AWS Certified SysOps Administrator – AssociateNetworking and Content DeliveryMedium
A SysOps administrator needs to configure a highly available and scalable network architecture for a new application. The application will serve dynamic content and requires SSL/TLS termination at the load balancer. It also needs to distribute incoming traffic across multiple EC2 instances in different Availability Zones within a VPC. Which AWS service should the administrator use to meet these requirements?
- ANetwork Load Balancer (NLB)
- BApplication Load Balancer (ALB)
- CGateway Load Balancer (GWLB)
- DClassic Load Balancer (CLB)
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: B. Application Load Balancer (ALB)
The Application Load Balancer (ALB) is designed for HTTP/HTTPS traffic, supports SSL/TLS termination, and can distribute requests based on advanced routing rules to targets in multiple Availability Zones, making it ideal for dynamic content applications.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. Network Load Balancer operates at Layer 4 and is optimized for extreme performance for TCP/UDP traffic, not application-layer routing or SSL/TLS termination.
- C. Gateway Load Balancer is used for deploying, scaling, and managing third-party virtual appliances, not for general application load balancing.
- D. Classic Load Balancer is a legacy product, less feature-rich than ALB, and not recommended for new applications.
Application Load Balancer (ALB)
An AWS load balancer that operates at the application layer (Layer 7) and supports content-based routing, SSL/TLS termination, and HTTP/HTTPS traffic.
- Ideal for microservices and container-based applications.
- Supports path-based, host-based, and query string parameter-based routing.
- Can route traffic to multiple target groups.
Memory trick: ALB is for Apps, NLB for Nifty Networks, GWLB for Gatekeepers.