ANS-C01 Question 218
Single answerYour company has deployed a web application hosted on Amazon EC2 instances. You are tasked with designing a load balancing solution for the application. The application serves both HTTP-based web traffic and custom TCP-based traffic. Which load balancer configuration is most suitable to handle this scenario effectively?
- A
Configure an Application Load Balancer (ALB) to handle both HTTP and TCP traffic.
- B
Configure a Network Load Balancer (NLB) to handle both HTTP and TCP traffic.
- C
Use an ALB for HTTP traffic and an NLB for TCP traffic, each targeting the same EC2 instances.
- D
Use a Classic Load Balancer (CLB) to handle both HTTP and TCP traffic.
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: C
Explanation
In this scenario, you need to handle both HTTP (Layer 7) and TCP (Layer 4) traffic effectively. The ALB is optimized for Layer 7 traffic, while the NLB is designed for Layer 4 traffic. By using an ALB for HTTP traffic and an NLB for TCP traffic, you ensure that each type of traffic is managed by the most suitable load balancer, providing both performance and feature optimization. This approach aligns with AWS best practices for hybrid traffic patterns.
- A. Incorrect.
An Application Load Balancer (ALB) operates at Layer 7 (HTTP/HTTPS) and does not support custom TCP traffic (Layer 4). Therefore, it cannot handle both types of traffic in this scenario.
- B. Incorrect.
A Network Load Balancer (NLB) operates at Layer 4 and supports TCP traffic but does not provide Layer 7 features such as HTTP header-based routing. It cannot handle HTTP and TCP traffic simultaneously in an optimized manner.
- C. Correct.
Using an ALB for HTTP traffic and an NLB for TCP traffic ensures that each type of traffic is handled by the appropriate load balancer. The ALB provides Layer 7 features for HTTP traffic, while the NLB efficiently handles Layer 4 TCP traffic.
- D. Incorrect.
Classic Load Balancer (CLB) supports both Layer 4 and Layer 7 traffic but lacks the advanced features of ALB (e.g., HTTP/HTTPS routing) and NLB (e.g., ultra-low latency, high throughput). It is not the best choice for modern applications requiring optimized performance.