- A
Use latency-based routing with two alias records; Route 53 will automatically shift traffic away from the unhealthy region.
Why wrong: Latency-based routing selects the record with the lowest measured latency. It does not provide deterministic failover based on health check status, so traffic may continue to be routed to an unhealthy ALB if it has lower latency.
- B
Use weighted routing with weights 100/0 and update weights manually after detecting failures.
Why wrong: Weighted routing changes traffic distribution only when weights are changed. Manual updates are not automatic failover and can introduce delays and operational risk during incidents.
- C
Use failover routing with two alias A records for the same name: one PRIMARY and one SECONDARY, both pointing to each region’s ALB; attach the health check to the PRIMARY record.
Failover routing uses health checks to determine which record Route 53 should return. By creating PRIMARY and SECONDARY alias records and associating a health check with the PRIMARY ALB endpoint, Route 53 can automatically stop routing to Region 1 when the health check fails and route to Region 2 until Region 1 recovers.
- D
Use geolocation routing with a single alias record for Region 1, and enable EDNS Client Subnet to detect unhealthy endpoints.
Why wrong: Geolocation and EDNS Client Subnet affect which record is returned based on client location/network information. They do not evaluate ALB health and therefore cannot trigger automatic regional failover.
SAA-C03 Design Resilient Architectures Practice Question
This SAA-C03 practice question tests your understanding of design resilient architectures. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
An internal-facing application is available in two AWS regions (Region 1 and Region 2). Each region has its own Application Load Balancer (ALB) and target group. The company uses an AWS Route 53 private hosted zone to route clients to Region 1 by default, but it must automatically fail over to Region 2 when Region 1’s ALB is unhealthy. Which Route 53 design best meets this requirement?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue:
"best"Why it matters: Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.
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
Use failover routing with two alias A records for the same name: one PRIMARY and one SECONDARY, both pointing to each region’s ALB; attach the health check to the PRIMARY record.
Option C is correct because Route 53 failover routing with a PRIMARY and SECONDARY alias record allows automatic failover when the health check attached to the PRIMARY record fails. The health check monitors Region 1's ALB, and upon failure, Route 53 returns the SECONDARY record's IP (Region 2's ALB) to clients. This design meets the requirement for automatic failover without manual intervention.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Use latency-based routing with two alias records; Route 53 will automatically shift traffic away from the unhealthy region.
Why it's wrong here
Latency-based routing selects the record with the lowest measured latency. It does not provide deterministic failover based on health check status, so traffic may continue to be routed to an unhealthy ALB if it has lower latency.
- ✗
Use weighted routing with weights 100/0 and update weights manually after detecting failures.
Why it's wrong here
Weighted routing changes traffic distribution only when weights are changed. Manual updates are not automatic failover and can introduce delays and operational risk during incidents.
- ✓
Use failover routing with two alias A records for the same name: one PRIMARY and one SECONDARY, both pointing to each region’s ALB; attach the health check to the PRIMARY record.
Why this is correct
Failover routing uses health checks to determine which record Route 53 should return. By creating PRIMARY and SECONDARY alias records and associating a health check with the PRIMARY ALB endpoint, Route 53 can automatically stop routing to Region 1 when the health check fails and route to Region 2 until Region 1 recovers.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "best" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Use geolocation routing with a single alias record for Region 1, and enable EDNS Client Subnet to detect unhealthy endpoints.
Why it's wrong here
Geolocation and EDNS Client Subnet affect which record is returned based on client location/network information. They do not evaluate ALB health and therefore cannot trigger automatic regional failover.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often assume latency-based or geolocation routing inherently handle health checks, but Route 53 only supports health check-based failover with failover routing (or multivalue answer routing for non-alias records), not with latency or geolocation policies.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Route 53 failover routing uses health checks that can monitor ALB endpoints via HTTP/HTTPS or TCP. When the health check fails, Route 53 propagates the SECONDARY record's value with a TTL-based DNS response, and clients' DNS resolvers cache the new answer. In a private hosted zone, this failover works within the VPC, but note that DNS caching by clients or resolvers can delay failover; setting a low TTL (e.g., 60 seconds) on the alias records helps minimize downtime.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
- Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
- Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
- Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A healthcare organisation deploys an application with a public-facing web tier and a private database tier. The database subnet has no public IP and only accepts connections from the web tier's security group. Questions like this test whether you can design cloud network isolation using VNets/VPCs, subnets, and security group rules.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SAA-C03 question test?
Design Resilient Architectures — This question tests Design Resilient Architectures — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Use failover routing with two alias A records for the same name: one PRIMARY and one SECONDARY, both pointing to each region’s ALB; attach the health check to the PRIMARY record. — Option C is correct because Route 53 failover routing with a PRIMARY and SECONDARY alias record allows automatic failover when the health check attached to the PRIMARY record fails. The health check monitors Region 1's ALB, and upon failure, Route 53 returns the SECONDARY record's IP (Region 2's ALB) to clients. This design meets the requirement for automatic failover without manual intervention.
What should I do if I get this SAA-C03 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "best". Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
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