AWS CLF-C02 Cheat Sheet 2026
Everything you need on one page before exam day: domain weights, core service categories, the Shared Responsibility Model, pricing models, billing tools, support plans, and the traps that catch first-timers.
01 Domain weights
CLF-C02 has four domains. Technology and security together make up nearly two-thirds of the exam, so that is where most of your study time should land.
02 Core service categories
You do not need deep knowledge of any one service — you need to recognise what each one does and the category it belongs to. These are the names that appear again and again.
Compute
EC2 · Lambda · Elastic Beanstalk · ECS
EC2 for virtual servers, Lambda for serverless functions, Beanstalk to deploy apps without managing infrastructure, ECS for containers.
Storage
S3 · EBS · EFS · Glacier
S3 object storage, EBS block volumes for EC2, EFS shared file storage, Glacier for low-cost archival.
Database
RDS · Aurora · DynamoDB · Redshift
RDS and Aurora for relational data, DynamoDB for NoSQL key-value, Redshift for data-warehouse analytics.
Networking
VPC · Route 53 · CloudFront · ELB
VPC for isolated networks, Route 53 for DNS, CloudFront as the CDN/edge cache, ELB to distribute traffic.
Security
IAM · KMS · Shield · WAF · Inspector · GuardDuty
IAM for access, KMS for encryption keys, Shield for DDoS, WAF for web filtering, Inspector and GuardDuty for threat detection.
Management
CloudWatch · CloudTrail · Config · Trusted Advisor · Systems Manager
CloudWatch monitors, CloudTrail audits API calls, Config tracks resource state, Trusted Advisor advises, Systems Manager operates fleets.
04 Pricing models
| Model | When to use |
|---|---|
| On-Demand | Short-term, unpredictable or spiky workloads — pay per second/hour with no commitment. |
| Reserved Instances | Steady, predictable usage for 1 or 3 years — large discount for a capacity commitment. |
| Savings Plans | Commit to a spend amount per hour for 1 or 3 years — flexible across instance families and services. |
| Spot Instances | Fault-tolerant, interruptible batch/CI work — up to ~90% off, but AWS can reclaim capacity. |
| Dedicated Hosts | Compliance or licensing rules that require physical isolation or bring-your-own-license. |
05 Billing & cost-management tools
Know the one-line purpose of each tool — questions usually describe a need and ask which tool meets it.
Cost Explorer
Visualise and analyse spend and usage over time, with forecasts and filtering by service or tag.
AWS Budgets
Set custom cost or usage thresholds and get alerts when spend is forecast to exceed them.
Cost & Usage Report
The most detailed line-item billing data, delivered to S3 for deep analysis.
Billing Conductor
Create custom pricing and billing views for internal chargeback across teams or business units.
Cost Allocation Tags
Tag resources so costs can be grouped and reported by project, team, or environment.
Pricing Calculator
Estimate the cost of a proposed architecture before you build it.
06 Support plans & Well-Architected
| Plan | Key difference |
|---|---|
| Basic | Free for all accounts; docs, forums, and core Trusted Advisor checks only — no technical case support. |
| Developer | Business-hours email access to Cloud Support Associates; best for experimentation and testing. |
| Business | 24/7 phone, email and chat; full Trusted Advisor checks; production workload support. |
| Enterprise | All of Business plus a Technical Account Manager (TAM), Concierge, and the fastest response SLAs. |
The 6 Well-Architected pillars
- Operational Excellence — run and monitor systems, improve processes.
- Security — protect data, systems and assets.
- Reliability — recover from failure and meet demand.
- Performance Efficiency — use resources efficiently as needs change.
- Cost Optimization — avoid unnecessary spend.
- Sustainability — minimise the environmental impact of workloads.
07 Global infrastructure & must-know facts
- Region: a physical geographic area (e.g. us-east-1) containing multiple isolated data-centre groups.
- Availability Zone (AZ): one or more discrete data centres within a Region — deploy across AZs for high availability.
- Edge Location: CloudFront cache points close to users for low-latency content delivery; far more numerous than Regions.
- Local Zones: extend a Region closer to large population centres for single-digit-millisecond latency.
- AWS Organizations: centrally manage multiple accounts and get consolidated billing with combined volume discounts.
- AWS Artifact: on-demand access to AWS compliance reports (SOC, ISO, PCI) and agreements.
- AWS Health Dashboard: shows the status of AWS services and personalised events affecting your account.
08 Common traps
09 FAQ
Is CLF-C02 worth it for beginners?
Yes. The Cloud Practitioner is the ideal entry point if you are new to AWS or work in a non-technical role such as sales, project management, or finance. It builds the vocabulary and mental model you need before tackling Associate-level certifications, and it is one of the most recognised foundational cloud credentials.
How long to study for AWS Cloud Practitioner?
Most people need two to six weeks. With prior IT experience you can be ready in one to two weeks of focused study; complete beginners should plan four to six weeks of an hour or two a day. Mixing a structured course with regular practice questions is the fastest reliable path.
What is the CLF-C02 passing score?
700 out of 1000 on a scaled scale. The score is normalised across question difficulty, so you do not need exactly 70% of questions correct. Aim for a steady 80%+ on full-length practice exams before you book the real test.
Is CLF-C02 hard?
No, it is the easiest AWS certification. CLF-C02 is foundational and non-technical: it tests breadth of cloud vocabulary, core service purposes, billing, and security concepts rather than hands-on configuration. Knowing what each service is for matters far more than knowing how to build it.
