AWS Solutions Architect Associate Practice Test

What is the best configuration for deploying a new two-tier web application that requires high availability?

1. MySQL installed on two Amazon EC2 instances in a single Availability Zone.

2. Amazon RDS for MySQL with Multi-AZ for high availability.

3. Amazon ElastiCache for caching only.

4. Amazon DynamoDB for eventual consistency.

The correct answer is: Amazon RDS for MySQL with Multi-AZ for high availability.

The best configuration for deploying a new two-tier web application that requires high availability is using Amazon RDS for MySQL with Multi-AZ for high availability. This solution provides several key benefits that enhance the application's availability and reliability. When using Amazon RDS with Multi-AZ, the database automatically replicates the data between a primary instance and a standby instance located in a different Availability Zone (AZ). In the event of a failure of the primary instance or the AZ it resides in, Amazon RDS can automatically failover to the standby instance. This seamless failover capability minimizes downtime and ensures that the database is highly available, which is critical for applications requiring uninterrupted operation. Additionally, the management provided by Amazon RDS reduces the administrative burden often associated with database management tasks, such as backups, software patching, and scaling. It enables developers to focus on building their application rather than managing the underlying infrastructure. In contrast, deploying MySQL on two EC2 instances in a single Availability Zone does not provide high availability because if the zone experiences an issue, both instances would become unavailable. Amazon ElastiCache, while useful for caching to improve application performance, does not address the database needs nor provides high availability for the primary data store. Lastly, while DynamoDB