AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate (SAA-C02) — Question 203

An online photo application lets users upload photos and perform image editing operations. The application offers two classes of service: free and paid. Photos submitted by paid users are processed before those submitted by free users. Photos are uploaded to Amazon S3 and the job information is sent to Amazon SQS.
Which configuration should a solutions architect recommend?

Answer options

• A. Use one SQS FIFO queue. Assign a higher priority to the paid photos so they are processed first.
• B. Use two SQS FIFO queues: one for paid and one for free. Set the free queue to use short polling and the paid queue to use long polling.
• C. Use two SQS standard queues: one for paid and one for free. Configure Amazon EC2 instances to prioritize polling for the paid queue over the free queue.
• D. Use one SQS standard queue. Set the visibility timeout of the paid photos to zero. Configure Amazon EC2 instances to prioritize visibility settings so paid photos are processed first.

Correct answer: C

Explanation

Option C is correct because using two SQS standard queues allows for clear separation of paid and free user requests, and prioritizing polling for the paid queue ensures that those requests are processed first. Option A is incorrect as a single FIFO queue does not allow for distinct prioritization of paid over free. Option B suggests FIFO queues which are unnecessary for this scenario, and option D's approach to visibility timeout does not effectively prioritize processing.