Steps to Connect Multiple VPCs to a Single Direct Connect Connection
A company is designing a hybrid network using AWS Direct Connect. The company has a single 1 Gbps dedicated connection and wants to connect to multiple VPCs in the same region. Which THREE steps are necessary to achieve this connectivity?
Quick Answer
The answer is to create a transit virtual interface and associate it with a transit gateway. This is the correct approach because a Direct Connect gateway acts as a regional hub, allowing a single dedicated connection to route traffic to multiple VPCs, while a transit virtual interface (VIF) is the only interface type that can connect to a transit gateway, which then enables transitive routing across all attached VPCs in the same region. On the AWS Certified Advanced Networking Specialty ANS-C01 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of the Direct Connect gateway and transit gateway architecture, often appearing as a trap where you might mistakenly choose a private VIF—but remember, a private VIF can only connect to a single VPC. The key memory tip is: for multiple VPCs, think “Transit VIF + Transit Gateway = Multi-VPC connectivity,” and never pair a private VIF with a Direct Connect gateway alone, as that still limits you to one VPC.
⚠ Common exam trap
A common mix-up: candidates confuse the need for multiple private virtual interfaces (one per VPC) with the correct architecture, not realizing that a Direct Connect gateway combined with a transit gateway enables a single private virtual interface to serve multiple VPCs, and that a transit virtual interface is required to connect the Direct Connect gateway to the transit gateway.
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 Direct Connect gateway.
A Direct Connect gateway acts as a central hub that allows a single private virtual interface to connect to multiple VPCs in the same or different AWS regions. Without a Direct Connect gateway, a private virtual interface can only connect to a single VPC. By using a Direct Connect gateway, you can associate it with multiple VPCs (either directly or via a transit gateway), enabling the desired multi-VPC connectivity over the single 1 Gbps dedicated connection.
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 Direct Connect gateway.
Why this is correct
A Direct Connect gateway can connect to multiple VPCs.
- ✗
Create a private virtual interface for each VPC.
Why it's wrong here
Private VIF only works with a single VPC.
- ✗
Create a public virtual interface for each VPC.
Why it's wrong here
Public VIF is for public AWS services.
- ✓
Attach the VPCs to the transit gateway.
Why this is correct
Transit gateway connects to VPCs.
- ✓
Create a transit virtual interface and associate it with a transit gateway.
Why this is correct
Transit VIF connects Direct Connect to transit gateway.
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Same concept, more angles
3 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 needs to connect multiple VPCs to a common on-premises network through a single AWS Direct Connect connection. Which AWS service should be used to simplify this architecture?
easy- A.AWS VPN CloudHub
- ✓ B.AWS Transit Gateway
- C.VPC peering
- D.Virtual Private Gateway (VGW)
Why B: AWS Transit Gateway acts as a central hub to interconnect multiple VPCs and on-premises networks through a single Direct Connect connection. It simplifies the architecture by replacing complex mesh or star topologies with a single gateway that manages routing and attachments, reducing operational overhead and cost.
Variation 2. A company has multiple VPCs that need to communicate with each other. They want to use a hub-and-spoke model with centralized network management. Which AWS service should they use?
medium- A.AWS Direct Connect
- B.VPN CloudHub
- C.VPC Peering
- ✓ D.AWS Transit Gateway
Why D: AWS Transit Gateway (D) is the correct choice because it acts as a central hub that interconnects multiple VPCs and on-premises networks using a hub-and-spoke topology. It simplifies network management by providing a single point of connectivity and supports transitive routing between all attached VPCs, which is exactly what the company needs for centralized network management.
Variation 3. A company has multiple VPCs that need to communicate with each other and with an on-premises network via AWS Transit Gateway. Which THREE of the following are valid attachment types for a transit gateway?
medium- ✓ A.Direct Connect Gateway
- B.Internet Gateway
- ✓ C.Site-to-Site VPN connection
- ✓ D.VPC
- E.Network Load Balancer
Why A: AWS Transit Gateway supports attachments to Direct Connect Gateways, enabling integration of Direct Connect virtual interfaces with the transit gateway for hybrid connectivity. This allows traffic from on-premises networks connected via Direct Connect to be routed through the transit gateway to multiple VPCs and other attachments.
JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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.