CLF-C02 Cloud Technology and Services Practice Question
A company runs a multi-tier web application on Amazon EC2 instances across multiple Availability Zones. The application has separate backend services for serving images and handling API requests, each running on different sets of EC2 instances. The company needs a load balancer that can inspect incoming HTTP/HTTPS requests and route them to the correct target group based on the URL path (e.g., /images to one group, /api to another). The solution must also offload SSL/TLS termination and perform health checks on the instances. Which AWS service should the company use?
⚠ Common exam trap
Test-takers frequently confuse the Network Load Balancer's ability to handle high throughput with the need for Layer 7 routing, forgetting that NLB cannot inspect URL paths, or they mistakenly think CloudFront can perform path-based routing to multiple origins without an ALB.
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
✓
Application Load Balancer
The Application Load Balancer (ALB) operates at Layer 7 of the OSI model, allowing it to inspect HTTP/HTTPS headers and route traffic based on URL path patterns (e.g., /images vs /api). It natively supports SSL/TLS termination and can perform health checks on target instances, making it the correct choice for this multi-tier web application.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Application Load Balancer
Why this is correct
The Application Load Balancer is the correct choice because it operates at Layer 7 of the OSI model, enabling content-based routing. It can inspect the HTTP request and route traffic to different target groups based on URL path patterns (e.g., /api or /images), host headers, or query strings. Additionally, it handles SSL/TLS termination, providing centralized certificate management and reducing backend encryption burdens. For a multi-tier web application that requires fine-grained request distribution and health checks, ALB is the recommended modern service.
- ✗
Network Load Balancer
Why it's wrong here
The Network Load Balancer is incorrect for this scenario because it functions at Layer 4, handling TCP and UDP traffic by using protocol and port information alone. It cannot parse HTTP headers, URL paths, or host names, so it cannot implement path-based or host-based routing that multi-tier web applications often need. While it offers extreme performance, low latency, and preserves the client source IP, these benefits do not compensate for the lack of HTTP-aware traffic management. Therefore, NLB is better suited for ultra-high-performance RAW TCP/UDP workloads, not path-routed web traffic.
- ✗
Classic Load Balancer
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. Classic Load Balancer is a legacy Elastic Load Balancer that operates at both Layer 4 and basic Layer 7, but it does not support sophisticated path-based routing. It also lacks many modern features and is not recommended for new applications.
- ✗
AWS CloudFront
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. AWS CloudFront is a content delivery network (CDN) that accelerates content delivery and can cache responses at edge locations. While it can be placed in front of a load balancer, it is not a load balancer itself and cannot route traffic to EC2 instances based on URL paths.
When this WOULD be correct
A company needs to deliver static and dynamic content globally with low latency, reduce load on origin servers by caching, and protect against DDoS attacks. CloudFront would be correct when the primary requirement is content distribution and edge caching, not advanced load balancing with path-based routing.
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.
✓Application Load BalancerCorrect answer▾
Why this is correct
The Application Load Balancer is the correct choice because it operates at Layer 7 of the OSI model, enabling content-based routing. It can inspect the HTTP request and route traffic to different target groups based on URL path patterns (e.g., /api or /images), host headers, or query strings. Additionally, it handles SSL/TLS termination, providing centralized certificate management and reducing backend encryption burdens. For a multi-tier web application that requires fine-grained request distribution and health checks, ALB is the recommended modern service.
✗AWS CloudFrontWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
CloudFront is a content delivery network (CDN) that caches content at edge locations; it does not provide native URL path-based routing to different target groups or perform health checks on EC2 instances. It can route requests to an origin, but not inspect paths to distribute traffic to multiple backend services as required.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
A company needs to deliver static and dynamic content globally with low latency, reduce load on origin servers by caching, and protect against DDoS attacks. CloudFront would be correct when the primary requirement is content distribution and edge caching, not advanced load balancing with path-based routing.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may think CloudFront can handle path-based routing because it can forward requests to different origins based on behaviors, but it lacks the health check and direct target group routing capabilities of a load balancer, and is not designed for internal traffic distribution across EC2 instances.
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?”
Quick reference
Cloud Service Model Comparison
| Model | You Manage | Provider Manages | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| IaaS | OS, runtime, apps, data | Hardware, hypervisor, networking | EC2, Azure VMs, GCP Compute Engine |
| PaaS | Apps and data | OS, runtime, middleware, hardware | Elastic Beanstalk, Azure App Service |
| SaaS | Data and settings only | Everything else | Microsoft 365, Salesforce, Workday |
| FaaS / Serverless | Function code only | Infra, scaling, runtime | Lambda, Azure Functions, Cloud Run |
| CaaS | Containers and apps | Kubernetes, OS, hardware | EKS, AKS, GKE |
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About these practice questions
Courseiva writes every CLF-C02 question from scratch — 988 in total, each with an explanation and a wrong-answer breakdown. None are copied from real exams or dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
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.