← ANS-C01·Amazon Web Services

Question 927 of 1,705

Network Design →hardMultiple SelectObjective-mapped

Quick Answer

The correct choices are configuring a security group on the RDS instance that allows inbound traffic from the web servers’ security group on the database port, and enabling SSL/TLS encryption for connections between the web servers and the RDS database. This works because security group chaining—referencing another security group as a source—provides a stateful, instance-level firewall that restricts database access exclusively to the web servers without relying on static IPs, while SSL/TLS encryption ensures data in transit between the application tier and the database is protected. On the AWS Certified Advanced Networking Specialty ANS-C01 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of defense-in-depth for a secure multi-tier web application, specifically how to combine network segmentation with encryption to meet compliance requirements. A common trap is choosing a network ACL rule instead of a security group, but remember that security groups support logical references to other groups, making them ideal for dynamic, multi-tier architectures. Memory tip: “Chain the groups, encrypt the pipes” to recall that security group chaining and TLS are the two actions needed for a locked-down, encrypted database tier.

ANS-C01 Network Design Practice Question

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 is designing a network architecture for a multi-tier web application. The application includes a public-facing Application Load Balancer (ALB) in a public subnet, web servers in private subnets, and an Amazon RDS database in a private subnet. The company requires that the database is not directly accessible from the application servers except through specific ports, and that traffic between the web servers and the database is encrypted. Which TWO actions should the company take to meet these requirements? (Choose two.)

Question 1hardmulti select

Review the full subnetting walkthrough →

A
Place the RDS database in a public subnet with a security group that allows only the web servers' IP addresses
Why wrong: Placing a database in a public subnet is a security risk; it should remain in a private subnet.
B
Establish a VPC peering connection between the web servers' VPC and the RDS VPC
Why wrong: The web servers and database are in the same VPC, so peering is unnecessary.
C
Enable SSL/TLS encryption for connections between the web servers and the RDS database
SSL/TLS encrypts data in transit, meeting the encryption requirement.
D
Configure a security group on the RDS instance that allows inbound traffic from the web servers' security group on the database port
This ensures that only the web servers can connect to the database on the required port, providing least-privilege access.
E
Use a network ACL to restrict inbound traffic to the RDS subnet to only the web server's IP range
Why wrong: NACLs are stateless and would require complex rule management; using security groups is more appropriate for this use case.

Full breakdown with real-world context →

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

✓

Enable SSL/TLS encryption for connections between the web servers and the RDS database

Option C is correct because enabling SSL/TLS encryption for connections between the web servers and the RDS database ensures that data in transit is encrypted, meeting the requirement for encrypted traffic. Option D is correct because configuring a security group on the RDS instance that allows inbound traffic from the web servers' security group on the database port provides a stateful, instance-level firewall rule that restricts direct access to only the web servers, without exposing the database to the public subnet or relying on IP-based rules.

Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.

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 RDS database in a public subnet with a security group that allows only the web servers' IP addresses
Why it's wrong here
Placing a database in a public subnet is a security risk; it should remain in a private subnet.
✗
Establish a VPC peering connection between the web servers' VPC and the RDS VPC
Why it's wrong here
The web servers and database are in the same VPC, so peering is unnecessary.
✓
Enable SSL/TLS encryption for connections between the web servers and the RDS database
Why this is correct
SSL/TLS encrypts data in transit, meeting the encryption requirement.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✓
Configure a security group on the RDS instance that allows inbound traffic from the web servers' security group on the database port
Why this is correct
This ensures that only the web servers can connect to the database on the required port, providing least-privilege access.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Use a network ACL to restrict inbound traffic to the RDS subnet to only the web server's IP range
Why it's wrong here
NACLs are stateless and would require complex rule management; using security groups is more appropriate for this use case.

Common exam traps

Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword

AWS often tests the distinction between security groups (stateful, instance-level) and network ACLs (stateless, subnet-level), and candidates mistakenly choose network ACLs for fine-grained access control when security groups are the correct choice for allowing traffic based on source security group IDs.

Detailed technical explanation

How to think about this question

When enabling SSL/TLS for RDS, you must download the Amazon RDS root certificate and configure the database client (e.g., MySQL or PostgreSQL) to use SSL by setting the 'require_ssl' parameter or using connection string parameters like 'sslmode=require'. Security groups are stateful, meaning that if you allow inbound traffic from a source security group, the return traffic is automatically allowed, unlike network ACLs which require separate outbound rules. In a multi-tier architecture, using security group references (e.g., sg-xxxxx) instead of CIDR blocks ensures that even if web server instances are replaced or scaled, the database security group automatically grants access to the new instances without manual updates.

KKey Concepts to Remember

Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.

TExam Day Tips

Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.

Key takeaway

Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.

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.

Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.

Related ANS-C01 practice-question pages

Use these pages to review the topic behind this question. This is how one missed question becomes focused revision.

Network Management and Operations practice questions

Practise ANS-C01 questions linked to Network Management and Operations.

Network Security, Compliance and Governance practice questions

Practise ANS-C01 questions linked to Network Security, Compliance and Governance.

Network Design practice questions

Practise ANS-C01 questions linked to Network Design.

Network Implementation practice questions

Practise ANS-C01 questions linked to Network Implementation.

ANS-C01 fundamentals practice questions

Practise ANS-C01 questions linked to ANS-C01 fundamentals.

ANS-C01 scenario practice questions

Practise ANS-C01 questions linked to ANS-C01 scenario.

ANS-C01 troubleshooting practice questions

Practise ANS-C01 questions linked to ANS-C01 troubleshooting.

Practice this exam

Start a free ANS-C01 practice session

Short sessions build daily habit. Longer sessions build exam-day stamina. Try a timed session to simulate real conditions.

10 questions 20 questions 30 questions 50 questions Timed 30

ANS-C01 practice-test guide →Study guide →Browse all practice tests

FAQ

Questions learners often ask

What does this ANS-C01 question test?

Network Design — This question tests Network Design — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..

What is the correct answer to this question?

The correct answer is: Enable SSL/TLS encryption for connections between the web servers and the RDS database — Option C is correct because enabling SSL/TLS encryption for connections between the web servers and the RDS database ensures that data in transit is encrypted, meeting the requirement for encrypted traffic. Option D is correct because configuring a security group on the RDS instance that allows inbound traffic from the web servers' security group on the database port provides a stateful, instance-level firewall rule that restricts direct access to only the web servers, without exposing the database to the public subnet or relying on IP-based rules.

What should I do if I get this ANS-C01 question wrong?

Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.

What is the key concept behind this question?

Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.

About these practice questions

Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →

How Courseiva writes practice questions · Editorial policy

Same concept, more angles

1 more ways this is tested on ANS-C01

These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.

Variation 1. A company is designing a network architecture for a multi-tier web application. The application consists of web servers, application servers, and database servers. The web servers must be accessible from the internet. The application servers should only be accessible from the web servers. The database servers should only be accessible from the application servers. Which TWO actions should the company take to meet these requirements? (Choose two.)

medium

A.Use a NAT gateway to allow the web servers to access the internet
B.Use network ACLs to restrict traffic between the tiers
✓ C.Place the web servers in a public subnet and the application and database servers in private subnets
✓ D.Use security groups to restrict traffic between the tiers
E.Place all servers in public subnets and use security groups to restrict traffic

Why C: Options B and D are correct. Option B: Placing web servers in a public subnet with internet gateway allows internet access. Option D: Using security groups to restrict traffic between tiers is a best practice. Option A is wrong because placing all servers in public subnets exposes them. Option C is wrong because NACLs are stateless and less granular; security groups are preferred for stateful filtering. Option E is wrong because NAT gateway is for outbound traffic, not inbound.

Keep practising

Question Discussion

Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.

Loading comments…

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.