The answer is a Direct Connect gateway. This is the correct choice because a Direct Connect gateway acts as a regional or global intermediary that allows you to associate a single virtual interface (VIF) with multiple VPCs, enabling you to access those VPCs from your on-premises network without provisioning separate VIFs for each VPC. On the AWS Certified Advanced Networking Specialty ANS-C01 exam, this concept tests your understanding of how to scale hybrid connectivity efficiently, often appearing in scenario-based questions where a company needs to minimize operational overhead while connecting to multiple VPCs. A common trap is confusing this with VPC peering, which does not leverage Direct Connect, or with a Transit VPC, which is an architectural pattern rather than a managed service. Remember the key distinction: a Direct Connect gateway is the service that directly links a single VIF to many VPCs, making it the central hub for multi-VPC access. Memory tip: think of the Direct Connect gateway as a "multi-VPC adapter" for your single VIF.
ANS-C01 Network Implementation Practice Question
This ANS-C01 practice question tests your understanding of network implementation. 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 setting up a Direct Connect connection between its on-premises data center and AWS. The company wants to use a single virtual interface (VIF) to access multiple VPCs in the same AWS Region. Which AWS service should be used to achieve this?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Direct Connect gateway
A Direct Connect gateway allows you to associate a single virtual interface with multiple VPCs in the same region or across regions. Option A is incorrect because a VPC peering connection does not use Direct Connect. Option C is incorrect because a VPN connection is a different service. Option D is incorrect because a Transit VPC is an architectural pattern, not a service.
Key principle: NAT direction and interface roles matter as much as the IP address mapping. Inside/outside designation controls which traffic is translated.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✓
Direct Connect gateway
Why this is correct
A Direct Connect gateway enables a single virtual interface to connect to multiple VPCs.
Related concept
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
✗
VPC peering connection
Why it's wrong here
VPC peering connects VPCs, but does not extend Direct Connect to multiple VPCs via a single VIF.
✗
AWS VPN CloudHub
Why it's wrong here
AWS VPN CloudHub is for connecting multiple VPN sites, not for Direct Connect to multiple VPCs.
✗
Transit VPC
Why it's wrong here
Transit VPC is an architectural pattern, not a managed AWS service for Direct Connect multi-VPC connectivity.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: NAT rules depend on direction and matching traffic
NAT is not only about the public address. The inside/outside interface roles and the ACL or rule that matches traffic are just as important.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
NAT questions usually test address translation, overload/PAT behaviour, static mappings and whether the right traffic is being translated. Read the interface direction and address terms carefully.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
PAT allows many inside hosts to share one public address using ports.
Inside local and inside global describe the private and translated addresses.
NAT ACLs identify traffic for translation, not always security filtering.
TExam Day Tips
→Identify inside and outside interfaces first.
→Check whether the scenario needs static NAT, dynamic NAT or PAT.
→Do not confuse NAT matching ACLs with normal packet-filtering intent.
Key takeaway
NAT direction and interface roles matter as much as the IP address mapping. Inside/outside designation controls which traffic is translated.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A company's IT admin needs to give a contractor read-only access to production logs without sharing account credentials. Using role-based access control (RBAC) and temporary scoped permissions — not a permanent shared password — is the correct pattern. Questions like this test whether you can apply least-privilege access across cloud identity services.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Review the four NAT address types (inside local, inside global, outside local, outside global), PAT port overload, and static vs dynamic NAT use cases. Then practise related ANS-C01 NAT questions on configuration and troubleshooting.
Network Implementation — This question tests Network Implementation — Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Direct Connect gateway — A Direct Connect gateway allows you to associate a single virtual interface with multiple VPCs in the same region or across regions. Option A is incorrect because a VPC peering connection does not use Direct Connect. Option C is incorrect because a VPN connection is a different service. Option D is incorrect because a Transit VPC is an architectural pattern, not a service.
What should I do if I get this ANS-C01 question wrong?
Review the four NAT address types (inside local, inside global, outside local, outside global), PAT port overload, and static vs dynamic NAT use cases. Then practise related ANS-C01 NAT questions on configuration and troubleshooting.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
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Question Discussion
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