← SAA-C03·Amazon Web Services

Question 626 of 1,040

Design Secure Architectures →mediumMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped

Quick Answer

The answer is AWS PrivateLink, which is the correct choice because it enables connectivity between VPCs with overlapping CIDRs without requiring VPC peering or internet exposure. PrivateLink works by creating a VPC endpoint service backed by an internal NLB in VPC A, allowing the partner VPC to consume the API via an interface VPC endpoint with private IPs, completely bypassing CIDR conflicts since traffic flows through AWS’s private network rather than through direct VPC routing. On the SAA-C03 exam, this scenario tests your understanding that VPC peering fails with overlapping CIDRs, while PrivateLink solves this by using elastic network interfaces in the consumer VPC, making it the go-to solution for cross-account, non-public access to internal services. A common trap is assuming a transit gateway or NAT gateway can resolve overlapping ranges, but PrivateLink is the only option that avoids route table conflicts entirely. Memory tip: “PrivateLink for overlapping links”—when CIDRs clash, PrivateLink is your pass.

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.

A company hosts an internal HTTP API on an internal Network Load Balancer (NLB) in VPC A. A partner team in a separate AWS account needs access, but their VPC CIDR overlaps with VPC A, so VPC peering is not feasible.

Security requirements state the API must remain non-public (no internet-facing ALB/NLB) and access must use AWS private networking.

Which architecture best meets these requirements?

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.

Question 1mediummultiple choice

Review the full subnetting walkthrough →

A
Use AWS PrivateLink by creating a VPC endpoint service backed by the NLB in VPC A, then create an interface VPC endpoint in the partner VPC with appropriate endpoint access controls.
PrivateLink exposes the service privately via interface endpoints, avoiding peering and keeping the NLB non-public for secure partner access.
B
Expose the NLB to the internet with an Elastic IP and restrict access using the NLB’s security group only.
Why wrong: Making the NLB internet-facing violates non-public requirements, even if security groups limit allowed sources.
C
Use VPC peering between VPC A and the partner VPC and update route tables to resolve the overlap.
Why wrong: VPC peering cannot handle overlapping CIDRs, and route-table changes cannot resolve IP address overlap safely.
D
Deploy a NAT gateway in VPC A and route the partner’s traffic to the NLB through the NAT gateway.
Why wrong: NAT gateways enable outbound internet egress for instances, not private, deterministic access to internal load balancers across accounts.

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

✓

Use AWS PrivateLink by creating a VPC endpoint service backed by the NLB in VPC A, then create an interface VPC endpoint in the partner VPC with appropriate endpoint access controls.

Option A is correct because AWS PrivateLink allows you to expose an internal NLB in VPC A as a VPC endpoint service, and the partner team can create an interface VPC endpoint in their own VPC to connect privately. This solution avoids overlapping CIDR issues because traffic flows through PrivateLink’s network interfaces using private IPs, not through VPC peering or internet routing. It also satisfies the non-public requirement since the API remains accessible only via private networking within AWS.

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.

✓
Use AWS PrivateLink by creating a VPC endpoint service backed by the NLB in VPC A, then create an interface VPC endpoint in the partner VPC with appropriate endpoint access controls.
Why this is correct
PrivateLink exposes the service privately via interface endpoints, avoiding peering and keeping the NLB non-public for secure partner access.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "best" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Expose the NLB to the internet with an Elastic IP and restrict access using the NLB’s security group only.
Why it's wrong here
Making the NLB internet-facing violates non-public requirements, even if security groups limit allowed sources.
✗
Use VPC peering between VPC A and the partner VPC and update route tables to resolve the overlap.
Why it's wrong here
VPC peering cannot handle overlapping CIDRs, and route-table changes cannot resolve IP address overlap safely.
✗
Deploy a NAT gateway in VPC A and route the partner’s traffic to the NLB through the NAT gateway.
Why it's wrong here
NAT gateways enable outbound internet egress for instances, not private, deterministic access to internal load balancers across accounts.

Common exam traps

Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword

The trap here is that candidates may assume VPC peering can handle overlapping CIDRs with route table adjustments, but AWS explicitly prohibits overlapping CIDRs in VPC peering connections, making PrivateLink the only viable private networking option.

Detailed technical explanation

How to think about this question

PrivateLink uses Elastic Network Interfaces (ENIs) in the consumer VPC to route traffic to the NLB in the service VPC via the AWS backbone, avoiding any public internet exposure. The NLB must be in the same region as the VPC endpoint service, and the consumer VPC’s interface endpoint uses a private IP from its own subnet, which eliminates CIDR overlap issues because no direct routing between the VPCs is required. In real-world scenarios, this is commonly used for multi-account access to internal services like databases or APIs where VPC peering is impossible due to overlapping IP ranges.

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 company's IT admin needs to give a contractor read-only access to production logs without sharing account credentials. Using role-based access control (RBAC) and temporary scoped permissions — not a permanent shared password — is the correct pattern. Questions like this test whether you can apply least-privilege access across cloud identity services.

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: Use AWS PrivateLink by creating a VPC endpoint service backed by the NLB in VPC A, then create an interface VPC endpoint in the partner VPC with appropriate endpoint access controls. — Option A is correct because AWS PrivateLink allows you to expose an internal NLB in VPC A as a VPC endpoint service, and the partner team can create an interface VPC endpoint in their own VPC to connect privately. This solution avoids overlapping CIDR issues because traffic flows through PrivateLink’s network interfaces using private IPs, not through VPC peering or internet routing. It also satisfies the non-public requirement since the API remains accessible only via private networking within AWS.

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". 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. A company hosts an internal HTTP API on an internal Network Load Balancer (NLB) in VPC A. A partner team in a separate AWS account needs access, but their VPC CIDR overlaps with VPC A, so VPC peering is not feasible. Security requirements state the API must remain non-public (no internet-facing ALB/NLB) and access must use AWS private networking. Which architecture best meets these requirements?

medium

✓ A.Use AWS PrivateLink by creating a VPC endpoint service backed by the NLB in VPC A, then create an interface VPC endpoint in the partner VPC with appropriate endpoint access controls.
B.Expose the NLB to the internet with an Elastic IP and restrict access using the NLB’s security group only.
C.Use VPC peering between VPC A and the partner VPC and update route tables to resolve the overlap.
D.Deploy a NAT gateway in VPC A and route the partner’s traffic to the NLB through the NAT gateway.

Why A: Option A is correct because AWS PrivateLink allows you to expose an internal NLB as a VPC endpoint service in VPC A, and the partner team can create an interface VPC endpoint in their own VPC to connect privately. This works even with overlapping CIDR blocks because PrivateLink uses ENIs with private IPs from the endpoint subnet, not routing based on CIDR. The traffic stays within the AWS network and never traverses the internet, meeting the non-public requirement.

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