Question 944 of 302
SAA-C03 Design Secure Architectures Practice Question
Exhibit
Private subnet route table rtb-priv: - 10.0.0.0/16 local - 0.0.0.0/0 -> nat-0a12bc34 Application logs: 2026-04-20T10:14:11Z ERROR could not reach https://secretsmanager.us-east-1.amazonaws.com:443 2026-04-20T10:14:11Z ERROR timeout after 30s while downloading s3://company-artifacts-builds Finance note: "NAT data processing charges increased 42% last month."
Based on the exhibit, a workload in private subnets must reach only Amazon S3 and AWS Secrets Manager. The team wants to eliminate internet exposure for those calls and reduce NAT gateway charges. What change should be made?
⚠ Common exam trap
Test-takers frequently think NAT gateways are required for all AWS service access from private subnets, not realizing that VPC endpoints provide direct, private connectivity without internet exposure.
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 an S3 gateway endpoint and a Secrets Manager interface endpoint with private DNS, then remove NAT dependency for those service calls.
VPC Gateway Endpoints for S3 and VPC Interface Endpoints for Secrets Manager allow private subnet instances to access these services over the AWS network without traversing the internet or a NAT gateway. Enabling private DNS on the interface endpoint ensures that standard DNS names resolve to private IPs, eliminating the need for NAT and reducing costs.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Move the instances into a public subnet and restrict inbound access with security groups.
Why it's wrong here
That would expose the workload to the internet, which directly violates the private connectivity requirement. Security groups do not replace the need for private network design.
- ✗
Add a NAT instance and disable the managed NAT gateway to lower cost.
Why it's wrong here
A NAT instance still sends traffic through an internet path and adds operational overhead. It does not remove public exposure for AWS service calls.
- ✓
Create an S3 gateway endpoint and a Secrets Manager interface endpoint with private DNS, then remove NAT dependency for those service calls.
Why this is correct
S3 is best reached through a gateway VPC endpoint, while Secrets Manager requires an interface endpoint. With private DNS enabled, the application can resolve and reach those services without leaving AWS private networking. This removes the need for NAT traffic for those calls, cuts cost, and keeps service access off the public internet.
- ✗
Use VPC peering to a shared services VPC and route all AWS service traffic through that VPC.
Why it's wrong here
VPC peering does not provide native endpoints for AWS managed services and does not eliminate the internet path for those service APIs. It also adds routing complexity without solving the core problem.
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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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
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