- A
Disable cross-zone load balancing on the NLB.
Why wrong: Disabling cross-zone load balancing does not ensure session persistence; it only limits traffic distribution to instances within the same Availability Zone.
- B
Enable cookie-based stickiness on the NLB listener.
Why wrong: NLB does not support cookie-based stickiness; that feature is only available on Application Load Balancer.
- C
Switch to an Application Load Balancer and enable cookie-based stickiness.
Why wrong: Switching to ALB is unnecessary because NLB already provides source IP-based stickiness, which meets the requirement.
- D
Enable source IP stickiness on the NLB target group.
NLB target groups can be configured with source IP stickiness, which binds a client's session to a specific target instance based on the client's IP address.
SAP-C02 NLB target group stickiness Practice Question
This SAP-C02 practice question tests your understanding of continuous improvement for existing solutions. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. A key principle to apply: nLB target group stickiness. 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 runs a stateful application on EC2 instances in an Auto Scaling group behind a Network Load Balancer (NLB). The application requires that client sessions are maintained to the same instance. The operations team notices that after scaling events, some clients lose their sessions. Which configuration change should the team implement to ensure session persistence?
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
Enable source IP stickiness on the NLB target group.
The correct answer is D. Network Load Balancer (NLB) supports target group stickiness based on source IP address, which ensures that client requests are routed to the same EC2 instance, maintaining session persistence. This is the appropriate method for stateful applications. Option A is incorrect because disabling cross-zone load balancing does not provide stickiness; it only restricts traffic to instances in the same Availability Zone. Option B is incorrect because NLB does not support cookie-based stickiness; that is a feature of Application Load Balancer. Option C is incorrect because while ALB does support cookie-based stickiness, switching to ALB is unnecessary; NLB already supports source IP stickiness.
Key principle: NLB target group stickiness
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Disable cross-zone load balancing on the NLB.
Why it's wrong here
Disabling cross-zone load balancing does not ensure session persistence; it only limits traffic distribution to instances within the same Availability Zone.
- ✗
Enable cookie-based stickiness on the NLB listener.
Why it's wrong here
NLB does not support cookie-based stickiness; that feature is only available on Application Load Balancer.
- ✗
Switch to an Application Load Balancer and enable cookie-based stickiness.
Why it's wrong here
Switching to ALB is unnecessary because NLB already provides source IP-based stickiness, which meets the requirement.
- ✓
Enable source IP stickiness on the NLB target group.
Why this is correct
NLB target groups can be configured with source IP stickiness, which binds a client's session to a specific target instance based on the client's IP address.
Related concept
NLB target group stickiness
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Candidates often mistakenly believe that NLB cannot do stickiness or that they must switch to ALB for session persistence. However, NLB supports source IP-based stickiness, which is sufficient for this use case.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Treat this as a scenario question. Identify the problem, the constraint, and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- NLB target group stickiness
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
NLB target group stickiness
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
An e-commerce site experiences heavy traffic on Black Friday and near-zero traffic during off-peak weeks. Rather than provisioning permanent large VMs, the team uses auto-scaling groups that add capacity automatically under load and reduce it overnight. Questions like this test whether you understand elasticity, availability zones, and cloud compute scaling patterns.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Review nLB target group stickiness, then practise related SAP-C02 questions on the same topic to reinforce the concept.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SAP-C02 question test?
Continuous Improvement for Existing Solutions — This question tests Continuous Improvement for Existing Solutions — NLB target group stickiness.
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Enable source IP stickiness on the NLB target group. — The correct answer is D. Network Load Balancer (NLB) supports target group stickiness based on source IP address, which ensures that client requests are routed to the same EC2 instance, maintaining session persistence. This is the appropriate method for stateful applications. Option A is incorrect because disabling cross-zone load balancing does not provide stickiness; it only restricts traffic to instances in the same Availability Zone. Option B is incorrect because NLB does not support cookie-based stickiness; that is a feature of Application Load Balancer. Option C is incorrect because while ALB does support cookie-based stickiness, switching to ALB is unnecessary; NLB already supports source IP stickiness.
What should I do if I get this SAP-C02 question wrong?
Review nLB target group stickiness, then practise related SAP-C02 questions on the same topic to reinforce the concept.
What is the key concept behind this question?
NLB target group stickiness
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Last reviewed: Jun 20, 2026
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