Free CLF-C02 practice questions: containers on AWS

Containers, and the three services around them — ECS, EKS and Fargate. Seven questions that keep them apart, CLF-C02, 2026 edition.

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Containers come up on the CLF-C02 as a small family of services you have to keep apart: what a container is, and the difference between ECS, EKS and Fargate. None of it requires hands-on experience — just the ability to match a description to the right name.

What a container is

A container packages an application with its dependencies into a lightweight, portable unit that runs the same way everywhere. The exam’s favourite contrast is with a virtual machine: a container shares the host operating system’s kernel and carries only the app, while a VM bundles a full guest OS. That is why containers are lighter and start faster. You choose containers for consistent, portable deployment across environments.

Orchestrators: ECS vs EKS

To run many containers you need an orchestrator, and AWS offers two:

Amazon ECS — AWS’s own container orchestrator.
Amazon EKS — managed Kubernetes, the open-source orchestrator, for teams standardising on Kubernetes.

AWS-native versus Kubernetes is the split. If a question names Kubernetes, it is EKS; if it just says “AWS’s container service,” it is ECS.

Launch types: EC2 vs Fargate

Both ECS and EKS need compute to run the containers, and there are two options:

EC2 launch type — the containers run on EC2 instances you manage.
AWS Fargate — serverless: AWS runs the compute, so there is no cluster of instances to manage.

Orchestrator (ECS/EKS) is what coordinates the containers; launch type (EC2/Fargate) is what they run on. Fargate is simply the serverless answer to “who manages the servers.”

How to use the questions below

Answer each one before you reveal the explanation, and when you miss, read past the correct letter to why the other three fail. The distractors are always a neighbouring container service — ECS where EKS belongs, or the EC2 launch type described as serverless. Keeping orchestrator and launch type straight is the whole skill, and the reasoning below drills it.

Containers on AWS: a container packages an app with its dependencies and shares the host OS kernel, lighter than a full virtual machine. Amazon ECS is AWS's own orchestrator and EKS runs Kubernetes, and both run their containers on either EC2 instances you manage or AWS Fargate, which is serverless.

7 free CLF-C02 practice questions

Answers and explanations — no email wall

CLF-C02 Question 1 of 7

In simple terms, what is a container?

Answer: A — A lightweight, portable package of an application and its dependencies that runs consistently across environments

A container bundles an application with everything it needs to run, so it behaves the same wherever it runs. Why not the others: a full VM includes an entire guest OS and is heavier — that is the contrast the exam draws. A storage volume and a database are unrelated. Portable, consistent app packaging is the container idea.

CLF-C02 Question 2 of 7

How does a container differ from a virtual machine?

Answer: A — A container shares the host operating system's kernel and packages just the app and its dependencies; a VM includes a full guest OS

Containers are lighter because they share the host's OS kernel and carry only the app and its dependencies, while a VM bundles a complete operating system. Why not the others: the descriptions are not reversed, they are not identical, and containers are not limited to one OS. Sharing the kernel is what makes containers lightweight.

CLF-C02 Question 3 of 7

Which is AWS's own (non-Kubernetes) container orchestration service?

Answer: A — Amazon Elastic Container Service (ECS)

Amazon ECS is AWS's native container orchestrator. Why not the others: EKS runs Kubernetes, the open-source orchestrator, rather than AWS's own. Lambda runs functions, not container orchestration. EC2 provides servers. AWS-native orchestration is ECS; Kubernetes on AWS is EKS.

CLF-C02 Question 4 of 7

A company standardises on Kubernetes across clouds and wants to run it on AWS without operating the control plane itself. Which service fits?

Answer: A — Amazon Elastic Kubernetes Service (EKS)

Amazon EKS is managed Kubernetes on AWS — you get Kubernetes without running its control plane yourself. Why not the others: ECS is AWS's own orchestrator, not Kubernetes, so it does not suit a Kubernetes standardisation. Beanstalk is a managed application platform. Lightsail is simple virtual servers. Managed Kubernetes specifically is EKS.

CLF-C02 Question 5 of 7

How does running containers on AWS Fargate differ from the EC2 launch type?

Answer: A — With Fargate you do not manage the servers; with the EC2 launch type you manage the cluster of instances yourself

Fargate is serverless for containers — AWS runs the compute, so there is no cluster of instances to manage. With the EC2 launch type you run the containers on EC2 instances you provision and manage. Why not the others: Fargate absolutely runs containers, it is the serverless option (not EC2), and only the EC2 launch type puts server management on you. Serverless versus managed instances is the difference.

CLF-C02 Question 6 of 7

On which compute can Amazon ECS or EKS run their containers?

Answer: A — On EC2 instances you manage, or on AWS Fargate (serverless)

Both ECS and EKS can place their containers on EC2 instances you operate, or on Fargate, where AWS manages the compute for you. Why not the others: S3 is storage, Lambda runs functions (not container clusters), and RDS is a database. EC2 or Fargate are the two launch options.

CLF-C02 Question 7 of 7

When would a company choose to use containers?

Answer: A — To package an application so it deploys consistently and portably across environments

Containers are chosen for consistent, portable deployment — the same package runs the same way in development, test and production. Why not the others: cheap file storage is S3, sending email is SES, and resolving domain names is Route 53. Portable, consistent application packaging is the container use case.

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Those 7 questions were the start.

The exam does not test whether you recognise a term — it tests whether you can rule out three plausible answers under time pressure. That is what the explanations above are for, and there are 390 more questions built exactly like them.

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390 questions in 6 full tests, CLF-C02 (2026)
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Frequently asked questions

Is this the current CLF-C02 format?

Yes — these questions follow the CLF-C02 exam guide (2026 edition). Containers sit in the Cloud Technology and Services domain, the largest on the exam at 34%, and telling ECS, EKS and Fargate apart is a common ask.

Are these real exam questions?

No. They are our own questions, written in the style and difficulty of the exam. Reproducing real exam items violates the AWS certification agreement and can get your certification revoked, and a memorised item teaches you nothing about the one you have not seen.

Do I need Docker or Kubernetes experience for the exam?

No. CLF-C02 tests what a container is, and what ECS, EKS and Fargate are for — not how to build or operate them. You will not run a container in the exam; you will recognise which service fits a description.

What is the quickest way to keep ECS, EKS and Fargate straight?

ECS is AWS's own orchestrator, EKS is managed Kubernetes, and Fargate is the serverless way to run the containers for either one (versus running them on EC2 instances you manage). Orchestrator versus launch type is the key split.

Updated for CLF-C02 (July 2026). The sample questions above are our own work in the style of the exam — not real exam items. The exam itself is set and marked by the certification body.