Quick Answer
The answer is VPC Flow Logs, because this AWS service captures IP traffic information at the network interface level, enabling you to monitor EC2 instance network traffic and identify top talkers by analyzing source and destination IP addresses, ports, and protocols. VPC Flow Logs can be published to Amazon CloudWatch Logs or Amazon S3, where you can query the data using tools like Amazon Athena or CloudWatch Logs Insights to determine which IP addresses are generating the most traffic. On the AWS Certified Advanced Networking Specialty ANS-C01 exam, this question tests your ability to distinguish between services that handle network-level data versus management or security auditing tools—a common trap is confusing CloudTrail (API activity) or AWS Config (resource changes) with actual traffic analysis. Remember the memory tip: “Flow for packets, Trail for actions, Config for configs.”
This ANS-C01 practice question tests your understanding of network management and operations. 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 monitor network traffic between its EC2 instances and determine which IP addresses are generating the most traffic. Which AWS service should be used to capture and analyze this traffic?
AWS Trusted Advisor
Why wrong: Trusted Advisor provides recommendations, not traffic data.
AWS CloudTrail
Why wrong: CloudTrail logs API activity, not network traffic.
AWS Config
Why wrong: Config tracks resource configuration, not traffic.
VPC Flow Logs
Flow Logs capture IP traffic metadata.
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
Option C is correct because VPC Flow Logs capture IP traffic information and can be published to CloudWatch Logs or S3 for analysis. Option A is wrong because CloudTrail records API calls, not network traffic. Option B is wrong because AWS Config records resource configuration changes. Option D is wrong because Trusted Advisor provides best-practice checks, not traffic analysis.
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 Trusted Advisor
Why it's wrong here
Trusted Advisor provides recommendations, not traffic data.
AWS CloudTrail
Why it's wrong here
CloudTrail logs API activity, not network traffic.
AWS Config
Why it's wrong here
Config tracks resource configuration, not traffic.
VPC Flow Logs
Why this is correct
Flow Logs capture IP traffic metadata.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.
Detailed technical explanation
This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
A media company stores terabytes of video archives that are accessed once a year for audit purposes. Moving these objects to a cold storage tier (Azure Archive, S3 Glacier, or Google Nearline) costs a fraction of hot storage. Questions like this test whether you understand storage tiers, access frequency tradeoffs, and retrieval latency requirements.
What to study next
Identify which ANS-C01 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
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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 — Option C is correct because VPC Flow Logs capture IP traffic information and can be published to CloudWatch Logs or S3 for analysis. Option A is wrong because CloudTrail records API calls, not network traffic. Option B is wrong because AWS Config records resource configuration changes. Option D is wrong because Trusted Advisor provides best-practice checks, not traffic analysis.
Identify which ANS-C01 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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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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