- A
AWS Direct Connect
Why wrong: Direct Connect provides a dedicated network link between on-premises and AWS regions. It does not bring AWS services to run on on-premises hardware.
- B
AWS Snow Family
Why wrong: Snow Family devices (Snowball, Snowcone) are used for data migration and edge computing. They are deployed temporarily for data transfer or limited compute, not as a permanent on-premises AWS infrastructure solution.
- C
AWS Outposts
AWS Outposts delivers fully managed AWS racks to customer on-premises facilities. AWS manages the hardware, and customers run native AWS services (EC2, EBS, EKS, RDS) using standard AWS APIs on-premises.
- D
AWS Local Zones
Why wrong: Local Zones are AWS-operated extensions of regions in metro areas. They are AWS-managed infrastructure, not on-premises installations in the customer's own facility.
AWS Outposts: Extend AWS to Your Data Center
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 workloads that must remain on-premises due to data residency regulations but want to use the same AWS APIs, tools, and services they use in the cloud — including EC2, RDS, and S3 — on their on-premises hardware. Which AWS service enables this?
Quick Answer
The answer is AWS Outposts. This service is the correct choice because it delivers native AWS infrastructure, including EC2, RDS, and S3, directly into an on-premises data center, allowing you to run workloads locally while using the exact same AWS APIs, tools, and control plane you rely on in the cloud. For the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner CLF-C02 exam, this question tests your understanding of hybrid cloud services that bridge on-premises and cloud environments, specifically for scenarios involving data residency or low-latency requirements. A common trap is confusing Outposts with AWS Storage Gateway or AWS Direct Connect—remember that Outposts provides actual compute and storage hardware on-site, not just a network or storage bridge. To lock it in, think of Outposts as “AWS in a box” that sits in your data center, giving you a consistent hybrid experience without sacrificing local compliance.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
AWS Outposts
AWS Outposts is a fully managed service that extends AWS infrastructure, services, APIs, and tools to virtually any on-premises data center or co-location space. It allows customers to run EC2, RDS, and S3 locally on Outposts hardware while maintaining the same AWS control plane and APIs, satisfying data residency requirements without sacrificing cloud-native tooling.
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.
- ✗
AWS Direct Connect
Why it's wrong here
Direct Connect provides a dedicated network link between on-premises and AWS regions. It does not bring AWS services to run on on-premises hardware.
- ✗
AWS Snow Family
Why it's wrong here
Snow Family devices (Snowball, Snowcone) are used for data migration and edge computing. They are deployed temporarily for data transfer or limited compute, not as a permanent on-premises AWS infrastructure solution.
- ✓
AWS Outposts
Why this is correct
AWS Outposts delivers fully managed AWS racks to customer on-premises facilities. AWS manages the hardware, and customers run native AWS services (EC2, EBS, EKS, RDS) using standard AWS APIs on-premises.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
AWS Local Zones
Why it's wrong here
Local Zones are AWS-operated extensions of regions in metro areas. They are AWS-managed infrastructure, not on-premises installations in the customer's own facility.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates confuse AWS Outposts with AWS Local Zones or Direct Connect, mistakenly thinking that a network connection or edge location alone provides the same on-premises service compatibility, when only Outposts actually runs the AWS infrastructure on customer-owned hardware.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
AWS Outposts uses a 1U or 2U rack-mounted server (Outposts rack or server) that connects to the nearest AWS Region via a secure, low-latency network link. The local instance types, EBS volumes, and S3 buckets are managed through the same AWS Management Console, CLI, and SDKs, with data stored locally on the Outposts hardware. A real-world scenario is a financial institution that must keep transaction data within a specific country but wants to use AWS Lambda, RDS, and S3 APIs for application development, which Outposts enables by running those services locally while the control plane remains in the parent Region.
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 media company stores terabytes of video archives that are accessed once a year for audit purposes. Moving these objects to a cold storage tier (Azure Archive, S3 Glacier, or Google Nearline) costs a fraction of hot storage. Questions like this test whether you understand storage tiers, access frequency tradeoffs, and retrieval latency requirements.
Quick reference
AWS S3 Storage Class Comparison
| Storage Class | Min Duration | Retrieval | Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|
| S3 Standard | None | Immediate | Frequently accessed data |
| S3 Standard-IA | 30 days | Immediate | Infrequent access, rapid retrieval |
| S3 One Zone-IA | 30 days | Immediate | Non-critical infrequent data |
| S3 Intelligent-Tiering | None | Immediate–hours | Unknown or changing access patterns |
| S3 Glacier Instant | 90 days | Milliseconds | Archive with instant retrieval |
| S3 Glacier Flexible | 90 days | Minutes–hours | Archive, flexible retrieval |
| S3 Glacier Deep Archive | 180 days | Hours | Long-term compliance archive |
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this CLF-C02 question test?
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: AWS Outposts — AWS Outposts is a fully managed service that extends AWS infrastructure, services, APIs, and tools to virtually any on-premises data center or co-location space. It allows customers to run EC2, RDS, and S3 locally on Outposts hardware while maintaining the same AWS control plane and APIs, satisfying data residency requirements without sacrificing cloud-native tooling.
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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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
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.
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