The answer is to create a VPC peering connection between the two VPCs. This is correct because VPC peering uses the AWS global network to route traffic directly between VPCs using private IP addresses, with no single point of failure, intermediate devices, or bandwidth constraints—making it inherently highly available for same-region connectivity. On the AWS Certified Advanced Networking Specialty ANS-C01 exam, this question tests your understanding that VPC peering is the only native AWS service that provides private, high-availability connectivity between two VPCs in the same region without requiring a VPN or transit gateway. A common trap is assuming you need a Transit Gateway for high availability, but VPC peering already achieves this by design since traffic flows over redundant AWS infrastructure. Remember the mnemonic: “Peering is private, peer-to-peer, and perfectly persistent.”
ANS-C01 Network Design Practice Question
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 securely connect two VPCs in the same region. The VPCs must be able to communicate using private IP addresses, and connectivity should be highly available. Which solution meets these requirements?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Create a VPC peering connection between the two VPCs.
Option C is correct because a VPC peering connection allows two VPCs in the same region to communicate using private IPv4 or IPv6 addresses as if they were on the same network, with no single point of failure. It is highly available by design since traffic flows directly between the VPCs using the AWS global network infrastructure, without any intermediate devices or bandwidth limits.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✗
Set up a VPN connection between the two VPCs using virtual private gateways.
Why it's wrong here
VPNs are typically used for on-premises connectivity; VPC peering is simpler for VPC-to-VPC.
✗
Create an inter-region VPC peering connection.
Why it's wrong here
Inter-region peering is for VPCs in different regions; this is same region.
✓
Create a VPC peering connection between the two VPCs.
Why this is correct
VPC peering provides low-latency, private connectivity between VPCs in the same region.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Use an AWS Transit Gateway to connect the two VPCs.
Why it's wrong here
Transit Gateway is overkill for two VPCs; VPC peering is simpler and less expensive.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
AWS often tests the misconception that a VPN connection is required for private IP communication between VPCs, but VPC peering provides direct, private, and highly available connectivity without the overhead of VPN tunnels.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
VPC peering uses the existing AWS infrastructure to route traffic between VPCs via the VPC router, with no layer-3 gateways or VPN tunnels. It relies on route table entries pointing to the peering connection ID, and traffic stays within the AWS network, never traversing the public internet. A subtle behavior is that VPC peering does not support transitive routing, so if more than two VPCs need to communicate, a Transit Gateway or other hub-and-spoke model is required.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
→Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
→Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
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
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Network Design — This question tests Network Design — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Create a VPC peering connection between the two VPCs. — Option C is correct because a VPC peering connection allows two VPCs in the same region to communicate using private IPv4 or IPv6 addresses as if they were on the same network, with no single point of failure. It is highly available by design since traffic flows directly between the VPCs using the AWS global network infrastructure, without any intermediate devices or bandwidth limits.
What should I do if I get this ANS-C01 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Question Discussion
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