Quick Answer
The answer is AWS CloudTrail, as it is the service specifically designed to record all API calls made within an AWS account, including those for Network Load Balancer operations. CloudTrail captures every CreateLoadBalancer, DeleteLoadBalancer, and ModifyLoadBalancerAttributes action as an event, providing a complete audit trail of who performed what action, when, and from which IP address. On the AWS Certified Advanced Networking Specialty ANS-C01 exam, this question tests your ability to distinguish between monitoring services: VPC Flow Logs track network traffic flows, AWS Config records resource configuration changes, and CloudWatch Logs stores log data but does not natively capture API calls. A common trap is confusing CloudTrail with VPC Flow Logs, but remember that CloudTrail answers "who did what" while Flow Logs answer "what traffic went where." For a quick memory tip, think "Trail of API breadcrumbs" to recall that CloudTrail follows every API call.
This ANS-C01 practice question tests your understanding of network security, compliance and governance. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. 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 wants to audit all Network Load Balancer (NLB) operations performed in their AWS account. Which AWS service should they use?
AWS CloudTrail
CloudTrail records API calls for auditing.
Amazon CloudWatch Logs
Why wrong: CloudWatch Logs stores log files, but does not automatically capture API calls.
AWS Config
Why wrong: Config records resource configuration changes, but not all API calls.
VPC Flow Logs
Why wrong: Flow logs capture IP traffic information, not API operations.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
AWS CloudTrail
Option C is correct because AWS CloudTrail records API calls for AWS services, including NLB. Option A is wrong because VPC Flow Logs capture network traffic, not API operations. Option B is wrong because Config records resource configurations, not API calls. Option D is wrong because CloudWatch Logs stores logs but does not capture API calls natively.
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
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
AWS CloudTrail
Why this is correct
CloudTrail records API calls for auditing.
Related concept
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
Amazon CloudWatch Logs
Why it's wrong here
CloudWatch Logs stores log files, but does not automatically capture API calls.
AWS Config
Why it's wrong here
Config records resource configuration changes, but not all API calls.
VPC Flow Logs
Why it's wrong here
Flow logs capture IP traffic information, not API operations.
Common exam traps
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
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.
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
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
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.
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FAQ
Network Security, Compliance and Governance — This question tests Network Security, Compliance and Governance — Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address..
The correct answer is: AWS CloudTrail — Option C is correct because AWS CloudTrail records API calls for AWS services, including NLB. Option A is wrong because VPC Flow Logs capture network traffic, not API operations. Option B is wrong because Config records resource configurations, not API calls. Option D is wrong because CloudWatch Logs stores logs but does not capture API calls natively.
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.
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
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Last reviewed: Jun 20, 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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