ANS-C01 Question 66
Select 1You are tasked with designing a highly available and scalable web application on AWS. The application requires handling both TCP-based traffic and HTTP traffic efficiently. Which combination of AWS load balancers should you use to achieve this, considering their operation at different OSI layers?
- A
Use an Application Load Balancer (ALB) for HTTP traffic and a Network Load Balancer (NLB) for TCP-based traffic.
- B
Use an Application Load Balancer (ALB) for both HTTP and TCP-based traffic.
- C
Use a Network Load Balancer (NLB) for HTTP traffic and an Application Load Balancer (ALB) for TCP-based traffic.
- D
Use a Network Load Balancer (NLB) for TCP-based traffic and Route 53 for HTTP traffic.
- E
Use an Application Load Balancer (ALB) for HTTP traffic and a Gateway Load Balancer (GLB) for TCP-based traffic.
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: A
Explanation
AWS provides different types of load balancers for different OSI layers and protocols. The Application Load Balancer (ALB) is designed for Layer 7 traffic, such as HTTP/HTTPS, which is required for web applications. The Network Load Balancer (NLB) is optimized for Layer 4 traffic like TCP/UDP, making it suitable for handling raw TCP traffic. Combining these two load balancers allows you to efficiently handle both types of traffic in a scalable and highly available manner.
- A. Correct.
Correct. The Application Load Balancer operates at Layer 7 (HTTP/HTTPS) and is well-suited for handling HTTP traffic, while the Network Load Balancer operates at Layer 4 (TCP/UDP) and is ideal for TCP-based traffic.
- B. Incorrect.
Incorrect. The Application Load Balancer (ALB) is designed to handle HTTP/HTTPS traffic at Layer 7, not raw TCP traffic at Layer 4.
- C. Incorrect.
Incorrect. The Network Load Balancer (NLB) is designed for TCP/UDP traffic at Layer 4, not HTTP/HTTPS traffic at Layer 7.
- D. Incorrect.
Incorrect. While the Network Load Balancer handles TCP-based traffic at Layer 4, Route 53 is a DNS service and does not function as a Layer 7 load balancer for HTTP traffic.
- E. Incorrect.
Incorrect. While the Application Load Balancer (ALB) handles HTTP traffic at Layer 7, the Gateway Load Balancer (GLB) is specialized for deploying virtual appliances like firewalls and does not provide direct Layer 4 TCP load balancing.