- A
Place the application tier instances in a private subnet in the same VPC as the web tier. Attach a virtual private gateway to the VPC and connect it to the on-premises network via a Direct Connect private virtual interface.
This provides low-latency, high-throughput connectivity directly between the application tier and on-premises.
- B
Place the application tier in a private subnet and use a NAT Gateway to route traffic to the on-premises network.
Why wrong: NAT Gateway is for internet access, not for routing to on-premises via Direct Connect.
- C
Place the application tier in a separate VPC and peer it to the web tier VPC. Use a Direct Connect connection attached to the web tier VPC.
Why wrong: Peering adds an extra network hop, increasing latency.
- D
Place the application tier in a separate VPC and use a VPN connection over the internet to connect to on-premises.
Why wrong: VPN over the internet introduces latency and is less reliable than Direct Connect.
Quick Answer
The correct choice is to place the application tier instances in a private subnet within the same VPC as the web tier, attach a virtual private gateway to that VPC, and connect it to on-premises via a Direct Connect private virtual interface. This design minimizes latency to on-premises with Direct Connect because the private virtual interface provides a dedicated, non-internet path directly from the VPC’s virtual private gateway to your on-premises router, allowing traffic from the private subnet to reach the database without traversing a NAT device or the public internet, thereby maximizing throughput. On the AWS Certified Advanced Networking Specialty ANS-C01 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of how private VIFs bypass internet-based transit and why a virtual private gateway is essential for routing VPC traffic over Direct Connect. A common trap is assuming a public VIF or a transit gateway is needed, but for a single VPC, the VGW with a private VIF is the simplest low-latency path. Memory tip: “Private VIF + VGW equals direct, no internet detour.”
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 multi-tier application in a VPC. The web tier is in public subnets, and the application tier is in private subnets. The application tier needs to communicate with an on-premises database via an AWS Direct Connect connection. The company wants to minimize latency and maximize throughput. Which design should they use?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue:
"minimum / minimize"Why it matters: Asks for the least resource use — fewest addresses, smallest subnet, lowest overhead. Eliminate over-provisioned options even if they would technically work.
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
Place the application tier instances in a private subnet in the same VPC as the web tier. Attach a virtual private gateway to the VPC and connect it to the on-premises network via a Direct Connect private virtual interface.
Option A is correct because a Direct Connect private virtual interface (VIF) connected to a virtual private gateway (VGW) provides a dedicated, low-latency, high-throughput connection from the VPC to on-premises. The application tier in the private subnet can route traffic directly to the on-premises database via the VGW without traversing the internet or a NAT device, minimizing latency and maximizing throughput.
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.
- ✓
Place the application tier instances in a private subnet in the same VPC as the web tier. Attach a virtual private gateway to the VPC and connect it to the on-premises network via a Direct Connect private virtual interface.
Why this is correct
This provides low-latency, high-throughput connectivity directly between the application tier and on-premises.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "minimum / minimize" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Place the application tier in a private subnet and use a NAT Gateway to route traffic to the on-premises network.
- ✗
Place the application tier in a separate VPC and peer it to the web tier VPC. Use a Direct Connect connection attached to the web tier VPC.
Why it's wrong here
Peering adds an extra network hop, increasing latency.
- ✗
Place the application tier in a separate VPC and use a VPN connection over the internet to connect to on-premises.
Why it's wrong here
VPN over the internet introduces latency and is less reliable than Direct Connect.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
AWS often tests the misconception that a NAT Gateway or VPN can provide equivalent performance to Direct Connect, but the trap here is that NAT Gateways are for internet egress only and VPNs introduce internet-based latency, whereas a private VIF offers dedicated, consistent performance.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
A Direct Connect private VIF uses 802.1Q VLAN tagging and BGP to establish a Layer 3 connection between the on-premises router and the VGW, enabling routes to be exchanged directly. The VGW supports up to 1.25 Gbps per VIF (or higher with aggregation) and allows traffic to stay within the AWS network, avoiding internet transit. In real-world scenarios, this design is critical for latency-sensitive applications like financial trading or real-time databases where every millisecond matters.
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: Place the application tier instances in a private subnet in the same VPC as the web tier. Attach a virtual private gateway to the VPC and connect it to the on-premises network via a Direct Connect private virtual interface. — Option A is correct because a Direct Connect private virtual interface (VIF) connected to a virtual private gateway (VGW) provides a dedicated, low-latency, high-throughput connection from the VPC to on-premises. The application tier in the private subnet can route traffic directly to the on-premises database via the VGW without traversing the internet or a NAT device, minimizing latency and maximizing throughput.
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.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "minimum / minimize". Asks for the least resource use — fewest addresses, smallest subnet, lowest overhead. Eliminate over-provisioned options even if they would technically work.
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 →
Keep practising
More ANS-C01 practice questions
- A company is designing a network security architecture for a multi-account environment using AWS Transit Gateway. The se…
- A company is using AWS Direct Connect to connect its on-premises network to AWS. The company wants to encrypt all traffi…
- A company uses AWS Transit Gateway to connect multiple VPCs and on-premises networks via AWS Site-to-Site VPN. The secur…
- A global e-commerce company uses a hub-and-spoke network topology with a transit VPC in us-east-1. Each spoke VPC has an…
- A company is designing a multi-VPC architecture in the same region. The VPCs need to communicate with each other using p…
- A company is deploying an application that requires low-latency communication between EC2 instances in two different AWS…
Last reviewed: Jun 30, 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.