The correct answer is to create a VPC Gateway Endpoint for S3 in your VPC and allow the partner to access the bucket through a VPC peering connection. This works because a VPC Gateway Endpoint provides secure private access to an S3 bucket from a VPC without traversing the public internet, and VPC Peering extends that private connectivity to the partner’s own AWS account. On the AWS Certified Advanced Networking Specialty ANS-C01 exam, this question tests your understanding of how to isolate S3 access within the AWS network, often contrasting Gateway Endpoints with Interface Endpoints or bucket policies. A common trap is assuming a bucket policy with the partner’s account ARN is sufficient—but that still allows public internet access from any IP. The key distinction is that Gateway Endpoints enforce access from a specific VPC, while VPC Peering keeps traffic private between accounts. Memory tip: think “Gateway for S3, Peering for partners”—the endpoint locks down the bucket, and the peering connection is the private tunnel.
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 needs to provide secure access to an Amazon S3 bucket for a third-party partner. The partner has their own AWS account. The company wants to avoid exposing the bucket to the public internet. Which solution meets these requirements?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Create a VPC Gateway Endpoint for S3 in your VPC and allow the partner to access the bucket through a VPC peering connection
Option D is correct because an S3 VPC Gateway Endpoint allows access from a VPC, and the partner can connect to that VPC via VPC Peering or Direct Connect. Option A is wrong because bucket policies with Principal set to partner's account allow access from anywhere, not just from a specific VPC. Option B is wrong because Pre-signed URLs expire and are not a permanent solution. Option C is wrong because CloudFront requires public internet access to the origin.
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.
✗
Set up Amazon CloudFront with an origin access identity (OAI)
Why it's wrong here
CloudFront requires the bucket to be accessible via the internet (though OAI restricts to CloudFront).
✗
Use pre-signed URLs generated by AWS Lambda
Why it's wrong here
Pre-signed URLs expire and are not suitable for ongoing access.
✗
Configure an S3 bucket policy that grants access to the partner's AWS account
Why it's wrong here
This allows access from anywhere, not just from a controlled network.
✓
Create a VPC Gateway Endpoint for S3 in your VPC and allow the partner to access the bucket through a VPC peering connection
Why this is correct
The endpoint keeps traffic within AWS network; VPC Peering extends access to partner VPC.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
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.
Use explanations to understand the rule behind the answer.
TExam Day Tips
→Underline the problem statement mentally.
→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 ANS-C01 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
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 VPC Gateway Endpoint for S3 in your VPC and allow the partner to access the bucket through a VPC peering connection — Option D is correct because an S3 VPC Gateway Endpoint allows access from a VPC, and the partner can connect to that VPC via VPC Peering or Direct Connect. Option A is wrong because bucket policies with Principal set to partner's account allow access from anywhere, not just from a specific VPC. Option B is wrong because Pre-signed URLs expire and are not a permanent solution. Option C is wrong because CloudFront requires public internet access to the origin.
What should I do if I get this ANS-C01 question wrong?
Identify which ANS-C01 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
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 →
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 wants to provide secure access to an S3 bucket from a VPC without using an internet gateway or NAT device. Which AWS feature should be used?
easy
A.Internet gateway
B.NAT gateway
C.AWS Site-to-Site VPN connection
✓ D.VPC endpoint (Gateway type) for S3
Why D: A VPC endpoint (Gateway type) for S3 allows instances within a VPC to access S3 buckets privately using the AWS network, without requiring an internet gateway or NAT device. This is achieved by adding an endpoint route in the VPC route table that directs S3 traffic through the AWS backbone, ensuring data never traverses the public internet.
Last reviewed: Jun 20, 2026
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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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