SAP-C02 Design for New Solutions Practice Question

A company is designing a new application that will process sensitive financial transactions. The application must be deployed in a VPC with no public internet access. The application needs to send logs to Amazon CloudWatch Logs and store files in Amazon S3. Which set of actions should be taken to meet these requirements without allowing internet access?

⚠ Common exam trap

Test-takers frequently assume AWS PrivateLink can be used for both S3 and CloudWatch Logs uniformly, but S3 primarily uses Gateway VPC endpoints (not Interface endpoints) for private access, and PrivateLink is the mechanism for Interface endpoints only.

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 Gateway VPC endpoint for S3 and an Interface VPC endpoint for CloudWatch Logs

A Gateway VPC endpoint for S3 allows private connectivity to S3 without traversing the internet, using route table entries. An Interface VPC endpoint for CloudWatch Logs, powered by AWS PrivateLink, enables private HTTPS connections to the CloudWatch Logs API without requiring a NAT gateway or internet gateway. Together, these endpoints satisfy the requirement for a VPC with no public internet access.

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 a Gateway VPC endpoint for S3 and an Interface VPC endpoint for CloudWatch Logs
Why this is correct
Gateway VPC endpoints route S3 traffic privately over the AWS network, while Interface VPC endpoints (powered by AWS PrivateLink) provide private connectivity to CloudWatch Logs. Together they satisfy the no-public-internet constraint for both logging and object storage.
✗
Place the application behind a public Application Load Balancer
Why it's wrong here
A public Application Load Balancer requires internet-facing subnets and an internet gateway, which directly violates the no-public-internet-access requirement. Sending logs to CloudWatch Logs and storing objects in S3 from an isolated VPC is achieved with VPC endpoints (interface endpoints for CloudWatch Logs and a gateway endpoint for S3), keeping traffic on the AWS network.
✗
Set up a NAT gateway in a public subnet and route traffic through it
Why it's wrong here
A NAT gateway provides outbound internet access, which the scenario explicitly forbids; it also cannot reach CloudWatch Logs or S3 privately. NAT gateways suit private subnets needing software updates or public API calls, not fully isolated VPCs requiring VPC endpoints.
✗
Use AWS PrivateLink to connect to CloudWatch Logs and S3
Why it's wrong here
S3 gateway endpoints, not PrivateLink interface endpoints, are the mechanism for private S3 access from a VPC; PrivateLink does support S3 but requires interface endpoints with per-GB charges and does not cover all S3 features. PrivateLink is correct for privately reaching services lacking gateway endpoints, such as Kinesis or EC2 APIs.

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

Go deeper

SAP-C02 Design for New Solutions Practice Question

Why each option matters

Option-by-option breakdown

AWS S3 Storage Class Comparison

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