- A
Configure Route 53 Failover routing with a health check on the ALB as PRIMARY and the S3 bucket website endpoint as SECONDARY
Failover routing with a health-checked PRIMARY (ALB) and SECONDARY (S3) provides automatic DNS switchover. When the ALB health check fails, Route 53 returns the S3 endpoint automatically.
- B
Configure Route 53 Weighted routing with 100% weight on the ALB and 0% on the S3 bucket
Why wrong: Weighted routing splits traffic by percentage. A 0% weight record is never served. Weighted routing does not switch to the secondary when the primary is unhealthy.
- C
Configure Route 53 Latency routing with records in both regions to route to the healthiest endpoint
Why wrong: Latency routing routes to the lowest-latency endpoint for each client — it does not implement primary/secondary failover to a specific static site backup.
- D
Configure Route 53 Geolocation routing with North American users directed to the ALB and all others to S3
Why wrong: Geolocation routing directs traffic by user location, not resource health. North American users would always go to the ALB even when it is unhealthy.
Quick Answer
The answer is Route 53 Failover routing with a health check on the ALB as PRIMARY and the S3 bucket website endpoint as SECONDARY. This configuration is correct because Route 53 Failover routing relies on health checks to determine resource availability; when the health check against the ALB fails, Route 53 automatically returns the S3 static website endpoint as the failover target, ensuring seamless DNS-level disaster recovery. On the SAA-C03 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of how Route 53 integrates health checks with alias records to achieve active-passive failover, often appearing as a distractor where candidates mistakenly choose weighted or latency routing. A common trap is forgetting that the S3 bucket must have static website hosting enabled and be configured as an alias target, not a simple A record. Memory tip: think "Primary ALB, Secondary S3, health check ties the key"—the health check is the trigger that flips the DNS response.
SAA-C03 Practice Question: Route 53 Failover routing provides active-passive…
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. A key principle to apply: route 53 Failover routing provides active-passive DNS failover with health checks. 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.
A company hosts a web application on EC2 instances behind an Application Load Balancer (ALB) in us-east-1. A static failover site is hosted in an S3 bucket with static website hosting enabled. The company needs automatic DNS failover to the S3 bucket if the primary ALB becomes unhealthy. Which Route 53 configuration achieves this?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue:
"primary"Why it matters: Asks for the main purpose or function, not a secondary benefit. Eliminate answers that describe side-effects or partial functions.
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
Configure Route 53 Failover routing with a health check on the ALB as PRIMARY and the S3 bucket website endpoint as SECONDARY
Route 53 Failover routing uses health checks to route traffic to a primary resource and automatically switch to a secondary when the primary health check fails. Configuration: Create a Route 53 health check targeting the ALB endpoint. Create a PRIMARY alias A record pointing to the ALB with the health check associated. Create a SECONDARY alias A record pointing to the S3 static website endpoint. When the ALB health check fails, Route 53 returns the S3 endpoint automatically.
Key principle: Route 53 Failover routing provides active-passive DNS failover with health checks
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Configure Route 53 Failover routing with a health check on the ALB as PRIMARY and the S3 bucket website endpoint as SECONDARY
Why this is correct
Failover routing with a health-checked PRIMARY (ALB) and SECONDARY (S3) provides automatic DNS switchover. When the ALB health check fails, Route 53 returns the S3 endpoint automatically.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "primary" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Route 53 Failover routing provides active-passive DNS failover with health checks
- ✗
Configure Route 53 Weighted routing with 100% weight on the ALB and 0% on the S3 bucket
Why it's wrong here
Weighted routing splits traffic by percentage. A 0% weight record is never served. Weighted routing does not switch to the secondary when the primary is unhealthy.
- ✗
Configure Route 53 Latency routing with records in both regions to route to the healthiest endpoint
Why it's wrong here
Latency routing routes to the lowest-latency endpoint for each client — it does not implement primary/secondary failover to a specific static site backup.
- ✗
Configure Route 53 Geolocation routing with North American users directed to the ALB and all others to S3
Why it's wrong here
Geolocation routing directs traffic by user location, not resource health. North American users would always go to the ALB even when it is unhealthy.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Route 53 offers multiple routing policies. Failover routing is active-passive — one primary resource, one standby. Weighted routing splits traffic percentages (active-active). Latency routing picks the lowest-latency endpoint. Geolocation routes by user geography. Only Failover routing provides automatic primary/secondary switchover based on health checks. Weighted routing at 100%/0% does NOT failover when the 100% target fails.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Route 53 routing policies: - Simple: single resource, no health checks - Failover: active-passive DR with health check on primary - Weighted: traffic split by percentage (A/B testing) - Latency: route to lowest-latency region - Geolocation: route by user country/continent - Geoproximity: route by distance with bias - Multivalue Answer: up to 8 healthy records S3 static website failover requirements: - Bucket name must match the DNS record name (e.g., bucket 'example.com' for domain example.com) - Static website hosting must be enabled on the S3 bucket - Route 53 alias records are free and integrate natively with S3 website endpoints
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Route 53 Failover routing provides active-passive DNS failover with health checks
- The primary record requires a health check; the secondary is returned when primary is unhealthy
- Health check failure is detected after 3 consecutive failures (default) at 30-second intervals
- S3 bucket name must match the domain name for Route 53 alias records to work
- Weighted routing does not provide automatic failover — it splits traffic by percentage only
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
Route 53 Failover routing provides active-passive DNS failover with health checks
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A media company stores terabytes of video archives that are accessed once a year for audit purposes. Moving these objects to a cold storage tier (Azure Archive, S3 Glacier, or Google Nearline) costs a fraction of hot storage. Questions like this test whether you understand storage tiers, access frequency tradeoffs, and retrieval latency requirements.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Review route 53 Failover routing provides active-passive DNS failover with health checks, then practise related SAA-C03 questions on the same topic to reinforce the concept.
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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 — Route 53 Failover routing provides active-passive DNS failover with health checks.
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Configure Route 53 Failover routing with a health check on the ALB as PRIMARY and the S3 bucket website endpoint as SECONDARY — Route 53 Failover routing uses health checks to route traffic to a primary resource and automatically switch to a secondary when the primary health check fails. Configuration: Create a Route 53 health check targeting the ALB endpoint. Create a PRIMARY alias A record pointing to the ALB with the health check associated. Create a SECONDARY alias A record pointing to the S3 static website endpoint. When the ALB health check fails, Route 53 returns the S3 endpoint automatically.
What should I do if I get this SAA-C03 question wrong?
Review route 53 Failover routing provides active-passive DNS failover with health checks, then practise related SAA-C03 questions on the same topic to reinforce the concept.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "primary". Asks for the main purpose or function, not a secondary benefit. Eliminate answers that describe side-effects or partial functions.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Route 53 Failover routing provides active-passive DNS failover with health checks
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Last reviewed: May 17, 2026
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