AWS Global Accelerator: Static Anycast IPs for Firewall Whitelisting
A company runs a globally distributed web application on Amazon EC2 instances behind Network Load Balancers in two AWS Regions: us-east-1 and eu-west-1. Users around the world access the application over the internet. The company wants to improve latency for all users by directing each user to the nearest healthy application endpoint. Additionally, the company requires two static IP addresses that clients can use for firewall whitelisting and that do not change even if the underlying infrastructure changes. Which AWS service should the company use?
Quick Answer
AWS Global Accelerator is the correct choice because it provides two static anycast IP addresses that clients can use for firewall whitelisting, while also directing each user to the nearest healthy application endpoint via the AWS global network to reduce latency. This service is ideal for globally distributed applications behind Network Load Balancers because it optimizes TCP and UDP traffic without caching content, unlike CloudFront. On the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner CLF-C02 exam, this question tests your ability to distinguish between services that improve performance and those that provide static IPs for whitelisting—a common trap is confusing Global Accelerator with CloudFront, but remember that CloudFront is for content caching and HTTP/HTTPS traffic, while Global Accelerator handles any protocol and gives you fixed IPs that never change even if your backend infrastructure changes. A helpful memory tip: think of Global Accelerator as the “static IP express lane” that speeds up traffic to the closest healthy region, while CloudFront is the “cache and serve” service for static content.
⚠ Common exam trap
Many candidates confuse latency-based routing (DNS) with Global Accelerator, not realizing that DNS caching can prevent immediate failover and that Global Accelerator provides fixed anycast IPs, not just DNS resolution.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
AWS Global Accelerator
AWS Global Accelerator is the correct choice because it provides two static anycast IP addresses that serve as fixed entry points, and it directs user traffic to the nearest healthy application endpoint via the AWS global network, reducing latency. Unlike CloudFront, it does not cache content but optimizes TCP/UDP traffic, making it ideal for non-HTTP or dynamic applications behind Network Load Balancers.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Amazon CloudFront
Why it's wrong here
Amazon CloudFront is a content delivery network (CDN) that caches static and dynamic content at edge locations to reduce latency. However, it is optimized for HTTP/HTTPS traffic and does not provide static IP addresses for TCP or UDP traffic. It also does not route traffic based on endpoint health in the same way as Global Accelerator. CloudFront can use custom domain names with alternate IPs, but those IPs are not static for the purpose of firewall whitelisting.
When this WOULD be correct
A company wants to deliver static and dynamic web content with low latency and high transfer speeds, using edge locations for caching, and does not require static IP addresses for whitelisting. For example, a media streaming service that needs to cache video content at edge locations.
- ✓
AWS Global Accelerator
Why this is correct
AWS Global Accelerator improves application performance by directing user traffic to the nearest healthy endpoint using the AWS global network. It provides two static anycast IP addresses that act as a fixed entry point, so clients can whitelist these IPs without worrying about changes. It supports TCP and UDP traffic and can route to endpoints in multiple Regions, making it an ideal choice for this use case.
- ✗
Amazon Route 53 latency-based routing
Why it's wrong here
Amazon Route 53 latency-based routing directs DNS queries to the AWS Region with the lowest latency for the user. While it helps improve latency, it does not provide static IP addresses for firewall whitelisting. The IP addresses of the underlying resources (like load balancers) can change over time, and Route 53 only controls DNS resolution, not the actual IP addresses that clients connect to.
When this WOULD be correct
A company wants to route users to the lowest-latency endpoint without requiring static IP addresses for firewall whitelisting, and the application can tolerate DNS caching delays. For example, a web application using ALBs where clients do not need fixed IPs.
- ✗
AWS Direct Connect
Why it's wrong here
AWS Direct Connect is a dedicated network connection from an on-premises data center to AWS. It is used to reduce network costs and increase bandwidth for hybrid workloads, not to improve latency for internet users globally. It does not provide static IP addresses for user-facing traffic or automatically route users to the nearest endpoint.
Option-by-option analysis
Why each answer is right or wrong
Understanding why wrong answers are wrong — and when they would be correct — is what separates a 750 score from a 900. The CLF-C02 exam frequently reuses these exact scenarios with slightly different constraints.
✓AWS Global AcceleratorCorrect answer▾
Why this is correct
AWS Global Accelerator improves application performance by directing user traffic to the nearest healthy endpoint using the AWS global network. It provides two static anycast IP addresses that act as a fixed entry point, so clients can whitelist these IPs without worrying about changes. It supports TCP and UDP traffic and can route to endpoints in multiple Regions, making it an ideal choice for this use case.
✗Amazon CloudFrontWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
Amazon CloudFront does not provide static IP addresses; it uses a dynamic set of IP addresses that can change. Additionally, CloudFront is a CDN optimized for caching static and dynamic content, not for TCP/UDP traffic or providing fixed IPs for firewall whitelisting.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
A company wants to deliver static and dynamic web content with low latency and high transfer speeds, using edge locations for caching, and does not require static IP addresses for whitelisting. For example, a media streaming service that needs to cache video content at edge locations.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may think CloudFront can improve latency globally and might assume it offers static IPs, confusing its edge locations with Global Accelerator's anycast IPs.
✗Amazon Route 53 latency-based routingWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
Amazon Route 53 latency-based routing directs users based on latency measurements but does not provide static IP addresses; the IP addresses of the underlying EC2 instances or load balancers can change, and Route 53 itself does not offer anycast static IPs.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
A company wants to route users to the lowest-latency endpoint without requiring static IP addresses for firewall whitelisting, and the application can tolerate DNS caching delays. For example, a web application using ALBs where clients do not need fixed IPs.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may think latency-based routing directly improves latency and assume it can provide static IPs via Route 53 alias records, but they overlook that Global Accelerator offers both latency optimization and static anycast IPs.
Analysis generated from the official CLF-C02blueprint and verified against question context. The “when correct” sections are what AI assistants cite when candidates ask “what’s the difference between these options?”
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Same concept, more angles
3 more ways this is tested on CLF-C02
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. A company runs a global gaming application on Amazon EC2 instances behind an Application Load Balancer in the us-east-1 Region. Players in Europe and Asia report high latency and intermittent connection drops. The company wants to improve the application's performance for global users by routing traffic over the AWS global network. The company also needs two static IP addresses that users can whitelist in their firewalls for consistent access, and the solution must provide health checks to automatically route traffic away from unhealthy endpoints. Which AWS service should the company use?
medium- A.Amazon CloudFront
- ✓ B.AWS Global Accelerator
- C.AWS WAF
- D.Amazon Route 53
Why B: AWS Global Accelerator is correct because it uses the AWS global network to route traffic from users to the application, reducing latency and jitter by avoiding the public internet. It provides two static anycast IP addresses that remain consistent for firewall whitelisting, and it integrates with health checks to automatically reroute traffic away from unhealthy EC2 endpoints behind the Application Load Balancer.
Variation 2. A company runs a critical web application on Amazon EC2 instances in the us-east-1 Region, with a secondary standby deployment in us-west-2 for disaster recovery. The application requires that user traffic be directed to the nearest healthy endpoint, automatically failover to the secondary region if the primary region becomes unavailable, and the company needs two static IP addresses that remain fixed regardless of infrastructure changes. The application uses TCP and UDP protocols. Which AWS service should the company use to meet these requirements?
medium- A.Amazon Route 53
- ✓ B.AWS Global Accelerator
- C.Amazon CloudFront
- D.Elastic Load Balancing
Why B: AWS Global Accelerator is the correct choice because it provides two static anycast IP addresses that remain fixed regardless of infrastructure changes, directs traffic to the nearest healthy endpoint using the AWS global network, and supports automatic failover between regions for both TCP and UDP traffic. It also integrates with Network Load Balancers, Application Load Balancers, or EC2 instances to route traffic to the closest healthy endpoint, meeting all stated requirements.
Variation 3. A company hosts a web application on Amazon EC2 instances in two AWS Regions: us-east-1 and eu-west-1. The application serves a global user base. The company wants to improve performance by directing users to the nearest healthy regional endpoint with minimal latency. Additionally, the company requires two static Anycast IP addresses that remain constant, representing the application entry point. The solution should automatically reroute traffic if a regional endpoint becomes unhealthy. Which AWS service should the company use?
medium- ✓ A.AWS Global Accelerator
- B.Amazon CloudFront
- C.Amazon Route 53
- D.AWS Shield
Why A: AWS Global Accelerator is correct because it uses the AWS global network and Anycast static IP addresses to route user traffic to the nearest healthy regional endpoint (EC2 instances in us-east-1 or eu-west-1). It automatically reroutes traffic if an endpoint becomes unhealthy, providing low latency and high availability for global users.
JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This CLF-C02 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Amazon Web Services certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the CLF-C02 exam.