Palo Alto Networks (PANW) Certified Cybersecurity Entry-level Technician (PCCET) Practice Exam

What is the term for traffic between a website and a local database that stores information for it?

1. North-south

2. East-west

3. Unknown

4. Cloud

The correct answer is: East-west

The term "East-west" refers to the traffic flow between different systems or devices within the same data center or network area, particularly in relation to database communications. In this context, when a website interacts with a local database to store or retrieve information, the data movement occurs horizontally across the internal infrastructure, typically regarded as east-west traffic. This type of traffic contrasts with "North-south" traffic, which is the flow of data between internal resources and the outside world. North-south traffic generally involves interactions such as user requests to the web server or responses going out to the internet. The terminology is useful in network design and security, as it helps to describe patterns of data movement and the potential security considerations surrounding them. While "Cloud" may suggest using remote resources, it does not accurately represent the local database context described in the question. "Unknown" lacks relevance, as the other terms provide clear meanings within networking contexts.