Quick Answer
The answer is the Application Load Balancer, because a VPC flow log record showing ACCEPT for traffic to port 443 on an internal IP like 10.0.2.10 directly matches how an ALB terminates HTTPS connections. An ALB listens on port 443 for incoming client traffic, and when it accepts that traffic, flow logs will record the ACCEPT action for the destination IP of the ALB’s internal network interface. On the AWS Certified Advanced Networking Specialty ANS-C01 exam, this question tests your understanding of how flow logs map to specific AWS services—a common trap is confusing the ALB with a Network Load Balancer, which does not natively terminate HTTPS at Layer 7. Remember that only the ALB operates at the application layer and accepts port 443 traffic within a VPC; a memory tip is “ALB = App Layer, port 443 is its home.”
This ANS-C01 practice question tests your understanding of network implementation. 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.
Refer to the exhibit. VPC Flow Logs record: 2 123456789010 eni-12345 10.0.1.5 10.0.2.10 443 34567 6 25 7500 1620140761 1620140821 ACCEPT OK
Refer to the exhibit. A flow log record shows ACCEPT for traffic from 10.0.1.5 to 10.0.2.10 on port 443. Which AWS service is most likely the destination?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "most likely"
Why it matters: Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
Refer to the exhibit. VPC Flow Logs record: 2 123456789010 eni-12345 10.0.1.5 10.0.2.10 443 34567 6 25 7500 1620140761 1620140821 ACCEPT OK
Amazon RDS instance
Why wrong: RDS uses different ports.
Application Load Balancer
ALB listens on port 443 for HTTPS.
NAT Gateway
Why wrong: NAT Gateway does not listen on port 443.
Amazon S3
Why wrong: S3 is not in a VPC by default.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Application Load Balancer
An Application Load Balancer (ALB) terminates HTTPS (port 443) connections and forwards traffic to targets. Flow logs showing ACCEPT for traffic to port 443 on an ALB's internal IP (10.0.2.10) are expected because the ALB listens on that port for incoming client connections. The ALB operates at Layer 7 and is the only listed service that natively accepts HTTPS traffic on port 443 within a VPC.
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.
Amazon RDS instance
Why it's wrong here
RDS uses different ports.
Application Load Balancer
Why this is correct
ALB listens on port 443 for HTTPS.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "most likely" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
NAT Gateway
Amazon S3
Why it's wrong here
S3 is not in a VPC by default.
Common exam traps
AWS often tests the misconception that any service accepting HTTPS traffic must be an Amazon S3 endpoint, but S3 does not have a VPC private IP; the trap here is confusing a service's public endpoint with its internal VPC representation, leading candidates to pick S3 instead of recognizing the ALB's private IP and port 443 listener.
Detailed technical explanation
Under the hood, an ALB's internal IP addresses are assigned from the VPC subnet and are used for health checks and routing; flow logs capture traffic to these IPs. The ALB's listener configuration defines the port (e.g., 443) and protocol (HTTPS), and the ALB terminates the TLS connection, decrypts the request, and forwards it to targets over HTTP. In a real-world scenario, if you see ACCEPT records for port 443 to a private IP, it often indicates an ALB or a Network Load Balancer with a TLS listener, but only the ALB is Layer 7 and commonly used for HTTPS termination.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
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.
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FAQ
Network Implementation — This question tests Network Implementation — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: Application Load Balancer — An Application Load Balancer (ALB) terminates HTTPS (port 443) connections and forwards traffic to targets. Flow logs showing ACCEPT for traffic to port 443 on an ALB's internal IP (10.0.2.10) are expected because the ALB listens on that port for incoming client connections. The ALB operates at Layer 7 and is the only listed service that natively accepts HTTPS traffic on port 443 within a VPC.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Yes — watch for: "most likely". Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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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.
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