The answer is VPC Peering, which is the correct choice because it establishes a direct network connection between two VPCs that enables EC2 instances to communicate using private IP addresses, with all traffic routed entirely over the AWS global backbone rather than the public internet. This feature is fundamental to the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner CLF-C02 exam, where it tests your understanding of how to keep inter-VPC traffic secure and private without requiring a VPN, internet gateway, or NAT device. A common trap on the exam is confusing VPC Peering with a Transit Gateway or a VPN connection—remember that VPC Peering is a simple, one-to-one connection that does not support transitive routing, meaning if VPC A is peered with VPC B and VPC B is peered with VPC C, VPC A cannot reach VPC C through VPC B. For the exam, a helpful memory tip is "Peering is private and point-to-point," reinforcing that it uses private IPs and only connects two VPCs directly.
CLF-C02 Cloud Technology and Services Practice Question
This CLF-C02 practice question tests your understanding of cloud technology and services. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
A company has two separate VPCs — one for development workloads and one for a shared services environment — and wants EC2 instances in both VPCs to communicate with each other using private IP addresses without traffic traversing the public internet. Which AWS feature enables this?
Why wrong: An Internet Gateway routes traffic to and from the public internet. It does not create private connectivity between VPCs.
B
NAT Gateway
Why wrong: A NAT Gateway provides outbound internet access for private subnet instances. It does not create connectivity between VPCs.
C
VPC Peering
VPC Peering connects two VPCs (even across accounts or regions) so instances can communicate using private IPs without public internet exposure. Traffic remains on the AWS private network.
D
AWS Direct Connect
Why wrong: Direct Connect is a dedicated physical network connection from an on-premises data centre to AWS. It does not connect two AWS VPCs to each other.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
VPC Peering
VPC Peering enables direct network connectivity between two VPCs using private IP addresses, with traffic routed entirely within the AWS network backbone. This allows EC2 instances in the development VPC and the shared services VPC to communicate without traversing the public internet, as traffic stays within the AWS global infrastructure.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✗
Internet Gateway
Why it's wrong here
An Internet Gateway routes traffic to and from the public internet. It does not create private connectivity between VPCs.
✗
NAT Gateway
Why it's wrong here
A NATGateway provides outbound internet access for private subnet instances. It does not create connectivity between VPCs.
✓
VPC Peering
Why this is correct
VPC Peering connects two VPCs (even across accounts or regions) so instances can communicate using private IPs without public internet exposure. Traffic remains on the AWS private network.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
AWS Direct Connect
Why it's wrong here
Direct Connect is a dedicated physical network connection from an on-premises data centre to AWS. It does not connect two AWS VPCs to each other.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse VPC Peering with a NATGateway or Internet Gateway, mistakenly thinking those services can bridge two VPCs, when in fact they are designed for internet-bound traffic, not private VPC-to-VPC connectivity.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
VPC Peering uses the existing AWS infrastructure to route traffic between VPCs via private IP addresses, leveraging the AWS global network without requiring a VPN or physical connection. It is not a transitive gateway — if VPC A is peered with VPC B and VPC B is peered with VPC C, VPC A cannot communicate with VPC C unless a separate peering connection is established. Route tables in each VPC must be explicitly updated with routes pointing to the CIDR block of the peered VPC, and security groups and network ACLs must allow the desired traffic.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
→Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
→Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A healthcare organisation deploys an application with a public-facing web tier and a private database tier. The database subnet has no public IP and only accepts connections from the web tier's security group. Questions like this test whether you can design cloud network isolation using VNets/VPCs, subnets, and security group rules.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this CLF-C02 question in full detail.
Cloud Technology and Services — This question tests Cloud Technology and Services — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: VPC Peering — VPC Peering enables direct network connectivity between two VPCs using private IP addresses, with traffic routed entirely within the AWS network backbone. This allows EC2 instances in the development VPC and the shared services VPC to communicate without traversing the public internet, as traffic stays within the AWS global infrastructure.
What should I do if I get this CLF-C02 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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This CLF-C02 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Amazon Web Services certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the CLF-C02 exam.
Question Discussion
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