The answer is to add a condition in the bucket policy that matches the `aws:sourceVpce` key to the specific VPC endpoint ID. This works because the condition key is evaluated by the S3 service itself, ensuring that only traffic routed through that exact VPC Endpoint (VPCe) is granted access, while requests from any other path—such as a NAT gateway, internet gateway, or a different VPCe—are automatically denied. On the SAA-C03 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of how to enforce network-level security for S3 without relying on instance-level controls; a common trap is confusing `aws:sourceVpce` with `aws:SourceVpc` (which restricts by VPC, not the specific endpoint). Remember that `sourceVpce` is for a single endpoint, while `SourceVpc` allows any endpoint in that VPC. For a quick memory tip: think “VPCe = endpoint ID, VPC = whole VPC”—the extra ‘e’ narrows it down to one specific door.
SAA-C03 Design Secure Architectures Practice Question
This SAA-C03 practice question tests your understanding of design secure architectures. 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.
An EC2 instance in a private subnet must access an S3 bucket that contains regulated exports for a image sharing application. The security team requires access to be allowed only when traffic comes through a specific VPC endpoint. What should the architect add to the bucket policy?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
A condition that matches aws:sourceVpce to the endpoint ID
Option A is correct because the `aws:sourceVpce` condition key in an S3 bucket policy allows you to restrict access so that only traffic originating from a specific VPC endpoint (VPCe) is permitted. This enforces the security team's requirement that all S3 access must come through that endpoint, ensuring that requests from other paths (e.g., NATgateway, internet gateway) are denied. The condition is evaluated at the S3 service side, not at the instance level, making it a direct and secure way to enforce the policy.
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.
✓
A condition that matches aws:sourceVpce to the endpoint ID
Why this is correct
The aws:sourceVpce condition restricts S3 access to requests that arrive through the specified VPC endpoint.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
A deny statement for all IAM users except the EC2 role
Why it's wrong here
This controls identity but does not enforce the network path through the endpoint.
✗
A security group rule that allows HTTPS to S3
Why it's wrong here
Security groups do not attach to S3 buckets and cannot enforce S3 bucket access.
✗
A condition that matches aws:RequestedRegion to the bucket Region
Why it's wrong here
RequestedRegion limits API calls by Region but does not prove traffic used the endpoint.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse `aws:sourceVpce` with `aws:SourceVpc` (which matches the VPC ID, not the endpoint ID) or incorrectly think a security group rule can enforce endpoint-specific routing, but security groups cannot control the network path taken by traffic.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
The `aws:sourceVpce` condition key works by matching the VPC endpoint ID (e.g., `vpce-1a2b3c4d`) that the request originates from, which is only present when the request is routed through a Gateway VPC Endpoint or Interface VPC Endpoint. Under the hood, S3 uses the source VPC endpoint ID from the request metadata, and the bucket policy evaluates this condition before granting access. A real-world scenario is when regulated data must not traverse the public internet; using `aws:sourceVpce` ensures that even if an instance has internet access, only requests through the designated endpoint are allowed, providing a network-level security boundary.
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.
Design Secure Architectures — This question tests Design Secure Architectures — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: A condition that matches aws:sourceVpce to the endpoint ID — Option A is correct because the `aws:sourceVpce` condition key in an S3 bucket policy allows you to restrict access so that only traffic originating from a specific VPC endpoint (VPCe) is permitted. This enforces the security team's requirement that all S3 access must come through that endpoint, ensuring that requests from other paths (e.g., NAT gateway, internet gateway) are denied. The condition is evaluated at the S3 service side, not at the instance level, making it a direct and secure way to enforce the policy.
What should I do if I get this SAA-C03 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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. An EC2 instance in a private subnet must access an S3 bucket that contains regulated exports for a e-learning platform. The security team requires access to be allowed only when traffic comes through a specific VPC endpoint. What should the architect add to the bucket policy?
hard
A.A security group rule that allows HTTPS to S3
B.A condition that matches aws:RequestedRegion to the bucket Region
C.A deny statement for all IAM users except the EC2 role
✓ D.A condition that matches aws:sourceVpce to the endpoint ID
Why D: Option D is correct because the bucket policy can use the `aws:sourceVpce` condition key to restrict access to requests originating from a specific VPC endpoint (interface or Gateway VPC endpoint). This ensures that only traffic routed through that endpoint can access the S3 bucket, meeting the security team's requirement for regulated exports.
Variation 2. An EC2 instance in a private subnet must access an S3 bucket that contains regulated exports for a B2B file exchange site. The security team requires access to be allowed only when traffic comes through a specific VPC endpoint. What should the architect add to the bucket policy?
hard
✓ A.A condition that matches aws:sourceVpce to the endpoint ID
B.A deny statement for all IAM users except the EC2 role
C.A condition that matches aws:RequestedRegion to the bucket Region
D.A security group rule that allows HTTPS to S3
Why A: The correct answer is A because the bucket policy must include a condition that matches `aws:sourceVpce` to the specific VPC endpoint ID. This ensures that only traffic originating from that VPC endpoint (e.g., `vpce-12345678`) is allowed to access the S3 bucket, meeting the security team's requirement. Without this condition, any traffic from the private subnet that routes through the endpoint would be allowed, but the policy explicitly restricts access to only that endpoint.
Variation 3. An EC2 instance in a private subnet must access an S3 bucket that contains regulated exports for a customer analytics portal. The security team requires access to be allowed only when traffic comes through a specific VPC endpoint. What should the architect add to the bucket policy?
hard
A.A security group rule that allows HTTPS to S3
B.A condition that matches aws:RequestedRegion to the bucket Region
C.A deny statement for all IAM users except the EC2 role
✓ D.A condition that matches aws:sourceVpce to the endpoint ID
Why D: Option D is correct because the bucket policy can use the `aws:sourceVpce` condition key to restrict access exclusively to traffic originating from a specific VPC endpoint (interface or Gateway Load Balancer endpoint). This ensures that only requests sent through that VPC endpoint are allowed, meeting the security team's requirement for regulated exports.
Variation 4. An EC2 instance in a private subnet must access an S3 bucket that contains regulated exports for a customer analytics portal. The security team requires access to be allowed only when traffic comes through a specific VPC endpoint. What should the architect add to the bucket policy? The design must avoid adding custom operational scripts.
hard
A.A security group rule that allows HTTPS to S3
B.A condition that matches aws:RequestedRegion to the bucket Region
C.A deny statement for all IAM users except the EC2 role
✓ D.A condition that matches aws:sourceVpce to the endpoint ID
Why D: Option D is correct because the bucket policy can use the `aws:sourceVpce` condition key to restrict access exclusively to traffic originating from a specific VPC endpoint ID. This ensures that only requests sent through that VPC endpoint are allowed, meeting the security team's requirement without requiring custom scripts or additional infrastructure.
Variation 5. An EC2 instance in a private subnet must access an S3 bucket that contains regulated exports for a financial reporting platform. The security team requires access to be allowed only when traffic comes through a specific VPC endpoint. What should the architect add to the bucket policy? The design must avoid adding custom operational scripts.
hard
A.A security group rule that allows HTTPS to S3
B.A condition that matches aws:RequestedRegion to the bucket Region
C.A deny statement for all IAM users except the EC2 role
✓ D.A condition that matches aws:sourceVpce to the endpoint ID
Why D: Option D is correct because the bucket policy can use the `aws:sourceVpce` condition key to restrict access to requests originating from a specific VPC endpoint. This ensures that only traffic routed through that endpoint can access the S3 bucket, meeting the security team's requirement without custom scripts.
Variation 6. An EC2 instance in a private subnet must access an S3 bucket that contains regulated exports for a financial reporting platform. The security team requires access to be allowed only when traffic comes through a specific VPC endpoint. What should the architect add to the bucket policy?
hard
A.A security group rule that allows HTTPS to S3
B.A condition that matches aws:RequestedRegion to the bucket Region
C.A deny statement for all IAM users except the EC2 role
✓ D.A condition that matches aws:sourceVpce to the endpoint ID
Why D: Option D is correct because the bucket policy can use the `aws:sourceVpce` condition key to restrict access to requests that originate from a specific VPC endpoint (a Gateway VPC Endpoint for S3). This ensures that only traffic flowing through that endpoint can access the bucket, meeting the security team's requirement. The EC2 instance in the private subnet routes S3 traffic through the endpoint via the subnet's route table, and the bucket policy enforces the restriction at the resource level.
Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
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