Quick Answer
The answer is the Direct Connect Gateway. This resource is correct because it acts as a central hub that terminates a single Direct Connect virtual interface and propagates routes to up to ten associated Virtual Private Gateways or Transit Gateways, allowing a single Direct Connect connection to reach multiple VPCs in the same Region. On the AWS Certified Advanced Networking Specialty ANS-C01 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of how to scale hybrid connectivity without provisioning additional physical connections; a common trap is choosing a Transit VPC or simply attaching multiple VIFs, which wastes IP space and complexity. Remember the key constraint: the Direct Connect Gateway itself is region-specific but can connect VPCs across accounts, while the single connection remains fixed. For the exam, think of the Direct Connect Gateway as the "one-to-many bridge" — one VIF, many VPCs.
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 designing a hybrid network with AWS Direct Connect. They have multiple VPCs in the same Region and want to use a single Direct Connect connection to access all VPCs. Which AWS resource should be used?
AWS Transit Gateway
Why wrong: Not necessary for single Direct Connect to multiple VPCs.
AWS Site-to-Site VPN
Why wrong: Not Direct Connect.
Direct Connect Gateway
Enables multi-VPC access.
Virtual Private Gateway
Why wrong: One per VPC.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Direct Connect Gateway
A Direct Connect Gateway allows you to associate up to 10 Virtual Private Gateways (VGWs) or Transit Gateways in the same or different AWS accounts, enabling a single Direct Connect connection to reach multiple VPCs in the same Region. This is the correct resource because it acts as a hub that terminates the Direct Connect virtual interfaces (VIFs) and propagates routes to the associated VPCs via their VGWs or Transit Gateways.
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 Transit Gateway
Why it's wrong here
Not necessary for single Direct Connect to multiple VPCs.
AWS Site-to-Site VPN
Why it's wrong here
Not Direct Connect.
Direct Connect Gateway
Why this is correct
Enables multi-VPC access.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Virtual Private Gateway
Why it's wrong here
One per VPC.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates often confuse the Direct Connect Gateway with the Transit Gateway, thinking the Transit Gateway alone can terminate the Direct Connect connection, but the Transit Gateway requires a Direct Connect Gateway (via a transit VIF) to be attached to the Direct Connect link.
Detailed technical explanation
A Direct Connect Gateway is a globally available resource that supports both private VIFs and transit VIFs, and it uses BGP to exchange routes with associated VGWs or Transit Gateways. Under the hood, the Direct Connect Gateway maintains a separate BGP session per associated VGW, allowing it to advertise prefixes from multiple VPCs over the same Direct Connect link. In a real-world scenario, if you have VPCs in different AWS accounts, you can use a Direct Connect Gateway with cross-account associations to centralize connectivity without needing separate Direct Connect connections per account.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
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
Network Design — This question tests Network Design — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: Direct Connect Gateway — A Direct Connect Gateway allows you to associate up to 10 Virtual Private Gateways (VGWs) or Transit Gateways in the same or different AWS accounts, enabling a single Direct Connect connection to reach multiple VPCs in the same Region. This is the correct resource because it acts as a hub that terminates the Direct Connect virtual interfaces (VIFs) and propagates routes to the associated VPCs via their VGWs or Transit Gateways.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Same concept, more angles
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 is designing a hybrid network using AWS Direct Connect. They want to extend their on-premises network to multiple VPCs in the same AWS Region. Which resource should they use to achieve this?
easyWhy B: A Direct Connect gateway is the correct resource because it allows you to associate up to 10 VPCs (or 20 with a quota increase) in the same or different AWS Regions with a single Direct Connect connection. It acts as a central hub, enabling connectivity from your on-premises network to multiple VPCs via a single private virtual interface (VIF) attached to the Direct Connect gateway, without needing separate VIFs per VPC.
Last reviewed: Jun 24, 2026
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