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CLF-C02 · Question #316

CLF-C02 Question #316: Real Exam Question with Answer & Explanation

The correct answer is B: AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM). AWS IAM is always free - it's a foundational identity service that AWS provides at no cost because controlling access to your AWS account is considered a prerequisite to using any other service. You are never charged for creating users, groups, roles, or policies. Why the distrac

Submitted by weili_xi· Mar 6, 2026Billing, Pricing, and Support

Question

Which AWS service is always available free of charge to users?

Options

  • AAmazon Athena
  • BAWS Identity and Access Management (IAM)
  • CAWS Secrets Manager
  • DAmazon ElastiCache

Explanation

AWS IAM is always free - it's a foundational identity service that AWS provides at no cost because controlling access to your AWS account is considered a prerequisite to using any other service. You are never charged for creating users, groups, roles, or policies.

Why the distractors are wrong:

  • Amazon Athena (A) charges per query based on the amount of data scanned.
  • AWS Secrets Manager (C) charges per secret stored per month, plus per 10,000 API calls.
  • Amazon ElastiCache (D) charges for node hours based on instance type and size.

Memory tip: Think of IAM as the "front door lock" - AWS gives you the lock for free because you must have it to safely use anything else. Services that store data, run queries, or spin up infrastructure always cost money; services that just control access to those resources do not.

Topics

#AWS pricing#Free tier#IAM

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