ANS-C01 Network Design Practice Question
A company has a VPC with a public subnet for a web server and a private subnet for a database. The web server needs to make API calls to Amazon S3. Which is the most secure way to provide this access without traffic leaving the AWS network?
⚠ Common exam trap
It's easy for candidates to choose a NAT gateway (Option C) thinking it provides private outbound access, but they overlook that NAT gateway traffic still goes to the internet, whereas a gateway endpoint keeps traffic entirely within AWS.
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
✓
Create a VPC gateway endpoint for Amazon S3 and attach it to the route table of the private subnet.
A VPC gateway endpoint for Amazon S3 allows resources in a private subnet to access S3 privately using the AWS network, without traversing the internet or requiring a NAT gateway. This is the most secure option because traffic stays within the AWS backbone and does not require public IPs or external connectivity.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Use an AWS Site-to-Site VPN to connect to a remote network that has access to S3.
Why it's wrong here
Unnecessary complexity.
- ✓
Create a VPC gateway endpoint for Amazon S3 and attach it to the route table of the private subnet.
Why this is correct
Gateway endpoint provides private, secure access to S3.
- ✗
Set up a NAT gateway in the public subnet and route the web server's traffic through it.
Why it's wrong here
NAT gateway sends traffic over internet.
- ✗
Use an internet gateway and a public IP address on the web server.
Why it's wrong here
Exposes the web server to internet.
Visual reference
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 |
Go deeper
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This ANS-C01 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 ANS-C01 exam.