This SOA-C02 practice question tests your understanding of networking and content delivery. 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.
Which THREE components are required to set up a site-to-site VPN connection between a VPC and an on-premises network? (Choose three.)
Virtual private gateway or transit gateway
AWS side endpoint for VPN.
NAT Gateway
Why wrong: For outbound internet, not VPN.
VPN connection
Links VGW and CGW.
Customer gateway
Represents on-premises VPN device.
Internet gateway
Why wrong: Not needed; VPN uses public internet but IGW not required.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Virtual private gateway or transit gateway
A virtual private gateway or transit gateway is required as the AWS-side VPN concentrator that terminates the VPN tunnels and routes traffic between the VPC and the on-premises network. It provides the target for the VPN connection and must be attached to the VPC to enable site-to-site VPN functionality.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
Virtual private gateway or transit gateway
Why this is correct
AWS side endpoint for VPN.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
NAT Gateway
Why it's wrong here
For outbound internet, not VPN.
VPN connection
Why this is correct
Links VGW and CGW.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Customer gateway
Why this is correct
Represents on-premises VPN device.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Internet gateway
Why it's wrong here
Not needed; VPN uses public internet but IGW not required.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates often confuse a NAT Gateway or Internet Gateway as necessary for VPN connectivity, but neither is involved in IPsec tunnel establishment; the correct components are the virtual private gateway (or transit gateway), the VPN connection, and the customer gateway.
Detailed technical explanation
A site-to-site VPN uses IPsec tunnels (typically IKEv1 or IKEv2) between the customer gateway (on-premises router/firewall) and the virtual private gateway or transit gateway. The VPN connection resource defines the tunnel endpoints, pre-shared keys, and routing options (static or BGP dynamic routing). In real-world scenarios, you must also configure the on-premises device with matching tunnel parameters and ensure the VPC route tables point to the virtual private gateway for the on-premises CIDR.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
A healthcare organisation deploys an application with a public-facing web tier and a private database tier. The database subnet has no public IP and only accepts connections from the web tier's security group. Questions like this test whether you can design cloud network isolation using VNets/VPCs, subnets, and security group rules.
What to study next
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Networking and Content Delivery — study guide chapter
Learn the concepts, then practise the questions
Networking and Content Delivery practice questions
Targeted practice on this topic area only
All SOA-C02 questions
1,546 questions across all exam domains
AWS Certified SysOps Administrator Associate SOA-C02 study guide
Full concept coverage aligned to exam objectives
SOA-C02 practice test guide
How to use practice tests most effectively before exam day
Related practice questions
Use these pages to review the topic behind this question. This is how one missed question becomes focused revision.
Practise SOA-C02 questions linked to Monitoring, Logging, and Remediation.
Practise SOA-C02 questions linked to Reliability and Business Continuity.
Practise SOA-C02 questions linked to Deployment, Provisioning, and Automation.
Practise SOA-C02 questions linked to Security and Compliance.
Practise SOA-C02 questions linked to Networking and Content Delivery.
Practise SOA-C02 questions linked to Cost and Performance Optimization.
Practise SOA-C02 questions linked to SOA-C02 fundamentals.
Practise SOA-C02 questions linked to SOA-C02 scenario.
Practise SOA-C02 questions linked to SOA-C02 troubleshooting.
Practice this exam
Short sessions build daily habit. Longer sessions build exam-day stamina. Try a timed session to simulate real conditions.
FAQ
Networking and Content Delivery — This question tests Networking and Content Delivery — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: Virtual private gateway or transit gateway — A virtual private gateway or transit gateway is required as the AWS-side VPN concentrator that terminates the VPN tunnels and routes traffic between the VPC and the on-premises network. It provides the target for the VPN connection and must be attached to the VPC to enable site-to-site VPN functionality.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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
Last reviewed: Jun 24, 2026
This SOA-C02 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 SOA-C02 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.