This ANS-C01 practice question tests your understanding of network design. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. 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 a VPC with a public subnet and a private subnet. The private subnet instances need to access an S3 bucket. Which configuration provides the most secure and efficient access without traversing the internet?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Create a VPC Gateway Endpoint for Amazon S3 and associate it with the private subnet route table.
Option C is correct because a VPC Gateway Endpoint for Amazon S3 allows instances in a private subnet to access S3 directly over the AWS network without traversing the internet, using a route table entry that targets the endpoint's prefix list. This provides the most secure and efficient access by keeping traffic within the AWS backbone, avoiding NAT Gateway costs and internet exposure.
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.
✗
Establish a VPN connection to on-premises and route to S3 from there.
Why it's wrong here
Unnecessary and inefficient.
✗
Use a NAT Gateway in the public subnet to route traffic to S3.
Why it's wrong here
Traffic goes through the internet, which is less secure and adds latency.
✓
Create a VPC Gateway Endpoint for Amazon S3 and associate it with the private subnet route table.
Why this is correct
Gateway Endpoint provides private, secure access to S3 without internet.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Configure a proxy server in the public subnet.
Why it's wrong here
Proxy adds complexity and maintenance overhead.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
AWS often tests the misconception that a NATGateway is required for private subnet internet access, but the trap here is that S3 can be accessed privately via a Gateway Endpoint without any internet gateway or NAT, making options like B and D seem plausible but incorrect.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
A VPC Gateway Endpoint uses AWS PrivateLink to route S3 traffic over the AWS network via a prefix list in the route table, with the endpoint's DNS name resolving to private IPs. Under the hood, the endpoint is a horizontally scaled, redundant component that does not require a separate instance or HA configuration, and it supports policies for granular access control. In real-world scenarios, this is critical for compliance workloads (e.g., HIPAA) where data must not leave the AWS network, and it also avoids data transfer costs associated with NAT Gateway or internet egress.
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 startup's cloud architect reviews their monthly bill and notices costs are higher than expected for a long-running batch job. Switching from on-demand instances to Reserved Instances — or using Spot/Preemptible VMs — can reduce compute costs by up to 72 %. Questions like this test whether you understand the tradeoffs between commitment, flexibility, and cost across cloud pricing models.
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.
Network Design — This question tests Network Design — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Create a VPC Gateway Endpoint for Amazon S3 and associate it with the private subnet route table. — Option C is correct because a VPC Gateway Endpoint for Amazon S3 allows instances in a private subnet to access S3 directly over the AWS network without traversing the internet, using a route table entry that targets the endpoint's prefix list. This provides the most secure and efficient access by keeping traffic within the AWS backbone, avoiding NAT Gateway costs and internet exposure.
What should I do if I get this ANS-C01 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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Question Discussion
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