- A
Create VPC endpoints for the required AWS services and route traffic to them
VPC endpoints provide private connectivity from your VPC to supported AWS services without traversing the public internet or a NAT Gateway. For example, you can use a gateway endpoint for S3 (and interface endpoints for other services where supported), which avoids NAT Gateway hourly and data-processing charges.
- B
Attach Elastic IP addresses to instances in private subnets
Why wrong: Elastic IP addresses require public networking. They do not provide a NAT-less path to AWS service APIs from a purely private subnet, and they do not achieve the cost-avoidance goal described.
- C
Install a NAT Gateway in every subnet to minimize routing hops
Why wrong: Adding more NAT Gateways increases cost rather than avoiding it. The requirement is specifically to eliminate NAT Gateway usage for accessing AWS services.
- D
Open outbound internet access with a security group rule to reach service endpoints directly
Why wrong: Reaching AWS service endpoints via the internet typically reintroduces outbound connectivity (and associated data-transfer costs and security considerations). It also does not provide the NAT-avoidance behavior of VPC endpoints for private access to AWS services.
Quick Answer
The answer is to create VPC endpoints for the required AWS services and route traffic through them. This is the correct choice because VPC endpoints, such as Gateway Endpoints for S3 and DynamoDB or Interface Endpoints for other services, allow instances in private subnets to access AWS services privately without traversing the internet or a NAT Gateway, thereby eliminating NAT Gateway data processing and hourly charges while keeping all traffic within the AWS network. On the SAA-C03 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of cost optimization and network architecture, often appearing as a trap where candidates mistakenly choose a NAT Gateway or a VPN; the key is to remember that VPC endpoints are the direct, private solution for accessing AWS services from private subnets. A useful memory tip is "Endpoints End NAT Costs"—if you need to reach AWS services without internet egress, endpoints are your free alternative.
SAA-C03 Design Cost-Optimized Architectures Practice Question
This SAA-C03 practice question tests your understanding of design cost-optimized 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 workload runs in private subnets. It must access AWS services such as Amazon S3, but the company wants to avoid using a NAT Gateway to reduce outbound networking costs. What is the best solution?
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.
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 VPC endpoints for the required AWS services and route traffic to them
VPC endpoints (Gateway Endpoints for S3 and DynamoDB, or Interface Endpoints for other services) allow instances in private subnets to access AWS services privately without traversing the internet or a NAT Gateway. This eliminates NAT Gateway data processing and hourly charges, directly reducing outbound networking costs while keeping traffic within the AWS network.
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.
- ✓
Create VPC endpoints for the required AWS services and route traffic to them
Why this is correct
VPC endpoints provide private connectivity from your VPC to supported AWS services without traversing the public internet or a NAT Gateway. For example, you can use a gateway endpoint for S3 (and interface endpoints for other services where supported), which avoids NAT Gateway hourly and data-processing charges.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "best" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Attach Elastic IP addresses to instances in private subnets
Why it's wrong here
Elastic IP addresses require public networking. They do not provide a NAT-less path to AWS service APIs from a purely private subnet, and they do not achieve the cost-avoidance goal described.
- ✗
Install a NAT Gateway in every subnet to minimize routing hops
- ✗
Open outbound internet access with a security group rule to reach service endpoints directly
Why it's wrong here
Reaching AWS service endpoints via the internet typically reintroduces outbound connectivity (and associated data-transfer costs and security considerations). It also does not provide the NAT-avoidance behavior of VPC endpoints for private access to AWS services.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often assume private subnets must use a NAT Gateway or internet gateway for any AWS service access, overlooking that VPC endpoints provide direct, cost-free connectivity to supported services within the AWS network.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Gateway Endpoints for S3 and DynamoDB use prefix lists and route table entries to direct traffic to the AWS service without leaving the VPC, supporting up to 100 Gbps per endpoint. Interface Endpoints (AWS PrivateLink) use Elastic Network Interfaces (ENIs) with private IPs in the subnet, enabling access to over 100 AWS services via HTTPS, and can be accessed across VPC peering or Direct Connect. In real-world scenarios, a workload using S3 for data lakes can save thousands of dollars monthly by replacing NAT Gateway traffic with a Gateway Endpoint, especially when transferring petabytes of data.
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 startup's cloud architect reviews their monthly bill and notices costs are higher than expected for a long-running batch job. Switching from on-demand instances to Reserved Instances — or using Spot/Preemptible VMs — can reduce compute costs by up to 72 %. Questions like this test whether you understand the tradeoffs between commitment, flexibility, and cost across cloud pricing models.
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 Cost-Optimized Architectures — study guide chapter
Learn the concepts, then practise the questions
- →
Design Cost-Optimized Architectures practice questions
Targeted practice on this topic area only
- →
All SAA-C03 questions
1,040 questions across all exam domains
- →
SAA-C03 study guide
Full concept coverage aligned to exam objectives
- →
SAA-C03 practice test guide
How to use practice tests most effectively before exam day
Related practice questions
Related SAA-C03 practice-question pages
Use these pages to review the topic behind this question. This is how one missed question becomes focused revision.
Design Secure Architectures practice questions
Practise SAA-C03 questions linked to Design Secure Architectures.
Design Resilient Architectures practice questions
Practise SAA-C03 questions linked to Design Resilient Architectures.
Design High-Performing Architectures practice questions
Practise SAA-C03 questions linked to Design High-Performing Architectures.
Design Cost-Optimized Architectures practice questions
Practise SAA-C03 questions linked to Design Cost-Optimized Architectures.
SAA-C03 VPC practice questions
Practise SAA-C03 questions linked to SAA-C03 VPC.
SAA-C03 S3 lifecycle policy questions
Practise SAA-C03 questions linked to SAA-C03 S3 lifecycle policy questions.
SAA-C03 RDS Multi-AZ questions
Practise SAA-C03 questions linked to SAA-C03 RDS Multi-AZ questions.
SAA-C03 IAM policy practice questions
Practise SAA-C03 questions linked to SAA-C03 IAM policy.
SAA-C03 Route 53 failover questions
Practise SAA-C03 questions linked to SAA-C03 Route 53 failover questions.
SAA-C03 CloudFront practice questions
Practise SAA-C03 questions linked to SAA-C03 CloudFront.
SAA-C03 NAT gateway questions
Practise SAA-C03 questions linked to SAA-C03 NAT gateway questions.
SAA-C03 VPC endpoint questions
Practise SAA-C03 questions linked to SAA-C03 VPC endpoint questions.
Practice this exam
Start a free SAA-C03 practice session
Short sessions build daily habit. Longer sessions build exam-day stamina. Try a timed session to simulate real conditions.
FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SAA-C03 question test?
Design Cost-Optimized Architectures — This question tests Design Cost-Optimized Architectures — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Create VPC endpoints for the required AWS services and route traffic to them — VPC endpoints (Gateway Endpoints for S3 and DynamoDB, or Interface Endpoints for other services) allow instances in private subnets to access AWS services privately without traversing the internet or a NAT Gateway. This eliminates NAT Gateway data processing and hourly charges, directly reducing outbound networking costs while keeping traffic within the AWS network.
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.
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 →
Keep practising
More SAA-C03 practice questions
- A content publishing system uses Lambda functions that call an unreliable third-party API. Failed events must be retaine…
- A startup runs two EC2-based workloads in the same AWS Region. Its customer-facing API is always on, and its nightly vid…
- A warehouse integration service must use shared file storage across Linux EC2 instances in multiple Availability Zones.…
- A team runs a stateless web app on Amazon EC2 behind an Application Load Balancer. During traffic spikes, new EC2 instan…
- A service in private subnets downloads product images from Amazon S3 and stores job state in DynamoDB. A NAT Gateway is…
- A static site is hosted in Amazon S3 and delivered by CloudFront. After a frontend release, the same JavaScript bundles…
Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
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.
Question Discussion
Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.
Sign in to join the discussion.