The answer is to place the web tier in public subnets with auto-assign public IP addresses enabled. This configuration provides the lowest possible latency to the internet because each web instance receives a directly routable public IP, eliminating the additional hop and processing overhead introduced by a NAT gateway or instance. For the AWS Certified Advanced Networking Specialty ANS-C01 exam, this question tests your understanding of subnet routing and latency optimization for public-facing tiers; a common trap is assuming a NAT device is required for internet access, but that only adds unnecessary latency for inbound traffic. Remember the key principle: for a web tier subnet requiring public IP for low latency, direct assignment beats any form of network address translation. A useful memory tip is “Public web, public IP—no NAT, no lag.”
ANS-C01 Network Implementation Practice Question
This ANS-C01 practice question tests your understanding of network implementation. 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 is deploying a multi-tier web application across three Availability Zones in a VPC. The web tier must be highly available and scale based on CPU utilization. The database tier uses an Amazon RDS Multi-AZ DB instance. The web tier must have the lowest possible latency to the internet. Which configuration should be used for the web tier subnets?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Place the web tier in public subnets with auto-assign public IP addresses enabled.
Option A is correct because assigning public IP addresses to web instances in public subnets allows direct internet access with minimal latency. B would introduce NAT latency. C and D are incorrect for a public-facing web tier.
Key principle: Count usable hosts — not total addresses — and remember that the network and broadcast addresses are not available to hosts in standard IPv4 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.
✗
Place the web tier in public subnets with auto-assign public IP addresses disabled.
Why it's wrong here
Instances need public IPs for direct internet access.
✓
Place the web tier in public subnets with auto-assign public IP addresses enabled.
Why this is correct
Public subnets provide direct internet access with lowest latency.
Common exam trap: usable hosts are not the same as total addresses
Subnetting questions often tempt you into counting all addresses. In normal IPv4 subnets, the network and broadcast addresses are not usable host addresses.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Subnetting questions test whether you can identify the network, broadcast address, usable range, mask and correct subnet. Slow down enough to calculate the block size correctly.
KKey Concepts to Remember
CIDR notation defines the prefix length.
Block size helps identify subnet boundaries.
Network and broadcast addresses are not usable hosts in normal IPv4 subnets.
The required host count determines the smallest suitable subnet.
TExam Day Tips
→Write the block size before choosing the subnet.
→Check whether the question asks for hosts, subnets or a specific address range.
→Do not confuse /24, /25, /26 and /27 host counts.
Key takeaway
Count usable hosts — not total addresses — and remember that the network and broadcast addresses are not available to hosts in standard IPv4 subnets.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A media company stores terabytes of video archives that are accessed once a year for audit purposes. Moving these objects to a cold storage tier (Azure Archive, S3 Glacier, or Google Nearline) costs a fraction of hot storage. Questions like this test whether you understand storage tiers, access frequency tradeoffs, and retrieval latency requirements.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Review block sizes, usable host formulas (2^n − 2), and how to find network and broadcast addresses for /24 through /30. Then practise related ANS-C01 subnetting questions on CIDR, address ranges, and subnet selection.
Network Implementation — This question tests Network Implementation — CIDR notation defines the prefix length..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Place the web tier in public subnets with auto-assign public IP addresses enabled. — Option A is correct because assigning public IP addresses to web instances in public subnets allows direct internet access with minimal latency. B would introduce NAT latency. C and D are incorrect for a public-facing web tier.
What should I do if I get this ANS-C01 question wrong?
Review block sizes, usable host formulas (2^n − 2), and how to find network and broadcast addresses for /24 through /30. Then practise related ANS-C01 subnetting questions on CIDR, address ranges, and subnet selection.
What is the key concept behind this question?
CIDR notation defines the prefix length.
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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.
Question Discussion
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