AWS DevOps Engineer Professional Practice Test

What is the best approach to ensure sufficient capacity during high load periods with OpsWorks?

1. Pre-allocate only necessary capacity

2. Create more instances than needed and monitor

3. Use an auto-scaling tool outside of OpsWorks

4. Limit the number of instances to avoid costs

The correct answer is: Create more instances than needed and monitor

Choosing to create more instances than needed and monitor their performance is an effective approach to ensure sufficient capacity during high load periods with OpsWorks. This strategy allows your application to handle unexpected spikes in traffic or workloads by provisioning additional resources in advance. By having a buffer of extra instances, the system can respond promptly to increased demand, which enhances availability and performance for end-users. This method also incorporates continuous monitoring, which is critical. It allows the team to assess the actual utilization and performance of the instances, facilitating better decision-making regarding scaling up or down based on current needs. Adjustments can be made dynamically, ensuring that the right amount of resources is always allocated to meet demand efficiently without over-provisioning. In contrast, pre-allocating only necessary capacity could lead to undersized resources during peak loads, resulting in poor performance or downtime. Using an auto-scaling tool outside of OpsWorks might complicate the setup by introducing additional systems and potential inefficiencies, as integrating with OpsWorks directly might offer a more cohesive solution. Lastly, limiting the number of instances to avoid costs could compromise the application's ability to meet user expectations during high traffic periods. This approach risks degradation of service and could lead to lost revenue and customer dissatisfaction.