Quick Answer
The answer is the Application Load Balancer and the Network Load Balancer. These two AWS services are designed to distribute traffic across EC2 instances, operating at different layers of the OSI model to suit varying application needs. The Application Load Balancer works at Layer 7, routing HTTP/HTTPS traffic based on content like host headers or URL paths, making it ideal for microservices and containerized applications. The Network Load Balancer operates at Layer 4, handling TCP/UDP traffic with ultra-low latency and high throughput while preserving the client’s source IP address, which is critical for applications requiring millions of requests per second. On the AWS Certified Solutions Architect Professional SAP-C02 exam, this question tests your ability to differentiate between load balancer types for Auto Scaling groups, with a common trap being the Classic Load Balancer, which is legacy and not recommended for new architectures. A useful memory tip: ALB for “Application” (Layer 7, content-aware) and NLB for “Network” (Layer 4, speed and IP preservation).
This SAP-C02 practice question tests your understanding of design for new solutions. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. 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.
A company is designing a new application that will run on Amazon EC2 instances in an Auto Scaling group. The application must be able to distribute incoming traffic across multiple instances. Which TWO AWS services can be used for this purpose? (Choose TWO.)
Amazon CloudFront
Why wrong: CloudFront is a CDN, not a load balancer.
AWS Global Accelerator
Why wrong: Global Accelerator improves performance but is not a direct load balancer for distribution.
Network Load Balancer
NLB distributes traffic at Layer 4.
Application Load Balancer
ALB distributes traffic at Layer 7.
Amazon Route 53
Why wrong: Route 53 is DNS, not a load balancer.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Network Load Balancer
Network Load Balancer (NLB) operates at Layer 4 (TCP/UDP) and can distribute incoming traffic across multiple EC2 instances in an Auto Scaling group with extremely low latency and high throughput. It is ideal for applications that require handling millions of requests per second while preserving the source IP address of clients.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
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
CloudFront is a CDN, not a load balancer.
AWS Global Accelerator
Why it's wrong here
Global Accelerator improves performance but is not a direct load balancer for distribution.
Network Load Balancer
Why this is correct
NLB distributes traffic at Layer 4.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Application Load Balancer
Why this is correct
ALB distributes traffic at Layer 7.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Amazon Route 53
Why it's wrong here
Route 53 is DNS, not a load balancer.
Common exam traps
Cisco often tests the distinction between services that perform actual load balancing (ALB, NLB) versus services that provide DNS-based routing (Route 53) or content delivery (CloudFront) or global traffic optimization (Global Accelerator), leading candidates to mistakenly select Route 53 or CloudFront as load balancers.
Detailed technical explanation
Under the hood, the Application Load Balancer (ALB) operates at Layer 7 and can route traffic based on content (e.g., HTTP headers, path, host) and supports WebSocket and HTTP/2, while the Network Load Balancer (NLB) operates at Layer 4 and handles TCP, UDP, and TLS traffic with static IP support. In a real-world scenario, an ALB is preferred for microservices architectures requiring path-based routing, whereas an NLB is chosen for extreme performance or when the application requires the client IP to be preserved without enabling proxy protocol.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
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
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Design for New Solutions — study guide chapter
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FAQ
Design for New Solutions — This question tests Design for New Solutions — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: Network Load Balancer — Network Load Balancer (NLB) operates at Layer 4 (TCP/UDP) and can distribute incoming traffic across multiple EC2 instances in an Auto Scaling group with extremely low latency and high throughput. It is ideal for applications that require handling millions of requests per second while preserving the source IP address of clients.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 24, 2026
This SAP-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 SAP-C02 exam.
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