The answer is to use a Direct Connect gateway and associate it with the VPCs. This solution is correct because a Direct Connect gateway acts as a regional router that lets a single Direct Connect connection terminate multiple VPCs, eliminating the need for separate virtual interfaces or costly VPN tunnels per VPC. By aggregating traffic from all associated VPCs over the same dedicated link, it minimizes latency through a private network path and maximizes bandwidth utilization, directly addressing the need for cost efficiency and performance. On the AWS Certified Advanced Networking Specialty ANS-C01 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of how a Direct Connect gateway scales connectivity across multiple VPCs without requiring multiple connections—a common trap is assuming you need a separate virtual interface per VPC, which wastes resources. Remember the memory tip: “One gateway, many VPCs, no extra fees.”
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 migrating its on-premises data center to AWS. The network team needs to establish connectivity between the on-premises network and multiple VPCs in a single AWS Region. The company has a Direct Connect connection and wants to minimize latency and cost while maximizing bandwidth utilization. Which solution meets these requirements?
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.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Use a Direct Connect gateway and associate it with the VPCs.
A Direct Connect gateway allows a single Direct Connect connection to connect to multiple VPCs in the same or different AWS Regions, minimizing latency by using a private, dedicated network path and reducing cost by eliminating the need for separate virtual interfaces or VPN tunnels per VPC. It also maximizes bandwidth utilization by aggregating traffic from multiple VPCs over the same Direct Connect link.
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.
✗
Provision a separate Direct Connect virtual interface for each VPC.
Why it's wrong here
Multiple virtual interfaces increase cost and complexity.
✗
Create a VPN connection over the Direct Connect link to each VPC.
Why it's wrong here
VPN over Direct Connect is not a standard design and adds overhead.
✗
Use VPC peering between the on-premises network and each VPC.
Why it's wrong here
VPC peering does not support on-premises connectivity.
✓
Use a Direct Connect gateway and associate it with the VPCs.
Why this is correct
A Direct Connect gateway allows multiple VPCs to share the same Direct Connect connection.
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.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
AWS often tests the misconception that VPC peering can be used for on-premises connectivity, but VPC peering only works between VPCs and does not support VPN or Direct Connect attachments from on-premises networks.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
A Direct Connect gateway acts as a transit hub that can be associated with up to 10 VPCs per AWS Region (with a soft limit that can be increased) and supports both private virtual interfaces and transit virtual interfaces. Under the hood, it uses BGP to exchange routes between the on-premises network and the associated VPCs, allowing traffic to flow over the Direct Connect link without hair-pinning through a single VPC. In a real-world scenario, a company with multiple VPCs for different environments (e.g., dev, test, prod) can use a single Direct Connect gateway to simplify routing and reduce costs while maintaining low latency.
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 startup's cloud architect reviews their monthly bill and notices costs are higher than expected for a long-running batch job. Switching from on-demand instances to Reserved Instances — or using Spot/Preemptible VMs — can reduce compute costs by up to 72 %. Questions like this test whether you understand the tradeoffs between commitment, flexibility, and cost across cloud pricing models.
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.
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: Use a Direct Connect gateway and associate it with the VPCs. — A Direct Connect gateway allows a single Direct Connect connection to connect to multiple VPCs in the same or different AWS Regions, minimizing latency by using a private, dedicated network path and reducing cost by eliminating the need for separate virtual interfaces or VPN tunnels per VPC. It also maximizes bandwidth utilization by aggregating traffic from multiple VPCs over the same Direct Connect link.
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.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
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.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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