← SAA-C03·Amazon Web Services

Question 767 of 1,040

Design Secure Architectures →mediumMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped

Quick Answer

The answer is to create an interface VPC endpoint in the consumer VPC that targets the PrivateLink service name published by the provider account, then restrict access using the endpoint’s security group. This configuration is correct because AWS PrivateLink enables private connectivity between VPCs by attaching an interface endpoint to the consumer’s subnet, which uses an Elastic Network Interface to route traffic directly to the Network Load Balancer (NLB) in the provider VPC—all traffic stays within the AWS backbone and never touches the public internet. On the SAA-C03 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of cross-VPC private access without VPC peering or transit gateways; a common trap is assuming you need to modify the NLB’s security group or route tables, but the endpoint’s security group is the least-privilege control point. Remember the mnemonic: “Endpoint SG, not NLB SG”—the security group on the interface endpoint is your firewall for client access, while the NLB itself remains invisible to the consumer VPC.

SAA-C03 Design Secure Architectures Practice Question

This SAA-C03 practice question tests your understanding of design secure architectures. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. 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.

Your company has an internal service hosted behind a Network Load Balancer (NLB) in VPC 10.0.0.0/16. A consumer team in a different VPC (10.1.0.0/16) must call the service without using the public internet. You want private connectivity using AWS PrivateLink. Which configuration best enables least-privilege access while keeping the traffic private?

Clue words in this question

Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.

Clue: "best"
Why it matters: Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.
Clue: "least"
Why it matters: You want the option with minimum overhead, fewest steps, or lowest impact — not the most feature-rich or comprehensive answer.

Question 1mediummultiple choice

Full question →

A
Expose the NLB with an Internet Gateway route and restrict access using a security group attached to the NLB.
Why wrong: Security groups cannot be attached directly to NLBs for this purpose in the way implied, and exposing the service via the public internet violates the private-only requirement. PrivateLink is designed for private connectivity without relying on public exposure.
B
Create a VPC endpoint (interface endpoint) in the consumer VPC that points to the service name published by the provider account, and limit allowed clients using the endpoint’s security group rules.
PrivateLink uses an interface VPC endpoint in the consumer VPC (using the provider’s published service name). Traffic stays on the AWS network, not the public internet. Security groups on the interface endpoint provide least-privilege control over which client resources can reach the endpoint, and the provider side can also restrict who can connect.
C
Create an S3 Gateway endpoint in the consumer VPC and store the service hostname in SSM Parameter Store so clients can resolve privately.
Why wrong: S3 Gateway endpoints are unrelated to reaching an internal NLB-based application service. Using SSM for hostname resolution does not create private network connectivity to the service, nor does it implement PrivateLink.
D
Use a bastion host in the provider VPC and allow the consumer VPC to SSH to it; from there, the consumer makes HTTP calls to the NLB.
Why wrong: Bastion hosts add operational burden and a new security boundary. PrivateLink is specifically meant to provide direct private connectivity to services without relying on SSH jumping. The described approach is more complex and less scalable.

Full breakdown with real-world context →

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

✓

Create a VPC endpoint (interface endpoint) in the consumer VPC that points to the service name published by the provider account, and limit allowed clients using the endpoint’s security group rules.

Option B is correct because AWS PrivateLink uses an interface VPC endpoint in the consumer VPC to connect privately to a Network Load Balancer (NLB) in the provider VPC, without traversing the public internet. The endpoint’s security group acts as a least-privilege firewall, allowing only specific clients (by source IP or security group) to access the service. This keeps traffic within the AWS network and avoids exposing the NLB to the internet.

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.

✗
Expose the NLB with an Internet Gateway route and restrict access using a security group attached to the NLB.
Why it's wrong here
Security groups cannot be attached directly to NLBs for this purpose in the way implied, and exposing the service via the public internet violates the private-only requirement. PrivateLink is designed for private connectivity without relying on public exposure.
✓
Create a VPC endpoint (interface endpoint) in the consumer VPC that points to the service name published by the provider account, and limit allowed clients using the endpoint’s security group rules.
Why this is correct
PrivateLink uses an interface VPC endpoint in the consumer VPC (using the provider’s published service name). Traffic stays on the AWS network, not the public internet. Security groups on the interface endpoint provide least-privilege control over which client resources can reach the endpoint, and the provider side can also restrict who can connect.
Clue confirmation
The clue words "best", "least" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Create an S3 Gateway endpoint in the consumer VPC and store the service hostname in SSM Parameter Store so clients can resolve privately.
Why it's wrong here
S3 Gateway endpoints are unrelated to reaching an internal NLB-based application service. Using SSM for hostname resolution does not create private network connectivity to the service, nor does it implement PrivateLink.
✗
Use a bastion host in the provider VPC and allow the consumer VPC to SSH to it; from there, the consumer makes HTTP calls to the NLB.
Why it's wrong here
Bastion hosts add operational burden and a new security boundary. PrivateLink is specifically meant to provide direct private connectivity to services without relying on SSH jumping. The described approach is more complex and less scalable.

Common exam traps

Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword

The trap here is that candidates often confuse Gateway Endpoints (which only work for S3 and DynamoDB) with Interface Endpoints (which support PrivateLink for services behind an NLB), leading them to pick Option C incorrectly.

Detailed technical explanation

How to think about this question

AWS PrivateLink uses an interface VPC endpoint powered by AWS PrivateLink, which creates an Elastic Network Interface (ENI) in the consumer VPC with a private IP address from the consumer’s subnet. The provider publishes a service name (e.g., com.amazonaws.vpce.<region>.<vpce-id>) that the consumer uses to create the endpoint; traffic is routed via the AWS backbone using VPC peering or Transit Gateway if needed, but the endpoint itself does not require peering. A subtle behavior is that the endpoint’s security group can reference the consumer’s security group as a source, enabling granular control without exposing the NLB’s IPs.

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.

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FAQ

Questions learners often ask

What does this SAA-C03 question test?

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: Create a VPC endpoint (interface endpoint) in the consumer VPC that points to the service name published by the provider account, and limit allowed clients using the endpoint’s security group rules. — Option B is correct because AWS PrivateLink uses an interface VPC endpoint in the consumer VPC to connect privately to a Network Load Balancer (NLB) in the provider VPC, without traversing the public internet. The endpoint’s security group acts as a least-privilege firewall, allowing only specific clients (by source IP or security group) to access the service. This keeps traffic within the AWS network and avoids exposing the NLB to the internet.

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.

Are there clue words in this question I should notice?

Yes — watch for: "best", "least". Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.

What is the key concept behind this question?

Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.

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Same concept, more angles

1 more ways this is tested on SAA-C03

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. Your company has an internal service hosted behind a Network Load Balancer (NLB) in VPC 10.0.0.0/16. A consumer team in a different VPC (10.1.0.0/16) must call the service without using the public internet. You want private connectivity using AWS PrivateLink. Which configuration best enables least-privilege access while keeping the traffic private?

medium

A.Expose the NLB with an Internet Gateway route and restrict access using a security group attached to the NLB.
✓ B.Create a VPC endpoint (interface endpoint) in the consumer VPC that points to the service name published by the provider account, and limit allowed clients using the endpoint’s security group rules.
C.Create an S3 Gateway endpoint in the consumer VPC and store the service hostname in SSM Parameter Store so clients can resolve privately.
D.Use a bastion host in the provider VPC and allow the consumer VPC to SSH to it; from there, the consumer makes HTTP calls to the NLB.

Why B: Option B is correct because AWS PrivateLink uses an interface VPC endpoint in the consumer VPC to connect privately to a Network Load Balancer (NLB) in the provider VPC, keeping traffic within the AWS network. The endpoint’s security group acts as a stateful firewall to restrict which clients in the consumer VPC can access the service, enforcing least-privilege access. This eliminates exposure to the public internet and avoids complex routing or gateway configurations.

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