This ANS-C01 practice question tests your understanding of network management and operations. 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 using AWS Transit Gateway to interconnect multiple VPCs and on-premises networks. The network team notices that traffic between two VPCs is taking an unexpected path. Which AWS service should be used to analyze the packet-level traffic flow and identify the path?
AWS CloudTrail
Why wrong: CloudTrail logs API calls, not network traffic.
AWS X-Ray
Why wrong: X-Ray is for application tracing, not network path analysis.
AWS Config
Why wrong: Config tracks resource configuration changes, not traffic flow.
VPC Flow Logs
VPC Flow Logs capture IP traffic metadata and can be used to trace paths.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
VPC Flow Logs
VPC Flow Logs capture IP traffic metadata (source/destination IP, ports, protocol, packet/byte counts) at the network interface level, enabling analysis of packet-level traffic flow paths through AWS Transit Gateway. By enabling flow logs on the Transit Gateway attachment or VPC subnets, you can trace the actual path traffic takes between VPCs, including whether it traverses the Transit Gateway or an unexpected route.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
AWS CloudTrail
Why it's wrong here
CloudTrail logs API calls, not network traffic.
AWS X-Ray
Why it's wrong here
X-Ray is for application tracing, not network path analysis.
AWS Config
Why it's wrong here
Config tracks resource configuration changes, not traffic flow.
VPC Flow Logs
Why this is correct
VPC Flow Logs capture IP traffic metadata and can be used to trace paths.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
AWS often tests the misconception that CloudTrail or Config can analyze network traffic paths, but only VPC Flow Logs provide the packet-level metadata needed to trace the actual data plane flow through Transit Gateway.
Detailed technical explanation
VPC Flow Logs can be published to Amazon S3 or CloudWatch Logs, and when enabled on a Transit Gateway attachment, they capture all traffic entering or leaving that attachment, including inter-VPC traffic. The flow log records include the source and destination IP, port, protocol, and the number of packets/bytes, but not the full packet payload; for deeper analysis, you can combine flow logs with tools like Amazon Athena to query path anomalies. A subtle behavior: flow logs on Transit Gateway attachments show traffic as it traverses the gateway, but if traffic takes an unexpected path (e.g., via a VPC peering connection), flow logs on the VPC’s network interfaces will reveal the actual route taken.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
A healthcare organisation deploys an application with a public-facing web tier and a private database tier. The database subnet has no public IP and only accepts connections from the web tier's security group. Questions like this test whether you can design cloud network isolation using VNets/VPCs, subnets, and security group rules.
What to study next
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FAQ
Network Management and Operations — This question tests Network Management and Operations — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: VPC Flow Logs — VPC Flow Logs capture IP traffic metadata (source/destination IP, ports, protocol, packet/byte counts) at the network interface level, enabling analysis of packet-level traffic flow paths through AWS Transit Gateway. By enabling flow logs on the Transit Gateway attachment or VPC subnets, you can trace the actual path traffic takes between VPCs, including whether it traverses the Transit Gateway or an unexpected route.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 30, 2026
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.
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