AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner / Question #983 of 719

Question #983

A company needs to configure automated notifications when its AWS infrastructure spending surpasses predefined budget thresholds. Which AWS service should be used to fulfill this requirement?

A

Amazon CloudWatch

B

Reserved Instances

C

AWS Budgets

D

AWS Cost Explorer

Explanation

AWS Budgets allows users to create custom cost and usage budgets, set threshold limits, and configure notifications via email or Amazon SNS when those thresholds are breached. This directly addresses the requirement for automated spending alerts.

Other options:
- A. Amazon CloudWatch: Monitors AWS resources and applications via metrics/alarms but does not natively track budget thresholds or spending.
- B. Reserved Instances: A pricing model for cost savings, unrelated to budget alerts.
- D. AWS Cost Explorer: Provides cost visualization and analysis tools but lacks automated notification features.

Key Points:
1. AWS Budgets is purpose-built for budget tracking and alerts.
2. CloudWatch focuses on operational metrics, not financial thresholds.
3. Cost Explorer is for historical analysis, not proactive notifications.

Answer

The correct answer is: C