The answer is to create a VPC Gateway Endpoint for S3. This solution is correct because a Gateway Endpoint provides private, direct connectivity between your VPC and S3 using AWS’s internal network, ensuring traffic never traverses the internet or a NAT gateway. For the AWS Certified Advanced Networking Specialty ANS-C01 exam, this question tests your understanding of how to securely route S3 traffic from private subnets without public exposure—a common trap is confusing Gateway Endpoints with Interface Endpoints or assuming a NAT gateway is required. The key distinction is that Gateway Endpoints use route table entries, not ENIs, making them cost-effective and ideal for S3 and DynamoDB. A helpful memory tip: think of a Gateway Endpoint as a “private highway” for S3—no tolls (no data transfer costs) and no public roads (no internet).
ANS-C01 Network Security, Compliance and Governance Practice Question
This ANS-C01 practice question tests your understanding of network security, compliance and governance. 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 security engineer needs to allow an EC2 instance in a private subnet to access an S3 bucket without traversing the internet. Which solution meets this requirement?
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.
Option C is correct because a VPC Gateway Endpoint for S3 allows private connectivity. Option A is wrong because a NAT gateway would route traffic over the internet. Option B is wrong because an Internet Gateway would expose the instance. Option D is wrong because Direct Connect is for on-premises connectivity, not for EC2 to S3.
Key principle: Count usable hosts — not total addresses — and remember that the network and broadcast addresses are not available to hosts in standard IPv4 subnets.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✗
Attach an Internet Gateway to the VPC.
Why it's wrong here
Internet Gateway provides internet access, not private access to S3.
✗
Use AWS Direct Connect to connect to S3.
Why it's wrong here
Direct Connect is for on-premises, not for EC2 within AWS.
✓
Create a VPC Gateway Endpoint for S3.
Why this is correct
Provides private connectivity to S3 without internet.
Deploy a NAT gateway in a public subnet and update the route table.
Why it's wrong here
NATgateway routes traffic to the internet, not private.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: usable hosts are not the same as total addresses
Subnetting questions often tempt you into counting all addresses. In normal IPv4 subnets, the network and broadcast addresses are not usable host addresses.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Subnetting questions test whether you can identify the network, broadcast address, usable range, mask and correct subnet. Slow down enough to calculate the block size correctly.
KKey Concepts to Remember
CIDR notation defines the prefix length.
Block size helps identify subnet boundaries.
Network and broadcast addresses are not usable hosts in normal IPv4 subnets.
The required host count determines the smallest suitable subnet.
TExam Day Tips
→Write the block size before choosing the subnet.
→Check whether the question asks for hosts, subnets or a specific address range.
→Do not confuse /24, /25, /26 and /27 host counts.
Key takeaway
Count usable hosts — not total addresses — and remember that the network and broadcast addresses are not available to hosts in standard IPv4 subnets.
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.
Review block sizes, usable host formulas (2^n − 2), and how to find network and broadcast addresses for /24 through /30. Then practise related ANS-C01 subnetting questions on CIDR, address ranges, and subnet selection.
Network Security, Compliance and Governance — This question tests Network Security, Compliance and Governance — CIDR notation defines the prefix length..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Create a VPC Gateway Endpoint for S3. — Option C is correct because a VPC Gateway Endpoint for S3 allows private connectivity. Option A is wrong because a NAT gateway would route traffic over the internet. Option B is wrong because an Internet Gateway would expose the instance. Option D is wrong because Direct Connect is for on-premises connectivity, not for EC2 to S3.
What should I do if I get this ANS-C01 question wrong?
Review block sizes, usable host formulas (2^n − 2), and how to find network and broadcast addresses for /24 through /30. Then practise related ANS-C01 subnetting questions on CIDR, address ranges, and subnet selection.
What is the key concept behind this question?
CIDR notation defines the prefix length.
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Question Discussion
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