Jeff’s Note #
Unlike generic exam dumps, ADH analyzes this scenario through the lens of a Real-World Lead Developer.
For DVA-C02 candidates, the confusion often lies in understanding the regional nature of ACM certificates and their deployment constraints with CloudFormation and Elastic Beanstalk ALBs. In production, this is about knowing exactly how ACM certificates are scoped per region and how this affects automated deployments across multiple AWS Regions. Let’s drill down.
The Certification Drill (Simulated Question) #
Scenario #
TechFruit Inc., a startup, is expanding its web application footprint globally. The lead developer is tasked with deploying a highly available application using AWS Elastic Beanstalk in three distinct AWS Regions. Each environment will be fronted by an Application Load Balancer (ALB) to handle HTTPS traffic.
To secure inbound connections, the developer wants to automate the deployment of SSL/TLS certificates using AWS Certificate Manager (ACM), incorporated within a single AWS CloudFormation template that covers all Regions. The challenge is to correctly provision certificates so that each ALB uses a valid SSL certificate without manual import steps in each Region.
The Requirement: #
Identify the best practice solution that meets these constraints using CloudFormation and ACM, ensuring proper SSL termination on all three regional ALBs.
The Options #
- A) Create a certificate in ACM in any one of the Regions. Import that certificate into each ALB in all Regions.
- B) Create a global certificate in ACM. Update the CloudFormation template to deploy the global certificate to each ALB.
- C) Create a certificate in ACM in each Region. Import each certificate into the ALB for that Region.
- D) Create a certificate in ACM in the us-east-1 Region. Update the CloudFormation template to deploy the certificate to each ALB.
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Correct Answer #
C
Quick Insight: The DVA-C02 Imperative #
- ACM certificates are regional—there is no “global” certificate resource.
- Elastic Beanstalk ALBs require region-specific certificates that must be created or imported in each AWS Region to attach to the ALB.
- CloudFormation templates deploying across multiple Regions must reference regionally scoped certificates.
Content Locked: The Expert Analysis #
You’ve identified the answer. But do you know the implementation details that separate a Junior from a Senior?
The Expert’s Analysis #
Correct Answer #
Option C
The Winning Logic: #
AWS Certificate Manager certificates are regional resources. Each certificate you create or import exists within a single AWS Region. When deploying resources like Application Load Balancers (ALBs) in Elastic Beanstalk environments across multiple regions, you must provision certificates locally in each region.
The CloudFormation template must be designed to create or reference ACM certificates in the target region where the ALB is deployed. This enables the ALB to correctly use the SSL/TLS certificate for HTTPS traffic.
The Trap (Distractor Analysis): #
-
Why not Option A?
You cannot create a certificate in one region and import it directly into ALBs that exist in other regions. Certificates can’t be cross-region shared by default. This approach requires manual import steps, which is error-prone and violates zero-touch automation principles. -
Why not Option B?
ACM does not have a concept of “global certificates.” Each certificate is regional. This option is factually incorrect and not possible with AWS services. -
Why not Option D?
While ACM certificates created in us-east-1 region can be used for CloudFront distributions globally (because CloudFront requires certificates in us-east-1), ALBs in other regions require certificates that exist in the same region. Thus, you can’t deploy a us-east-1 certificate directly to ALBs in other regions.
The Technical Blueprint #
# Sample AWS CLI command to request ACM certificate in a specific region:
aws acm request-certificate --domain-name www.techfruit.example.com --region us-west-2 --validation-method DNS
# Example CloudFormation snippet for ACM certificate reference in a region:
Resources:
WebAppCertificate:
Type: AWS::CertificateManager::Certificate
Properties:
DomainName: www.techfruit.example.com
ValidationMethod: DNS
The Comparative Analysis #
| Option | API/CloudFormation Action | Feasibility | Automation Level | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | Create once, import manually | Not feasible cross-region | Low | Requires manual cert import to all regions |
| B | Global certificate concept | Not possible | None | ACM does not support global certificates |
| C | Create cert per region | Fully feasible | High | Best practice for multi-region ALB certificate usage |
| D | Single region cert deployment | Invalid for ALBs not in same region | None | Only works for CloudFront, not ALB |
Real-World Application (Practitioner Insight) #
Exam Rule #
For the exam, always remember that ACM certificates are regional resources, so cross-region deployment demands duplicating certificates per region when used with regional services like ALB.
Real World #
In production, teams often automate certificate issuance through CI/CD pipelines using AWS CLI/SDK to request certificates per region and embed the resulting ARNs into regional CloudFormation stacks for full lifecycle automation.
(CTA) Stop Guessing, Start Mastering #
Disclaimer
This is a study note based on simulated scenarios for the DVA-C02 exam.