Question 1,637 of 1,621
ANS-C01 Network Design Practice Question
A company is designing a VPC architecture with a public subnet and a private subnet. They want to allow instances in the private subnet to download software updates from the internet. Which TWO options satisfy this requirement? (Choose TWO.)
⚠ Common exam trap
AWS often tests the misconception that a NAT Gateway or NAT instance can be placed in a private subnet, but both must reside in a public subnet with an Internet Gateway to translate private IPs to a public IP for outbound internet access.
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
✓
Set up a NAT Gateway in a public subnet and add a default route in the private subnet route table pointing to the NAT Gateway.
A NAT Gateway in a public subnet provides outbound-only internet access to instances in a private subnet. By adding a default route (0.0.0.0/0) in the private subnet route table pointing to the NAT Gateway, traffic from private instances is source-NATed to the NAT Gateway's Elastic IP, allowing downloads while preventing inbound connections from the internet.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Configure a forward proxy in the private subnet and configure the instances to use it.
Why it's wrong here
The proxy would need internet access itself, which private subnets lack.
- ✗
Create a VPC Gateway Endpoint for Amazon S3 and route traffic to it.
Why it's wrong here
Only provides access to S3, not general internet.
- ✓
Set up a NAT Gateway in a public subnet and add a default route in the private subnet route table pointing to the NAT Gateway.
Why this is correct
NAT Gateway provides outbound internet access.
- ✓
Launch a NAT instance in a public subnet and add a default route in the private subnet route table pointing to the NAT instance.
Why this is correct
NAT instance can provide outbound access.
- ✗
Attach an Internet Gateway to the private subnet and add a default route to it.
Why it's wrong here
An Internet Gateway on a private subnet would allow inbound traffic from the internet.
Visual reference
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Last reviewed: Jun 30, 2026
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