Cracking the AWS Certified Advanced Networking – Specialty Exam is not just about memorizing concepts—it’s about mastering cloud networking at an advanced level. This certification is designed for professionals who want to prove their expertise in designing and implementing complex AWS and hybrid IT network architectures.
Whether you are a seasoned network engineer, a cloud architect, or an IT professional looking to level up, this exam challenges you to think strategically about routing, security, automation, and hybrid connectivity. In this blog, we’ll walk you through a clear, step-by-step preparation strategy, highlight key topics to focus on, and share tips to maximize your efficiency. By following this guide, you’ll gain the confidence and knowledge needed to tackle the exam and stand out in the competitive cloud landscape.
About the AWS Certified Advanced Networking – Specialty Exam
AWS Certified Advanced Networking – Specialty (ANS-C01) is a certification provided by Amazon Web Services (AWS). It confirms that a person is really skilled at creating and putting into action advanced networking solutions on AWS. The certification covers a range of advanced networking topics, including designing, developing, and deploying secure and scalable networks on AWS, optimizing network performance, and leveraging AWS services and features for networking purposes.
To earn the AWS Certified Advanced Networking – Specialty certification, candidates must have at least five years of hands-on experience in network engineering, network architecture, or network operations, and they must also pass the ANS-C01 exam, which consists of 65 multiple-choice and multiple-response questions.
AWS Certified Advanced Networking – Specialty, ANS-C01 Exam- Glossary
- Amazon Virtual Private Cloud (Amazon VPC): A virtual private network (VPN) service offered by AWS that allows users to provision a private, isolated section of the AWS cloud.
- Elastic Load Balancing (ELB): It’s a service that spreads out incoming website visitors to different EC2 computers or resources in a certain area. This helps make websites work better and stay available even if some parts have problems.
- Direct Connect: A dedicated network connection between a user’s on-premises infrastructure and an AWS Direct Connect location.
- Network Address Translation (NAT): A technique used to map one or more IP addresses to a private network.
- Border Gateway Protocol (BGP): A routing protocol used to exchange routing information across the internet and between different autonomous systems.
- Internet Protocol Security (IPsec): A protocol used to encrypt and authenticate IP packets in a VPN.
- Route 53: A DNS web service provided by AWS that routes users’ requests to the appropriate resources, such as EC2 instances, S3 buckets, or load balancers.
- AWS Global Accelerator: This service makes applications more available and faster by using a fixed IP address and directing the traffic over AWS’s worldwide network system.
- Learning AWS PrivateLink: A service that allows users to securely access AWS services over a private connection, rather than over the internet.
- AWS Transit Gateway: A service that simplifies network connectivity between Amazon VPCs, on-premises networks, and remote networks.
AWS Certified Advanced Networking – Specialty Documentation and Outline
- Exam Guide: The AWS Certified Advanced Networking – Specialty Exam Guide is available on the AWS website and provides a detailed overview of the topics covered on the exam, the format of the exam, and the passing score.
Link: https://aws.amazon.com/certification/certified-advanced-networking-specialty/
- Exam Blueprint: The AWS Certified Advanced Networking – Specialty Exam Blueprint provides a detailed breakdown of the exam content, including the percentage of questions that will be drawn from each topic area.
- Sample Exam Questions: You can find the AWS Certified Advanced Networking – Specialty Sample Exam Questions on the AWS website. These questions are there to give you practice and help you get ready for the exam.
- AWS Training and Certification: AWS offers a variety of training and certification resources to help you prepare for the AWS Certified Advanced Networking – Specialty exam, including instructor-led courses, online training, and self-paced labs.
Link: https://aws.amazon.com/training/path-advanced-networking/
AWS Certified Advanced Networking – Specialty, ANS-C01 Tips and Tricks
- Focus on the exam objectives: The AWS Certified Advanced Networking – Specialty exam covers a broad range of topics related to advanced networking on AWS. Make sure you understand the exam objectives and focus your studies on the areas where you need the most help.
- Use the official exam guide and sample questions: The AWS Certified Advanced Networking – Specialty exam guide and sample questions are excellent resources to help you prepare for the exam. Use them to get a better understanding of the types of questions you can expect to see on the exam and the knowledge and skills you need to pass.
- Get hands-on experience: Getting hands-on experience is essential for passing the AWS Certified Advanced Networking – Specialty exam. Try out AWS services like VPC, ELB, Route 53, and Direct Connect in a real-world situation to really understand how they all fit together.
- Watch AWS re:Invent sessions: AWS re:Invent is an annual conference hosted by AWS that features a variety of sessions on topics related to AWS services and best practices. Many of these sessions are available online, and you can watch them to learn more about advanced networking on AWS.
- Join AWS user groups and forums: AWS user groups and forums are great places to connect with other AWS professionals and learn from their experiences. Become a member of a local user group or engage in an online forum to stay current with the newest trends and best ways to do advanced networking on AWS.
- Use practice exams and study materials: There are many practice exams and study materials available online that can help you prepare for the AWS Certified Advanced Networking – Specialty exam.
Exam Guide aka Course Outline: AWS ANS-C01
The course outline plays a big role in whether you pass the exam or not. So, take it seriously. Now, pay attention to what we’re about to say. This is the ultimate game-changer. Yes, you heard that correctly. The importance is high. You must make sure you know every small section or module thoroughly. There’s no room for mistakes.
Worried about how to make this happen?
Not to worry, after the Course Outline, we have a step by step preparatory guide all set for you. Your satisfaction is the utmost importance here. Therefore, we have incorporated all the learning resources that will help you in understanding each and every concept mentioned in this Course Outline.
Updated AWS Certified Advanced Networking – Specialty (ANS-C01) Course outline
Domain 1: Network Design (30%)
Task Statement 1.1: Design a solution that incorporates edge network services to optimize user performance and traffic management for global architectures.
Knowledge of:
- Design patterns for the usage of content distribution networks (for example, Amazon CloudFront) (AWS Documentation: Working with Content Delivery Networks (CDNs))
- Design patterns for global traffic management (for example, AWS Global Accelerator) (AWS Documentation: Getting started with AWS Global Accelerator, Traffic management with AWS Global Accelerator)
- Integration patterns for content distribution networks and global traffic management with other services (for example, Elastic Load Balancing, Amazon API Gateway) (AWS Documentation: Networking and Content Delivery, Introduction to Network Transformation on AWS)
Skills in:
- Evaluating requirements of global inbound and outbound traffic from the internet to design an appropriate content distribution solution (AWS Documentation: Infrastructure OU – Network account, Routing traffic to an Amazon CloudFront distribution)
Task Statement 1.2: Design DNS solutions that meet public, private, and hybrid requirements.
Knowledge of:
- DNS protocol (for example, DNS records, timers, DNSSEC, DNS delegation, zones) (AWS Documentation: Configuring DNSSEC for a domain, Supported DNS record types, Amazon Route 53 concepts)
- Amazon Route 53 features (for example, alias records, traffic policies, resolvers, health checks) (AWS Documentation: Creating Amazon Route 53 health checks and configuring DNS failover, Amazon Route 53 chooses records when health checking, Amazon Route 53 FAQs)
- Integration of Route 53 with other AWS networking services (for example, Amazon VPC) (AWS Documentation: Integration with other services, Resolving DNS queries between VPCs and your network)
- Integration of Route 53 with hybrid, multi-account, and multi-Region options (AWS Documentation: Using Route 53 Private Hosted Zones for Cross-account Multi-region Architectures, Simplify DNS management in a multi-account environment)
- Domain Registration (AWS Documentation: Registering a new domain)
Skills in:
- Using Route 53 public hosted zones (AWS Documentation: Creating a public hosted zone)
- Understanding Route 53 private hosted zones (AWS Documentation: Working with private hosted zones)
- Using Route 53 Resolver endpoints in hybrid and AWS architectures (AWS Documentation: Set up integrated DNS resolution for hybrid networks in Amazon Route 53)
- Using Route 53 for global traffic management (AWS Documentation: Amazon Route 53)
- Creating and managing domain registrations (AWS Documentation: Registering a new domain)
Task Statement 1.3: Design solutions that integrate load balancing to meet high availability, scalability,
and security requirements.
Knowledge of:
- How load balancing works at layer 3, layer 4, and layer 7 of the OSI model (AWS Documentation: Load balancer types, Elastic Load Balancing features)
- Different types of load balancers and how they meet requirements for network design, high availability, and security (AWS Documentation: Load balancer types)
- Connectivity patterns that apply to load balancing based on the use case (for example, internal load balancers, external load balancers) (AWS Documentation: Application Load Balancers, Elastic Load Balancing features)
- Scaling factors for load balancers
- Configuration options for load balancers (for example, proxy protocol, cross-zone load balancing, session affinity [sticky sessions], routing algorithms) (AWS Documentation: Target groups for your Network Load Balancers, Configure sticky sessions for your Classic Load Balancer, Sticky sessions for your Application Load Balancer)
- Configuration options for load balancer target groups (for example, TCP, GENEVE, IP compared with instance) (AWS Documentation: CreateTargetGroup, Target groups for your Network Load Balancers)
- AWS Load Balancer Controller for Kubernetes clusters (AWS Documentation: Installing the AWS Load Balancer Controller add-on, Application load balancing on Amazon EKS)
Skills in:
- Selecting an appropriate load balancer based on the use case (AWS Documentation: Application Load Balancers)
- Integrating auto-scaling with load balancing solutions (AWS Documentation: Attach a load balancer to your Auto Scaling group)
- Integrating load balancers with existing application deployments (AWS Documentation: Integrating CodeDeploy with Elastic Load Balancing)
Task Statement 1.4: Define logging and monitoring requirements across AWS and hybrid networks.
Knowledge of:
- Amazon CloudWatch metrics, agents, logs, alarms, dashboards, and insights in AWS architectures to provide visibility (AWS Documentation: Amazon CloudWatch, How Amazon CloudWatch works)
- AWS Transit Gateway Network Manager in architectures to provide visibility (AWS Documentation: AWS Network Manager for Transit Gateway networks)
- VPC Reachability Analyzer in architectures to provide visibility (AWS Documentation: VPC Reachability Analyzer)
- Flow logs and traffic mirroring in architecture to provide visibility (AWS Documentation: Traffic Mirroring, Using VPC Traffic Mirroring to monitor and secure your AWS infrastructure)
- Access logging (for example, load balancers, CloudFront) (AWS Documentation: Access logs for your Application Load Balancer)
Skills in:
- Identifying the logging and monitoring requirements (AWS Documentation: Designing and implementing logging and monitoring with Amazon CloudWatch)
- Recommending appropriate metrics to provide visibility of the network status (AWS Documentation: List the available CloudWatch metrics for your instances)
- Capturing baseline network performance (AWS Documentation: Amazon EC2 instance network bandwidth)
Task Statement 1.5: Design a routing strategy and connectivity architecture between on-premises
networks and the AWS Cloud.
Knowledge of:
- Routing fundamentals (for example, dynamic compared with static, BGP) (AWS Documentation: Site-to-Site VPN routing options, customer gateway device configurations for dynamic routing (BGP))
- Layer 1 and layer 2 concepts for physical interconnects (for example, VLAN, link aggregation group [LAG], optics, jumbo frames) (AWS Documentation: Link aggregation groups)
- Encapsulation and encryption technologies (for example, Generic Routing Encapsulation [GRE], IPsec) (AWS Documentation: Simplify SD-WAN connectivity with AWS Transit Gateway Connect, Your customer gateway device)
- Resource sharing across AWS accounts (AWS Documentation: Sharing your AWS resources)
- Overlay networks (AWS Documentation: Overlay IP Routing using AWS Transit Gateway)
Skills in:
- Identifying the requirements for hybrid connectivity (AWS Documentation: Connectivity models)
- Designing a redundant hybrid connectivity model with AWS services (for example, AWS Direct Connect, AWS Site-to-Site VPN) (AWS Documentation: Hybrid connectivity, VPN connection as a backup)
- Understanding BGP routing with BGP attributes to influence the traffic flows based on the desired traffic patterns (load sharing, active/passive) (AWS Documentation: Routing policies and BGP communities, Creating active/passive BGP connections over AWS Direct Connect)
- Designing for integration of a software-defined wide area network (SD-WAN) with AWS (for example, Transit Gateway Connect, overlay networks) (AWS Documentation: Simplify SD-WAN connectivity with AWS Transit Gateway Connect)
Task Statement 1.6: Design a routing strategy and connectivity architecture that includes multiple AWS
accounts, AWS Regions, and VPCs to support different connectivity patterns.
Knowledge of:
- Different connectivity patterns and use cases (for example, VPC peering, Transit Gateway, AWS PrivateLink) (AWS Documentation: AWS PrivateLink, Connect VPCs using VPC peering)
- Capabilities and advantages of VPC sharing (AWS Documentation: Share your VPC with other accounts, VPC sharing)
- IP subnets and solutions accounting for IP address overlaps
Skills in:
- Connecting multiple VPCs by using the most appropriate services based on requirements (for example, using VPC peering, Transit Gateway, PrivateLink) (AWS Documentation: VPC to VPC connectivity, Connect VPCs using VPC peering)
- Using VPC sharing in a multi-account setup (AWS Documentation: Share your VPC with other accounts)
- Managing IP overlaps by using different available services and options (for example, NAT, PrivateLink, Transit Gateway routing) (AWS Documentation: AWS PrivateLink)
Domain 2: Network Implementation (26%)
Task Statement 2.1: Implement routing and connectivity between on-premises networks and the AWS Cloud.
Knowledge of:
- Routing protocols (for example, static, dynamic) (AWS Documentation: Site-to-Site VPN routing options)
- Layer 1 and types of hardware to use (for example, Letter of Authorization [LOA] documents, colocation facilities, Direct Connect) (AWS Documentation: Classic, Requesting cross connects at AWS Direct Connect locations)
- Layer 2 and layer 3 (for example, VLANs, IP addressing, gateways, routing, switching) (AWS Documentation: Amazon VPC for On-Premises Network Engineers, Example routing options)
- Traffic management and SD-WAN (for example, Transit Gateway Connect) (AWS Documentation: Simplify SD-WAN connectivity with AWS Transit Gateway Connect)
- DNS (for example, conditional forwarding, hosted zones, resolvers) (AWS Documentation: Resolving DNS queries between VPCs and your network, Managing forwarding rules)
- Security appliances (for example, firewalls) (AWS Documentation: AWS Network Firewall)
- Load balancing (for example, layer 4 compared with layer 7, reverse proxies, layer 3) (AWS Documentation: Elastic Load Balancing features)
- Infrastructure automation (AWS Documentation: Infrastructure Automation)
- AWS Organizations and AWS Resource Access Manager (AWS RAM) (for example, multiaccount Transit Gateway, Direct Connect, Amazon VPC, Route 53) (AWS Documentation: Shareable AWS resources)
Skills in:
- Configuring the physical network requirements for hybrid connectivity solutions (AWS Documentation: Hybrid network connection)
- Configuring existing on-premises networks to connect with the AWS Cloud (AWS Documentation: Access to an on-premises network)
- Learning existing on-premises name resolution with the AWS Cloud (AWS Documentation: Set up integrated DNS resolution for hybrid networks in Amazon Route 53)
- Configuring and implementing load balancing solutions (AWS Documentation: Create an Application Load Balancer)
- Configuring network monitoring and logging for AWS services (AWS Documentation: Logging and monitoring in AWS Network Firewall)
- Testing and validating connectivity between environments (AWS Documentation: Testing and validating your applications)
Task Statement 2.2: Implement routing and connectivity across multiple AWS accounts, Regions, and VPCs to support different connectivity patterns.
Knowledge of:
- Inter-VPC and multi-account connectivity (for example, VPC peering, Transit Gateway, VPN, third-party vendors, SD-WAN, multiprotocol label switching [MPLS]) (AWS Documentation: Amazon VPC-to-Amazon VPC connectivity options, Simplify SD-WAN connectivity with AWS Transit Gateway Connect)
- Private application connectivity (for example, PrivateLink) (AWS Documentation: Connect your VPC to services using AWS PrivateLink)
- Methods of expanding AWS networking connectivity (for example, Organizations, AWS RAM) (AWS Documentation: AWS Resource Access Manager and AWS Organizations)
- Host and service name resolution for applications and clients (for example, DNS) (AWS Documentation: Resolving DNS queries between VPCs and your network)
- Infrastructure automation (AWS Documentation: Infrastructure Automation)
- Authentication and authorization (for example, SAML, Active Directory) (AWS Documentation: About SAML 2.0-based federation, Integrating third-party SAML solution providers with AWS)
Skills in:
- Configuring network connectivity architectures by using AWS services in a single-VPC or multiVPC design (for example, DHCP, routing, security groups) (AWS Documentation: Architecture, Control traffic to resources using security groups)
- Learning hybrid connectivity with existing third-party vendor solutions (AWS Documentation: Available third-party partner product integrations, Hybrid connectivity)
- Configuring a hub-and-spoke network architecture (for example, Transit Gateway, transit VPC) (AWS Documentation: Transit VPC solution)
- Learn a DNS solution to make hybrid connectivity possible (AWS Documentation: Set up integrated DNS resolution for hybrid networks in Amazon Route 53)
- Configuring network monitoring and logging by using AWS solutions (AWS Documentation: Logging and Monitoring in AWS Config)
Task Statement 2.3: Implement complex hybrid and multi-account DNS architectures.
Knowledge of:
- When to use private hosted zones and public hosted zones (AWS Documentation: Working with private hosted zones)
- Methods to alter traffic management (for example, based on latency, geography, weighting) (AWS Documentation: Choosing a routing policy, Using latency and weighted records in Amazon Route 53)
- DNS delegation and forwarding (for example, conditional forwarding) (AWS Documentation: Managing forwarding rules)
- Different DNS record types (for example, A, AAAA, TXT, pointer records, alias records) (AWS Documentation: Supported DNS record types)
- DNSSEC
- How to share DNS services between accounts (for example, AWS RAM) (AWS Documentation: Shareable AWS resources)
- Requirements and implementation options for outbound and inbound endpoints (AWS Documentation: Getting started with Route 53 Resolver)
Skills in:
- Configuring DNS zones and conditional forwarding (AWS Documentation: Configure the conditional forwarder)
- Configuring traffic management by using DNS solutions (AWS Documentation: Using traffic flow to route DNS traffic)
- Learning DNS within a centralized or distributed network architecture (AWS Documentation: Set up integrated DNS resolution for hybrid networks in Amazon Route 53)
- Configuring DNS monitoring and logging on Route 53 (AWS Documentation: Logging and monitoring in Amazon Route 53)
Task Statement 2.4: Automate and configure network infrastructure.
Knowledge of:
- Infrastructure as code (IaC) (for example, AWS Cloud Development Kit [AWS CDK], AWS CloudFormation, AWS CLI, AWS SDK, APIs) (AWS Documentation: AWS CDK)
- Event-driven network automation (AWS Documentation: Getting Started with Event-Driven Architecture)
- Common problems of using hardcoded instructions in IaC templates when provisioning cloud networking resources (AWS Documentation: AWS CloudFormation best practices)
Skills in:
- Creating and managing repeatable network configurations (AWS Documentation: Best practices for configuring network interfaces)
- Integrating event-driven networking functions (AWS Documentation: Getting Started with Event-Driven Architecture)
- Integrating hybrid network automation options with AWS native IaC
- Eliminating risk and achieving efficiency in a cloud networking environment while maintaining the lowest possible cost
- Automating the process of optimizing cloud network resources with IaC (AWS Documentation: Cloud automation areas)
Domain 3: Network Management and Operations (20%)
Task Statement 3.1: Maintain routing and connectivity on AWS and hybrid networks.
Knowledge of:
- Industry-standard routing protocols that are used in AWS hybrid networks (for example, BGP over Direct Connect) (AWS Documentation: Routing policies and BGP communities)
- Connectivity methods for AWS and hybrid networks (for example, Direct Connect gateway, Transit Gateway, VIFs) (AWS Documentation: AWS Direct Connect , Transit gateway associations)
- How limits and quotas affect AWS networking services (for example, bandwidth limits, route limits) (AWS Documentation: Quotas for your transit gateways, Amazon VPC quotas)
- Available private and public access methods for custom services (for example, PrivateLink, VPC peering) (AWS Documentation: Connect VPCs using VPC peering, Connect your VPC to services using AWS PrivateLink)
Skills in:
- Managing routing protocols for AWS and hybrid connectivity options (for example, over a Direct Connect connection, VPN) (AWS Documentation: Connect your VPC to remote networks using AWS Virtual Private Network)
- Using route tables to direct traffic appropriately (for example, automatic propagation, BGP) (AWS Documentation: Configure route tables)
- Setting up private access or public access to AWS services (for example, Direct Connect, VPN) (AWS Documentation: Connect your VPC to remote networks using AWS Virtual Private Network)
- Optimizing routing over dynamic and static routing protocols (for example, summarizing routes, CIDR overlap)
Task Statement 3.2: Monitor and analyze network traffic to troubleshoot and optimize connectivity patterns.
Knowledge of:
- Network performance metrics and reachability constraints (for example, routing, packet size) (AWS Documentation: Monitor network performance for your EC2 instance)
- Appropriate logs and metrics to assess network performance and reachability issues (for example, packet loss) (AWS Documentation: troubleshoot packet loss on my VPN, troubleshoot network performance issues)
- Tools to collect and analyze logs and metrics (for example, CloudWatch, VPC Flow Logs, VPC Traffic Mirroring) (AWS Documentation: Logging IP traffic using VPC Flow Logs, Traffic Mirroring)
- Tools to analyze routing patterns and issues (for example, Reachability Analyzer, Transit Gateway Network Manager) (AWS Documentation: Route Analyzer)
Skills in:
- Analyzing tool output to assess network performance and troubleshoot connectivity (for example, VPC Flow Logs, Amazon CloudWatch Logs) (AWS Documentation: Logging IP traffic using VPC Flow Logs)
- Mapping or understanding network topology (for example, Transit Gateway Network Manager) (AWS Documentation: Network Manager, AWS Network Manager for Transit Gateway networks)
- Analyzing packets to identify issues in packet shaping (for example, VPC Traffic Mirroring) (AWS Documentation: Using VPC Traffic Mirroring to monitor and secure your AWS infrastructure, Traffic Mirroring)
- Troubleshooting connectivity issues that are caused by network misconfiguration (for example, Reachability Analyzer) (AWS Documentation: VPC Reachability Analyzer)
Task Statement 3.3: Optimize AWS networks for performance, reliability, and cost-effectiveness.
Knowledge of:
- Situations in which a VPC peer or a transit gateway are appropriate (AWS Documentation: transit gateway, Transit gateway peering attachments)
- Different methods to reduce bandwidth utilization (for example, unicast compared with multicast, CloudFront) (AWS Documentation: CloudFront usage reports, CloudFront use cases)
- Cost-effective connectivity options for data transfer between a VPC and on-premises environments (AWS Documentation: Cost optimization pillar)
- Different types of network interfaces on AWS (AWS Documentation: Elastic network interfaces)
- High-availability features in Route 53 (for example, DNS load balancing using health checks with latency and weighted record sets) (AWS Documentation: Creating Amazon Route 53 health checks and configuring DNS failover)
- Load balancing and traffic distribution patterns (AWS Documentation: Elastic Load Balancing features, Use Elastic Load Balancing to distribute traffic)
- VPC subnet optimization (AWS Documentation: Subnets for your VPC)
- Frame size optimization for bandwidth across different connection types (AWS Documentation: Amazon EC2 Instance Types)
Skills in:
- Optimizing for network throughput (AWS Documentation: Amazon EC2 instance network bandwidth)
- Choosing between VPC peering, proxy patterns, or a transit gateway connection based on analysis of the network requirements provided (AWS Documentation: Transit gateway design best practices, Automate the setup of inter-Region peering)
- Implementing a solution on an appropriate network connectivity service (for example, VPC peering, Transit Gateway, VPN connection) to meet network requirements (AWS Documentation: Transit VPC solution)
- Implementing a multicast capability within a VPC and on-premises environments (AWS Documentation: Working with multicast)
- Creating Route 53 public hosted zones and private hosted zones and records to optimize application availability (for example, private zonal DNS entry to route traffic to multiple Availability Zones)
- Updating and optimizing subnets for auto-scaling configurations to support the increased application load (AWS Documentation: UpdateAutoScalingGroup)
- Optimizing network connectivity by using Global Accelerator to improve network performance and application availability (AWS Documentation: AWS Global Accelerator)
Domain 4: Network Security, Compliance, and Governance (24%)
Task Statement 4.1: Implement and maintain network features to meet security and compliance needs and requirements.
Knowledge of:
- Different threat models based on application architecture
- Common security threats (AWS Documentation: Security and compliance)
- Mechanisms to secure different application flows
- AWS network architecture that meets security and compliance requirements
Skills in:
- Securing inbound traffic flows into AWS (for example, AWS WAF, AWS Shield, Network Firewall) (AWS Documentation: AWS WAF, AWS Shield, and AWS Firewall Manager)
- Understanding outbound traffic flows from AWS (for example, Network Firewall, proxies, Gateway Load Balancers) (AWS Documentation: AWS Network Firewall example architectures with routing)
- Securing inter-VPC traffic within an account or across multiple accounts (for example, security groups, network ACLs, VPC endpoint policies) (AWS Documentation: Internetwork traffic privacy in Amazon VPC)
- Implementing an AWS network architecture to meet security and compliance requirements (for example, untrusted network, perimeter VPC, three-tier architecture) (AWS Documentation: Architecture)
- Testing compliance with the initial requirements (for example, failover test, resiliency) (AWS Documentation: AWS Direct Connect Failover Test)
Task Statement 4.2: Validate and audit security by using network monitoring and logging services.
Knowledge of:
- Network monitoring and logging services that are available in AWS (for example, CloudWatch, AWS CloudTrail, VPC Traffic Mirroring, VPC Flow Logs, Transit Gateway Network Manager) (AWS Documentation: Logging IP traffic using VPC Flow Logs)
- Alert mechanisms (for example, CloudWatch alarms) (AWS Documentation: Using Amazon CloudWatch alarms)
- Log creation in different AWS services (for example, VPC flow logs, load balancer access logs, CloudFront access logs) (AWS Documentation: Configuring and using standard logs (access logs))
- Log delivery mechanisms (for example, Amazon Kinesis, Route 53, CloudWatch) (AWS Documentation: Logging and monitoring in Amazon Route 53, Writing to Kinesis Data Firehose Using CloudWatch Logs)
- Mechanisms to audit network security configurations (for example, security groups, AWS Firewall Manager, AWS Trusted Advisor) (AWS Documentation: Security group policies)
Skills in:
- Creating and analyzing a VPC flow log (including base and extended fields of flow logs) (AWS Documentation: Logging IP traffic using VPC Flow Logs, Flow log record examples)
- Implementing automated alarms by using CloudWatch (AWS Documentation: Create a CloudWatch alarm for an instance)
- Implementing customized metrics by using CloudWatch (AWS Documentation: Publishing custom metrics, Creating custom CloudWatch metrics and alarms)
Task Statement 4.3: Implement and maintain the confidentiality of data and communications of the network.
Knowledge of:
- Network encryption options that are available on AWS (AWS Documentation: Protecting data using encryption)
- VPN connectivity over Direct Connect (AWS Documentation: AWS Direct Connect + VPN)
- Encryption methods for data in transit (for example, IPsec) (AWS Documentation: Encrypting Data-at-Rest and -in-Transit)
- Network encryption under the AWS shared responsibility model Network encryption under the AWS (AWS Documentation: shared responsibility model)
- Security methods for DNS communications (for example, DNSSEC) (AWS Documentation: Configuring DNSSEC for a domain)
Skills in:
- Learning and Implementing network encryption methods to meet application compliance requirements (for example, IPsec, TLS) (AWS Documentation: Protecting Data in Transit)
- Implementing encryption solutions to secure data in transit (for example, CloudFront, Application Load Balancers and Network Load Balancers, VPN over Direct Connect, AWS managed databases, Amazon S3, custom solutions on Amazon EC2, Transit Gateway) (AWS Documentation: AWS Foundational Security Best Practices controls, Networking and Content Delivery, Connect to Application Migration Service data)
- Implementing a certificate management solution by using a certificate authority (for example, ACM, AWS Certificate Manager Private Certificate Authority [ACM PCA]) (AWS Documentation: ACM Private CA)
- Understanding secure DNS communications (AWS Documentation: DNS)
Finally, this marks the end of the Course Outline. Now, it’s time to begin with the step-by-step AWS Certified Advanced Networking – Specialty Study Guide.
AWS Certified Advanced Networking – Specialty Exam Preparation Guide 2025
Discussing everything about preparing for a certification exam would need more than just one article. It’s a big topic that could fill a small book, and it might not be very interesting. However, there are some important truths and things you must do that every candidate should know when preparing for a certification exam.
Now that we have cleared the air, let’s talk straight into it. The right way to prepare is with an AWS Certified Advanced Networking – Specialty exam guide.
Review all Exam Objectives
Before starting any journey, it’s essential to understand what you’re getting into. So, reviewing each exam objective is a crucial part of your preparation. Visit the official AWS website for the most reliable information about the AWS ANS-C01 Exam. Once you’ve covered the basic exam details, it’s time to dive into the exam guide.
Download the Course Outline
The next important step is to get the Course Outline, also known as the Exam Guide. It contains all the domains and topics of the exam. So, be sure to download it. This will help you prepare for the AWS ANS-C01 Exam while focusing on all the objectives.
Exploring AWS Learning Paths
Now that you’ve got the course outline, it’s time to explore AWS Learning Paths. This step helps build a strong foundation before you dive into the actual learning. Think of it as laying the groundwork with some prior knowledge. So, be sure to go through the following training paths:
AWS Digital Training
Now more than ever, digital courses are in demand. With a great benefit to the candidates, that the AWS offers you with such Courses. For AWS ANS-C01 Exam, the following course will help you define your skills to the next level.
In this course, you will learn how to:
- First of all, navigating the AWS Certified Advanced Networking ‒ Specialty exam
- Secondly, understanding the advanced networking concepts in AWS to design well-architected networking frameworks for workloads in Amazon Virtual Private Cloud (Amazon VPC)
- Subsequently, connecting on-premises data centres to Amazon VPC (AWS Direct Connect, AWS VPN), enabling AWS to function as an extension of the data centre
- Also, leveraging network automation to accelerate workload deployments and app migration
- Not to mention, incorporating individual application networking requirements that use different AWS services into the overall network design
- Also, practising network security and network troubleshooting best practices
AWS Virtual Live Classes aka Classroom Training
AWS provides candidates with various online training and courses. And this Virtual Live Class Session is no different. You can directly go to their website and locate the Classroom Training.
Here, you can search for your certifications name respectively. For instance, in this scenario, we have the AWS Certified Advanced Networking – Specialty certification. After finding the course, the candidate can easily book their slot for the same.
Reference Books
Books can be a helpful way to learn and grasp things better. There are many books out there. Here are the AWS certified advanced networking – specialty books you should use:
- Firstly, AWS Certified Advanced Networking Official Study Guide: Specialty Exam
- Secondly, AWS Certified Advanced Networking – Specialty Exam Guide for Building knowledge and technical expertise as an AWS-certified networking specialist
Join the Community/ Online Forum
Online forums and study groups are excellent for getting ready for the certification exam. So, don’t hesitate to connect with other candidates on study forums or online groups. You can ask questions about any topic you find challenging.
Knock it free Practice Tests
We’ve reached the final step in the preparatory guide. This last step will show you exactly where you need to improve. We’re talking about the AWS Certified Advanced Networking Specialty Practice Tests. After covering the entire syllabus, be sure to take sample tests. These practice tests are designed to mimic the actual exam environment. You can find practice papers from various sources. The key is to test yourself as much as possible to improve your skills. SO START PRACTICING NOW!
AWS Certified Advanced Networking – Specialty Exam (ANS-C01) Study Guide 2025
| Week | Focus Areas | Study Activities | Hands-on / Practice | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Networking Fundamentals & Core AWS Networking Services | – Review VPC concepts: subnets, route tables, NACLs, IGW, VGW – Study AWS networking services: VPC peering, Transit Gateway, Direct Connect, VPN | – Build a VPC with public/private subnets – Configure NAT Gateway, IGW | Solidify core networking basics, key for exam scenarios |
| Week 2 | Advanced VPC and Hybrid Connectivity | – Deep dive into Transit Gateway, VPNs, DX, and DX Gateway – Understand hybrid cloud architecture & multi-region connectivity | – Set up a Site-to-Site VPN between on-premises simulator and AWS – Test routing across VPCs with Transit Gateway | Focus on scenarios of connecting multiple VPCs and on-premises |
| Week 3 | Advanced Routing, Security, and High Availability | – Study route propagation, dynamic routing (BGP) – Explore AWS network security (SG, NACL, WAF, Shield, Security Hub) – Study HA patterns: Multi-AZ, cross-region replication | – Configure BGP routing between VPCs and VPN – Implement security controls on a sample VPC | Emphasize security and resilience concepts |
| Week 4 | Content Delivery & Scaling Services | – Review CloudFront, Global Accelerator, ELB, Route 53 – Learn about caching strategies, latency optimization | – Set up CloudFront with custom origin – Configure Route 53 routing policies (weighted, latency, failover) | Focus on performance optimization and global networking |
| Week 5 | Monitoring, Troubleshooting, and Automation | – Study VPC Flow Logs, CloudWatch, CloudTrail, AWS Config – Learn common troubleshooting techniques for network issues – Review IaC for networking (CloudFormation, Terraform) | – Enable and analyze VPC Flow Logs – Troubleshoot connectivity issues in lab setup – Deploy networking resources via CloudFormation | This week bridges theory and practical problem-solving |
| Week 6 | Revision & Practice Exams | – Review all domains and weak areas – Take multiple practice exams – Focus on tricky scenarios & exam tips | – Analyze wrong answers – Rebuild challenging lab scenarios | Build confidence and reinforce knowledge before exam |
Final Thoughts
Preparing for an exam without prior learning or practical experience isn’t true studying; it’s cramming. Some students prefer to review material just before entering the exam room. However, this last-minute cramming should come after the regular learning and studying phases.
If you spend your classroom time on your phones and then try to stuff information into your brain like insulation into an attic the night before and on the morning of your exam, well, good luck with that. For the rest of us, the aforementioned Preparatory Guide will guide you all the way to your goal.
Upgrade yourself to the next level and hit the high paying Jobs. Prepare and become an AWS Certified Advanced Networking – Specialty.
