- A
Switch to a Network Load Balancer (NLB) configured for TCP/UDP, and use Elastic IPs to provide stable endpoint IP addresses for allowlisting.
NLB operates at Layer 4 and supports both TCP and UDP. For stable IP allowlists, you can associate Elastic IP addresses with the NLB so the load balancer exposes consistent IPs (as opposed to relying on dynamic addresses). This combination directly satisfies protocol support and stable endpoint requirements.
- B
Keep the ALB and add an AWS WAF Web ACL to improve throughput and add static IP support.
Why wrong: WAF can add security filtering and some rate/managed protections, but it does not enable UDP packet handling at the load balancer layer. Also, WAF does not provide the kind of stable, load-balancer-level IP endpoint behavior required for firewall allowlisting of UDP telemetry.
- C
Replace the ALB with an API Gateway REST API to support UDP because API Gateway can forward UDP packets.
Why wrong: API Gateway is designed for HTTP/HTTPS APIs. It does not forward raw UDP packets for telemetry use cases in the way a Layer 4 load balancer does, so this does not satisfy UDP support requirements.
- D
Use an Auto Scaling group with multiple EC2 instances and no load balancer to avoid any networking bottlenecks.
Why wrong: Removing the load balancer eliminates managed Layer 4 traffic distribution and does not inherently provide stable IP endpoints for allowlisting. Without a load balancer, you must solve both traffic distribution and endpoint stability yourself, and you generally do not improve throughput for packet-based protocols by removing the balancer.
Quick Answer
The correct choice is to switch to a Network Load Balancer (NLB) configured for TCP/UDP and assign Elastic IPs to it. This works because the NLB operates at Layer 4, handling both TCP and UDP traffic natively at high throughput, whereas an Application Load Balancer only supports HTTP/HTTPS and cannot forward UDP packets at all. By attaching Elastic IPs to the NLB, you provide stable, static IP endpoints that satisfy the downstream firewall allowlist requirement, ensuring consistent addressing even as the load balancer scales. On the SAA-C03 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of load balancer protocol support and static IP assignment—a common trap is assuming an ALB can handle UDP or that you can assign Elastic IPs to an ALB (you cannot). Remember the memory tip: “ALB for apps, NLB for everything else—TCP, UDP, and static IPs.”
SAA-C03 Design High-Performing Architectures Practice Question
This SAA-C03 practice question tests your understanding of design high-performing 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.
Your company currently uses an Application Load Balancer (ALB) in front of a service that receives a large number of TCP and UDP packets (including UDP-based telemetry). During load tests, you need to support both TCP and UDP traffic at high throughput while keeping stable IP endpoints for a downstream firewall allowlist. Which change best meets these requirements?
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
Switch to a Network Load Balancer (NLB) configured for TCP/UDP, and use Elastic IPs to provide stable endpoint IP addresses for allowlisting.
A Network Load Balancer (NLB) operates at Layer 4 and can handle both TCP and UDP traffic natively, unlike an ALB which only supports HTTP/HTTPS and cannot forward UDP packets. By assigning Elastic IPs to the NLB, you provide stable, static IP endpoints that can be added to a downstream firewall allowlist, meeting both the protocol and throughput requirements.
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.
- ✓
Switch to a Network Load Balancer (NLB) configured for TCP/UDP, and use Elastic IPs to provide stable endpoint IP addresses for allowlisting.
Why this is correct
NLB operates at Layer 4 and supports both TCP and UDP. For stable IP allowlists, you can associate Elastic IP addresses with the NLB so the load balancer exposes consistent IPs (as opposed to relying on dynamic addresses). This combination directly satisfies protocol support and stable endpoint requirements.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "best" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Keep the ALB and add an AWS WAF Web ACL to improve throughput and add static IP support.
Why it's wrong here
WAF can add security filtering and some rate/managed protections, but it does not enable UDP packet handling at the load balancer layer. Also, WAF does not provide the kind of stable, load-balancer-level IP endpoint behavior required for firewall allowlisting of UDP telemetry.
- ✗
Replace the ALB with an API Gateway REST API to support UDP because API Gateway can forward UDP packets.
Why it's wrong here
API Gateway is designed for HTTP/HTTPS APIs. It does not forward raw UDP packets for telemetry use cases in the way a Layer 4 load balancer does, so this does not satisfy UDP support requirements.
- ✗
Use an Auto Scaling group with multiple EC2 instances and no load balancer to avoid any networking bottlenecks.
Why it's wrong here
Removing the load balancer eliminates managed Layer 4 traffic distribution and does not inherently provide stable IP endpoints for allowlisting. Without a load balancer, you must solve both traffic distribution and endpoint stability yourself, and you generally do not improve throughput for packet-based protocols by removing the balancer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates assume an ALB can handle all traffic types because it is the most commonly used load balancer, but they forget that ALB is strictly Layer 7 and cannot process UDP packets, making the NLB the only correct choice for mixed TCP/UDP workloads requiring static IPs.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
An NLB uses a flow hash algorithm based on source IP, source port, destination IP, destination port, and protocol to distribute traffic across targets, ensuring session stickiness without cookies. When you assign Elastic IPs to the NLB, each availability zone subnet gets a static IP that remains fixed even if the underlying instances change, which is critical for firewall rules that cannot tolerate IP changes. Under the hood, the NLB can handle millions of requests per second with very low latency because it operates at the kernel level without the overhead of HTTP parsing.
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 High-Performing Architectures — This question tests Design High-Performing Architectures — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Switch to a Network Load Balancer (NLB) configured for TCP/UDP, and use Elastic IPs to provide stable endpoint IP addresses for allowlisting. — A Network Load Balancer (NLB) operates at Layer 4 and can handle both TCP and UDP traffic natively, unlike an ALB which only supports HTTP/HTTPS and cannot forward UDP packets. By assigning Elastic IPs to the NLB, you provide stable, static IP endpoints that can be added to a downstream firewall allowlist, meeting both the protocol and throughput requirements.
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
This SAA-C03 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 SAA-C03 exam.
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