ANS-C01 Network Design Practice Question
A company has a VPC with public and private subnets. The private subnets need internet access for updates, but must not be directly reachable from the internet. Which AWS service should be used?
⚠ Common exam trap
AWS often tests the misconception that an internet gateway can be used for private subnets by adding a default route to it, but the trap here is that an internet gateway alone does not provide outbound-only access—it allows inbound traffic unless explicitly blocked by a network ACL, which still exposes the subnet to direct inbound connections.
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
✓
NAT gateway
A NAT gateway enables instances in a private subnet to initiate outbound IPv4 traffic to the internet (e.g., for software updates) while preventing unsolicited inbound connections from the internet. It resides in a public subnet with an Elastic IP and uses the internet gateway for outbound traffic, but it does not allow inbound traffic to reach the private instances directly.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
NAT gateway
Why this is correct
A NAT gateway enables outbound internet access for private subnets.
- ✗
Internet gateway
Why it's wrong here
An internet gateway allows inbound traffic from the internet.
- ✗
VPN connection
Why it's wrong here
A VPN connection connects to on-premises networks.
- ✗
VPC endpoint
Why it's wrong here
A VPC endpoint provides private access to AWS services, not general internet access.
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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.