 bucket. How do you achieve that?

Correct Answer: (2) It effectively allows you to manage mobile user accounts, granting them individualized IAM permissions for secure access to their own areas in the S3 bucket. This directly aligns with the goal of providing personalized and secure storage solutions for users in mobile applications.

Question 16:

You are developing a new web and mobile application that will be hosted on AWS and currently, you are working on developing the login and signup page. The application backend is serverless and you are using Lambda, DynamoDB, and API Gateway. Which of the following is the best and easiest approach to configure the authentication for your backend?

Correct Answer: (3) it provides a simplified and secure way to manage user authentication, including sign-up and login processes, which is essential for a serverless application backend. This choice aligns with the learning objective of understanding efficient user management in cloud-based applications.

Question 17:

You are running a mobile application where you want each registered user to upload/download images to/from his own folder in the S3 bucket. Also, you want to give your users to sign-up and sign in using their social media accounts (e.g., Facebook). Which AWS service should you choose?

Correct Answer: (3) It efficiently manages user authentication and allows for social sign-in options, making it ideal for providing secure access for mobile users to their respective folders in S3. This aligns perfectly with the learning objective of implementing user management in cloud applications, ensuring a scalable and user-friendly experience.