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 wants to connect an on-premises data center to AWS using a dedicated private connection that does not traverse the internet. Which AWS service should they use?
AWS Transit Gateway
Why wrong: Central hub but still needs Direct Connect or VPN.
AWS Site-to-Site VPN
Why wrong: Traverses the internet.
AWS Direct Connect
Dedicated private connection.
VPC Peering
Why wrong: Connects VPCs, not on-premises.
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 Direct Connect
AWS Direct Connect is the correct choice because it provides a dedicated, private network connection from an on-premises data center to AWS, bypassing the internet entirely. This service uses industry-standard 802.1Q VLANs to create a private virtual interface (VIF) that connects directly to a virtual private gateway or AWS Transit Gateway, ensuring low latency, consistent bandwidth, and compliance with data sovereignty requirements.
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 Transit Gateway
Why it's wrong here
Central hub but still needs Direct Connect or VPN.
AWS Site-to-Site VPN
Why it's wrong here
Traverses the internet.
AWS Direct Connect
Why this is correct
Dedicated private connection.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
VPC Peering
Why it's wrong here
Connects VPCs, not on-premises.
Common exam traps
AWS often tests the misconception that AWS Transit Gateway itself provides a dedicated private connection, but it is a routing service that requires an underlying physical or virtual link to extend to on-premises networks.
Detailed technical explanation
Under the hood, AWS Direct Connect uses a cross-connect at a Direct Connect location to establish a physical Ethernet link, which is then logically partitioned into multiple virtual interfaces (VIFs) using 802.1Q VLAN tagging. A private VIF can terminate on a virtual private gateway (VGW) for direct access to VPC resources, while a transit VIF connects to a Transit Gateway for multi-VPC routing. In real-world scenarios, enterprises often combine Direct Connect with a backup Site-to-Site VPN to ensure high availability while maintaining private connectivity.
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.
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FAQ
Network Design — This question tests Network Design — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: AWS Direct Connect — AWS Direct Connect is the correct choice because it provides a dedicated, private network connection from an on-premises data center to AWS, bypassing the internet entirely. This service uses industry-standard 802.1Q VLANs to create a private virtual interface (VIF) that connects directly to a virtual private gateway or AWS Transit Gateway, ensuring low latency, consistent bandwidth, and compliance with data sovereignty requirements.
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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