ANS-C01 Network Security, Compliance and Governance Practice Question
A company is deploying a multi-tier application in a VPC. The web servers must be accessible from the internet, but the database servers must not be. Which architecture meets these requirements?
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
✓
Place web servers in public subnets with an internet gateway, and databases in private subnets with no direct internet access.
Placing web servers in public subnets with an internet gateway and database servers in private subnets with no direct internet access ensures only the web tier is accessible from the internet. Option A is incorrect because a NAT gateway is used for outbound internet access from private subnets, not for allowing inbound traffic to the database servers. Option C is incorrect because an AWS Site-to-Site VPN is used to connect on-premises networks to a VPC, not to provide internet access to private subnets. Option D is incorrect because placing database servers in public subnets directly exposes them to the internet; security groups alone do not prevent internet routability, and best practice is to place databases in private subnets.
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 a NAT gateway for the database servers to allow inbound traffic.
Why it's wrong here
A NAT gateway allows only outbound traffic from private subnets, not inbound. It cannot be used to allow inbound traffic to databases.
- ✓
Place web servers in public subnets with an internet gateway, and databases in private subnets with no direct internet access.
Why this is correct
Placing web servers in public subnets with an internet gateway allows internet access, while databases in private subnets have no direct internet access, meeting the requirements.
- ✗
Place all servers in private subnets and use an AWS Site-to-Site VPN for internet access.
Why it's wrong here
An AWS Site-to-Site VPN connects to a corporate network, not the internet. It does not provide internet access to the servers, and placing all servers in private subnets prevents internet access for web servers.
- ✗
Place both web and database servers in public subnets and use security groups to restrict database access.
Why it's wrong here
Placing databases in public subnets exposes them to the internet. Security groups can restrict traffic, but the instances still have public IP addresses and are reachable from the internet. Databases should be in private subnets.
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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.