SAA-C03 Design Cost-Optimized Architectures Practice Question
A media processing workflow in private subnets downloads large amounts of data from S3 through a NAT gateway. NAT data processing charges are high. What should the architect use to reduce cost? The architecture review board prefers a managed AWS-native control.
⚠ Common exam trap
Many candidates confuse Gateway VPC endpoints with Interface VPC endpoints, assuming both incur hourly charges, when in fact Gateway endpoints are free and only incur standard S3 data transfer costs, making them the optimal choice for reducing NAT-related expenses.
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
✓
Gateway VPC endpoint for Amazon S3
A Gateway VPC endpoint for Amazon S3 allows instances in private subnets to access S3 directly over the AWS network without traversing a NAT gateway, eliminating NAT data processing charges. This is a managed AWS-native control that meets the architecture review board's preference, as it uses AWS PrivateLink and does not require any changes to the S3 bucket or client configuration beyond route table updates.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
S3 Object Lambda
Why it's wrong here
Object Lambda transforms S3 responses and does not remove NAT gateway traffic cost.
- ✗
AWS Shield Advanced
Why it's wrong here
Shield Advanced protects against DDoS and does not reduce S3 NAT traffic charges.
- ✓
Gateway VPC endpoint for Amazon S3
Why this is correct
A gateway endpoint routes S3 traffic privately without NAT gateway data processing charges.
- ✗
A larger NAT gateway
Why it's wrong here
NAT gateways scale automatically; increasing size is not a cost optimization option.
Visual reference
Quick reference
AWS S3 Storage Class Comparison
| Storage Class | Min Duration | Retrieval | Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|
| S3 Standard | None | Immediate | Frequently accessed data |
| S3 Standard-IA | 30 days | Immediate | Infrequent access, rapid retrieval |
| S3 One Zone-IA | 30 days | Immediate | Non-critical infrequent data |
| S3 Intelligent-Tiering | None | Immediate–hours | Unknown or changing access patterns |
| S3 Glacier Instant | 90 days | Milliseconds | Archive with instant retrieval |
| S3 Glacier Flexible | 90 days | Minutes–hours | Archive, flexible retrieval |
| S3 Glacier Deep Archive | 180 days | Hours | Long-term compliance archive |
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This SAA-C03 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 SAA-C03 exam.