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AWS DVA-C02 Drill: CodeDeploy Traffic Shifting - Canary vs. Linear Deployment Patterns

Jeff Taakey
Author
Jeff Taakey
21+ Year Enterprise Architect | AWS SAA/SAP & Multi-Cloud Expert.

Jeff’s Note
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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 choosing the right CodeDeploy traffic shifting configuration for containerized ECS deployments. In production, this is about knowing exactly how predefined deployment configurations control traffic routing and the timing nuances to enable safe releases with minimal user impact. Let’s drill down.

The Certification Drill (Simulated Question)
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Scenario
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A software development startup named CloudStream Solutions is preparing to deploy a new version of their microservices application running on Amazon Elastic Container Service (ECS). To minimize risk and ensure stability, the DevOps team wants to gradually shift live user traffic. Initially, only 10% of the live traffic should be routed to the new application version. After a 15-minute observation period with no issues, the deployment should complete by routing 100% of the live traffic to the new version.

The Requirement:
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Identify which AWS CodeDeploy predefined deployment configuration meets these gradual traffic shifting and timing criteria for ECS applications.

The Options
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  • A) CodeDeployDefault.ECSCanary10Percent15Minutes
  • B) CodeDeployDefault.LambdaCanary10Percent5Minutes
  • C) CodeDeployDefault.LambdaCanary10Percent15Minutes
  • D) CodeDeployDefault.ECSLinear10PercentEvery1Minutes

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Correct Answer
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A) CodeDeployDefault.ECSCanary10Percent15Minutes

Quick Insight: The Developer Imperative
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When deploying containerized applications on ECS using CodeDeploy, the predefined ECSCanary configurations provide both logical correctness and minimum downtime.
LambdaCanary options, although similarly named, apply only to Lambda deployments and are incompatible with ECS services.
Linear deployments proceed in small increments over a fixed interval, but do not offer an initial 10% canary followed by a wait period.

Content Locked: The Expert Analysis
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You’ve identified the answer. But do you know the implementation details that separate a Junior from a Senior?


The Expert’s Analysis
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Correct Answer
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Option A: CodeDeployDefault.ECSCanary10Percent15Minutes

The Winning Logic
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This predefined CodeDeploy configuration is explicitly designed for Amazon ECS blue/green deployments. It shifts 10% of live traffic immediately to the new container version as a canary, waits for 15 minutes to verify health and performance, and then shifts the remaining 90% traffic to complete the deployment. This meets the exact timing and traffic exposure requirements in the scenario.

  • For ECS deployments using CodeDeploy, canary deployments provide controlled gradual rollouts with built-in validation windows.
  • The “10Percent15Minutes” suffix defines the percentage and the wait duration between traffic increments.
  • This configuration optimizes risk mitigation by allowing a quick rollback if errors appear during the canary period.

The Trap (Distractor Analysis):
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  • Option B & C (LambdaCanary configurations): These are only for AWS Lambda functions. Lambda and ECS use different deployment mechanisms under CodeDeploy, so these would not work with an ECS service.
  • Option D (ECSLinear10PercentEvery1Minutes): This splits traffic evenly in increments every 1 minute, e.g., 10% every minute until fully shifted. It doesn’t wait 15 minutes after the initial 10%, which violates the timing requirement.

The Technical Blueprint
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# Example AWS CLI snippet to start a deployment using the correct config:
aws deploy create-deployment \
  --application-name my-ecs-app \
  --deployment-config-name CodeDeployDefault.ECSCanary10Percent15Minutes \
  --deployment-group-name my-ecs-deployment-group \
  --github-location repository=repo-name,commitId=commit-sha

The Comparative Analysis
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Option API/Config Target Deployment Type Traffic Shift Pattern Wait Time Use Case
A ECS Canary 10% initially, then 100% at 15m 15 minutes ECS gradual deployment + pause
B Lambda Canary 10% initially, then 100% at 5m 5 minutes Lambda function deployments
C Lambda Canary 10% initially, then 100% at 15m 15 minutes Lambda function deployments
D ECS Linear 10% traffic every 1 minute No pause ECS incremental rollout

Real-World Application (Practitioner Insight)
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Exam Rule
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For the exam, always pick ECSCanary configurations when you see ECS applications requiring traffic shifting with specified wait times.

Real World
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In production, teams sometimes use linear deployments for smoother, more continuous traffic shifts instead of canary—especially when the tolerance for risk is lower or automated monitoring systems detect anomalies more rapidly.


(CTA) Stop Guessing, Start Mastering
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Disclaimer

This is a study note based on simulated scenarios for the AWS DVA-C02 exam.

The DevPro Network: Mission and Founder

A 21-Year Tech Leadership Journey

Jeff Taakey has driven complex systems for over two decades, serving in pivotal roles as an Architect, Technical Director, and startup Co-founder/CTO.

He holds both an MBA degree and a Computer Science Master's degree from an English-speaking university in Hong Kong. His expertise is further backed by multiple international certifications including TOGAF, PMP, ITIL, and AWS SAA.

His experience spans diverse sectors and includes leading large, multidisciplinary teams (up to 86 people). He has also served as a Development Team Lead while cooperating with global teams spanning North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific. He has spearheaded the design of an industry cloud platform. This work was often conducted within global Fortune 500 environments like IBM, Citi and Panasonic.

Following a recent Master’s degree from an English-speaking university in Hong Kong, he launched this platform to share advanced, practical technical knowledge with the global developer community.


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