- A
Terminate TLS at the ALB. Use HTTP between ALB and web tier. Use HTTPS between web and app tier. Use TLS between app and database tier.
Why wrong: Traffic between ALB and web tier is unencrypted HTTP, violating the requirement.
- B
Terminate TLS at the ALB. Use HTTP between ALB and web tier. Use HTTPS between web and app tier. Use TLS between app and database tier.
Why wrong: Traffic between ALB and web tier is unencrypted HTTP.
- C
Terminate TLS at the ALB. Use HTTPS between ALB and web tier. Use TLS mutual authentication between web and app tier. Use TLS between app and database tier.
All traffic is encrypted: ALB to web (HTTPS), web to app (TLS mutual auth), app to database (TLS).
- D
Terminate TLS at the ALB. Use HTTPS between ALB and web tier. Use HTTP between web and app tier. Use TLS between app and database tier.
Why wrong: Traffic between web and app tier is unencrypted HTTP.
Quick Answer
The correct choice is to terminate TLS at the ALB, use HTTPS between the ALB and web tier, enforce TLS mutual authentication between the web and app tier, and apply TLS between the app and database tier. This design satisfies PCI DSS encrypt traffic between application tiers requirements by ensuring every hop—from client to ALB, ALB to web, web to app, and app to database—uses TLS, preventing any unencrypted bypass. On the AWS Certified Advanced Networking Specialty ANS-C01 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of end-to-end encryption enforcement in a multi-tier VPC, often with a trap where candidates assume TLS termination at the ALB alone is sufficient, forgetting that internal tier-to-tier traffic must also be encrypted. A key memory tip is “every hop must lock”—think of each tier transition as a separate TLS handshake, and for the web-to-app tier, mutual TLS adds the extra authentication layer that PCI DSS often demands for sensitive internal flows.
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 financial services company must meet PCI DSS compliance for its VPC design. It requires that all traffic between application tiers be encrypted in transit and that no traffic can bypass the encryption. The architecture includes a public-facing Application Load Balancer (ALB), a web tier in public subnets, an app tier in private subnets, and a database tier in isolated subnets. Which design meets these requirements?
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Terminate TLS at the ALB. Use HTTPS between ALB and web tier. Use TLS mutual authentication between web and app tier. Use TLS between app and database tier.
Option C is correct because it ensures encryption in transit for all traffic between application tiers, meeting PCI DSS requirements. The ALB terminates TLS from clients, then uses HTTPS (TLS) to the web tier, mutual TLS between web and app tiers for strong authentication and encryption, and TLS between app and database tiers. This design prevents any unencrypted traffic from bypassing encryption, as every hop uses TLS.
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.
- ✗
Terminate TLS at the ALB. Use HTTP between ALB and web tier. Use HTTPS between web and app tier. Use TLS between app and database tier.
Why it's wrong here
Traffic between ALB and web tier is unencrypted HTTP, violating the requirement.
- ✗
Terminate TLS at the ALB. Use HTTP between ALB and web tier. Use HTTPS between web and app tier. Use TLS between app and database tier.
Why it's wrong here
Traffic between ALB and web tier is unencrypted HTTP.
- ✓
Terminate TLS at the ALB. Use HTTPS between ALB and web tier. Use TLS mutual authentication between web and app tier. Use TLS between app and database tier.
- ✗
Terminate TLS at the ALB. Use HTTPS between ALB and web tier. Use HTTP between web and app tier. Use TLS between app and database tier.
Why it's wrong here
Traffic between web and app tier is unencrypted HTTP.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates may assume terminating TLS at the ALB is sufficient for all internal traffic, overlooking the need for encryption between every tier, especially the web-to-app hop where HTTP is often mistakenly considered acceptable.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Mutual TLS (mTLS) provides bidirectional certificate-based authentication, ensuring both the web and app tiers verify each other's identity before exchanging encrypted data. This is particularly important in PCI DSS environments to prevent man-in-the-middle attacks and ensure that only authorized services communicate. Under the hood, mTLS uses TLS handshake with client certificate verification, requiring both server and client to present certificates signed by a trusted CA.
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 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
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 — study guide chapter
Learn the concepts, then practise the questions
- →
Network Design practice questions
Targeted practice on this topic area only
- →
All ANS-C01 questions
1,705 questions across all exam domains
- →
AWS Certified Advanced Networking Specialty ANS-C01 study guide
Full concept coverage aligned to exam objectives
- →
ANS-C01 practice test guide
How to use practice tests most effectively before exam day
Related practice questions
Related ANS-C01 practice-question pages
Use these pages to review the topic behind this question. This is how one missed question becomes focused revision.
Network Management and Operations practice questions
Practise ANS-C01 questions linked to Network Management and Operations.
Network Security, Compliance and Governance practice questions
Practise ANS-C01 questions linked to Network Security, Compliance and Governance.
Network Design practice questions
Practise ANS-C01 questions linked to Network Design.
Network Implementation practice questions
Practise ANS-C01 questions linked to Network Implementation.
ANS-C01 fundamentals practice questions
Practise ANS-C01 questions linked to ANS-C01 fundamentals.
ANS-C01 scenario practice questions
Practise ANS-C01 questions linked to ANS-C01 scenario.
ANS-C01 troubleshooting practice questions
Practise ANS-C01 questions linked to ANS-C01 troubleshooting.
Practice this exam
Start a free ANS-C01 practice session
Short sessions build daily habit. Longer sessions build exam-day stamina. Try a timed session to simulate real conditions.
FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this ANS-C01 question test?
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: Terminate TLS at the ALB. Use HTTPS between ALB and web tier. Use TLS mutual authentication between web and app tier. Use TLS between app and database tier. — Option C is correct because it ensures encryption in transit for all traffic between application tiers, meeting PCI DSS requirements. The ALB terminates TLS from clients, then uses HTTPS (TLS) to the web tier, mutual TLS between web and app tiers for strong authentication and encryption, and TLS between app and database tiers. This design prevents any unencrypted traffic from bypassing encryption, as every hop uses TLS.
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.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
Last reviewed: Jun 24, 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.
Question Discussion
Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.
Sign in to join the discussion.