Quick Answer
The answer is AWS Transit Gateway, which is the correct choice because it provides transitive routing for multi-VPC connectivity through a hub-and-spoke architecture, allowing any attached VPC to communicate with any other via the central gateway without requiring direct peering. This eliminates the need for a full mesh of VPC peering connections—reducing N VPCs from N*(N-1)/2 connections to just N attachments—and centralizes routing management in a single routing table. On the AWS Certified Advanced Networking Specialty ANS-C01 exam, this question tests your understanding of how Transit Gateway inherently supports transitive routing, a key differentiator from VPC peering, which is non-transitive and requires explicit peering between every pair. A common trap is assuming VPC peering can scale with transitive routing, but it cannot; remember that Transit Gateway is the only native AWS service that enables transitive routing across multiple VPCs. Memory tip: think of Transit Gateway as the “hub” that lets spokes talk through it—no direct spoke-to-spoke paths needed.
This ANS-C01 practice question tests your understanding of network design. 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 multiple VPCs in the same AWS region that need to communicate with each other. The network team wants to minimize the number of connections and simplify management. The solution must support transitive routing between all VPCs. Which AWS service should be used?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "minimum / minimize"
Why it matters: Asks for the least resource use — fewest addresses, smallest subnet, lowest overhead. Eliminate over-provisioned options even if they would technically work.
VPC Peering
Why wrong: Incorrect; VPC Peering does not support transitive routing.
AWS Direct Connect Gateway
Why wrong: Incorrect; Direct Connect Gateway is for on-premises connectivity.
AWS Transit Gateway
Correct; Transit Gateway provides transitive routing and simplifies connections.
VPC Endpoints
Why wrong: Incorrect; VPC Endpoints are for AWS service access, not VPC-to-VPC.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
AWS Transit Gateway
AWS Transit Gateway (TGW) is a network transit hub that enables transitive routing between multiple VPCs and on-premises networks through a single gateway. It uses a hub-and-spoke architecture, which inherently supports transitive routing (e.g., VPC A can reach VPC C via the TGW without requiring direct peering between A and C). This minimizes the number of connections (N VPCs require only N attachments instead of N*(N-1)/2 VPC peering connections) and simplifies management with a central routing table.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
VPC Peering
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect; VPC Peering does not support transitive routing.
AWS Direct Connect Gateway
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect; Direct Connect Gateway is for on-premises connectivity.
AWS Transit Gateway
Why this is correct
Correct; Transit Gateway provides transitive routing and simplifies connections.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "minimum / minimize" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
VPC Endpoints
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect; VPC Endpoints are for AWS service access, not VPC-to-VPC.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates often confuse VPC Peering's lack of transitive routing with the ability to route through a central VPC (e.g., using a third-party appliance), but AWS explicitly prohibits transitive routing through VPC peering, making Transit Gateway the only native service that supports transitive routing between multiple VPCs.
Detailed technical explanation
Transit Gateway uses a single routing table per attachment (or a shared route table) to propagate and evaluate routes, enabling traffic to flow between any attached VPCs or VPN connections. Under the hood, it leverages AWS's internal network fabric with BGP for dynamic route exchange when connected to VPNs or Direct Connect, and supports multicast and equal-cost multi-path (ECMP) routing for load balancing. In a real-world scenario, a company with 10 VPCs would need 45 VPC peering connections without TGW, but with TGW only 10 attachments are required, drastically reducing operational overhead and avoiding the 'peering mesh' complexity.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
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.
What to study next
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FAQ
Network Design — This question tests Network Design — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: AWS Transit Gateway — AWS Transit Gateway (TGW) is a network transit hub that enables transitive routing between multiple VPCs and on-premises networks through a single gateway. It uses a hub-and-spoke architecture, which inherently supports transitive routing (e.g., VPC A can reach VPC C via the TGW without requiring direct peering between A and C). This minimizes the number of connections (N VPCs require only N attachments instead of N*(N-1)/2 VPC peering connections) and simplifies management with a central routing table.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Yes — watch for: "minimum / minimize". Asks for the least resource use — fewest addresses, smallest subnet, lowest overhead. Eliminate over-provisioned options even if they would technically work.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Variation 1. A company has multiple VPCs that need to communicate with each other and with an on-premises network. They want to minimize operational overhead and avoid peering mesh complexity. Which AWS service should be used?
easyWhy A: AWS Transit Gateway acts as a central hub to interconnect multiple VPCs and on-premises networks using a single gateway, eliminating the need for a full mesh of VPC peering connections. It simplifies network management by providing transitive routing between all attached networks, which directly addresses the requirement to minimize operational overhead and avoid peering mesh complexity.
Last reviewed: Jun 24, 2026
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