- A
Create a centralized egress VPC with NAT Gateways in each AZ. Peer the application VPCs to the egress VPC. Configure route tables in the application VPCs to send 0.0.0.0/0 to the egress VPC and 10.0.0.0/8 to the Direct Connect Virtual Private Gateway.
This design centralizes egress traffic, uses managed NAT Gateways, and allows logging. Route tables direct on-premises traffic through DX.
- B
Place a NAT Gateway in each AZ in the application VPC. Configure route tables to send 0.0.0.0/0 to the NAT Gateway. Use a VPN connection for on-premises traffic.
Why wrong: This does not centralize logging and does not use Direct Connect as primary path.
- C
Use a Transit Gateway to connect all VPCs and on-premises. Attach a NAT Gateway in one AZ to the Transit Gateway. Configure route tables to send 0.0.0.0/0 to the NAT Gateway and 10.0.0.0/8 to the Direct Connect Virtual Private Gateway.
Why wrong: This is a valid design but the question specifies a Direct Connect Virtual Private Gateway, not a Transit Gateway. Also, a single NAT Gateway in one AZ is a single point of failure.
- D
Create a NAT instance in each private subnet and configure each instance's route table to send 0.0.0.0/0 to the NAT instance. For on-premises traffic, use a VPC peering connection to an on-premises network.
Why wrong: NAT instances are not managed, do not scale, and are a single point of failure. Also, VPC peering is not recommended for large-scale routing.
Quick Answer
The answer is to deploy a centralized egress VPC with NAT Gateways in each Availability Zone, then peer the application VPCs to this egress VPC. This design is correct because it separates outbound internet traffic from on-premises traffic: route tables in the application VPCs send 0.0.0.0/0 to the egress VPC for centralized NAT and logging, while 10.0.0.0/8 is routed directly to the Direct Connect Virtual Private Gateway, with the VPN connection serving as automatic failover. On the AWS Certified Advanced Networking Specialty ANS-C01 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of transitive routing limitations with VPC peering and the need for a hub-and-spoke egress model—a common trap is trying to route 10.0.0.0/8 through the egress VPC, which would break the Direct Connect path. Remember the memory tip: “Egress for the internet, Direct Connect for the data center; never mix the two in the same route table hop.”
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 is deploying a VPC with a public and private subnet in each of three Availability Zones. They need to provide internet access to instances in the private subnets while ensuring that all outbound traffic is logged and that traffic to a particular on-premises CIDR (10.0.0.0/8) is routed via an AWS Direct Connect Virtual Private Gateway. The company has a VPN connection as a backup. Which design should they use?
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
Create a centralized egress VPC with NAT Gateways in each AZ. Peer the application VPCs to the egress VPC. Configure route tables in the application VPCs to send 0.0.0.0/0 to the egress VPC and 10.0.0.0/8 to the Direct Connect Virtual Private Gateway.
Option A is correct because it uses a centralized egress VPC with NAT Gateways in each AZ to provide internet access to private subnets while logging all outbound traffic. By peering the application VPCs to the egress VPC, the route tables can direct 0.0.0.0/0 traffic to the egress VPC for NAT, and 10.0.0.0/8 traffic to the Direct Connect Virtual Private Gateway, ensuring on-premises traffic uses the dedicated connection with VPN backup. This design meets all requirements: internet access, logging, and specific routing for on-premises CIDR.
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.
- ✓
Create a centralized egress VPC with NAT Gateways in each AZ. Peer the application VPCs to the egress VPC. Configure route tables in the application VPCs to send 0.0.0.0/0 to the egress VPC and 10.0.0.0/8 to the Direct Connect Virtual Private Gateway.
Why this is correct
This design centralizes egress traffic, uses managed NAT Gateways, and allows logging. Route tables direct on-premises traffic through DX.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Place a NAT Gateway in each AZ in the application VPC. Configure route tables to send 0.0.0.0/0 to the NAT Gateway. Use a VPN connection for on-premises traffic.
Why it's wrong here
This does not centralize logging and does not use Direct Connect as primary path.
- ✗
Use a Transit Gateway to connect all VPCs and on-premises. Attach a NAT Gateway in one AZ to the Transit Gateway. Configure route tables to send 0.0.0.0/0 to the NAT Gateway and 10.0.0.0/8 to the Direct Connect Virtual Private Gateway.
- ✗
Create a NAT instance in each private subnet and configure each instance's route table to send 0.0.0.0/0 to the NAT instance. For on-premises traffic, use a VPC peering connection to an on-premises network.
Why it's wrong here
NAT instances are not managed, do not scale, and are a single point of failure. Also, VPC peering is not recommended for large-scale routing.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often assume NAT Gateways must be placed in the same VPC as the private subnets, overlooking the centralized egress VPC pattern that enables logging and centralized control, and they may incorrectly think a Transit Gateway can directly attach a NAT Gateway.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
A centralized egress VPC pattern leverages VPC peering to route traffic through a shared NAT infrastructure, allowing for centralized logging via VPC Flow Logs or a firewall appliance. The route table in the application VPC uses a more specific route (10.0.0.0/8) to the Direct Connect Virtual Private Gateway, which takes precedence over the default route (0.0.0.0/0) to the egress VPC, ensuring on-premises traffic bypasses the NAT. This design also supports failover to a VPN connection by using BGP routing over the Direct Connect Virtual Private Gateway, which can advertise a less preferred route via VPN if Direct Connect fails.
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 company's IT admin needs to give a contractor read-only access to production logs without sharing account credentials. Using role-based access control (RBAC) and temporary scoped permissions — not a permanent shared password — is the correct pattern. Questions like this test whether you can apply least-privilege access across cloud identity services.
What to study next
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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: Create a centralized egress VPC with NAT Gateways in each AZ. Peer the application VPCs to the egress VPC. Configure route tables in the application VPCs to send 0.0.0.0/0 to the egress VPC and 10.0.0.0/8 to the Direct Connect Virtual Private Gateway. — Option A is correct because it uses a centralized egress VPC with NAT Gateways in each AZ to provide internet access to private subnets while logging all outbound traffic. By peering the application VPCs to the egress VPC, the route tables can direct 0.0.0.0/0 traffic to the egress VPC for NAT, and 10.0.0.0/8 traffic to the Direct Connect Virtual Private Gateway, ensuring on-premises traffic uses the dedicated connection with VPN backup. This design meets all requirements: internet access, logging, and specific routing for on-premises CIDR.
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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Same concept, more angles
1 more ways this is tested on ANS-C01
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. A company has a hybrid network with multiple VPCs connected via a Transit Gateway. They need to centralize outbound internet traffic through a single VPC. Which architecture should be used?
hard- A.Attach a NAT Gateway to each VPC's private subnets.
- B.Attach an Internet Gateway to each VPC and route 0.0.0.0/0 to the IGW.
- ✓ C.Designate one VPC as an egress VPC with a NAT Gateway and Internet Gateway, and use Transit Gateway route tables to route 0.0.0.0/0 from other VPCs to the egress VPC.
- D.Use a VPN connection to an on-premises data center for internet access.
Why C: Option D is correct because an egress VPC with a NAT Gateway and Internet Gateway can centralize outbound traffic via Transit Gateway route tables. Option A is wrong because each VPC with its own NAT Gateway does not centralize. Option B is wrong because a VPN does not provide internet access. Option C is wrong because an Internet Gateway in each VPC does not centralize.
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.
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