- A
Configure an Amazon CloudFront distribution with session affinity.
Why wrong: CloudFront session affinity is for edge caching, not for ALB.
- B
Store session data in Amazon ElastiCache and use a cookie to reference it.
Why wrong: This is a possible solution but not a load balancer feature; the question asks what to do with the load balancer.
- C
Enable sticky sessions on the ALB using duration-based cookies.
ALB supports sticky sessions via cookies.
- D
Use a Network Load Balancer (NLB) with cross-zone load balancing.
Why wrong: NLB does not support sticky sessions.
Question 1,119 of 1,746
SAP-C02 Design for New Solutions Practice Question
This SAP-C02 practice question tests your understanding of design for new solutions. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. 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 web application that will run on Amazon EC2 instances behind an Application Load Balancer (ALB). The application must support sticky sessions. What should they do?
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 sticky sessions on the ALB using duration-based cookies.
Option C is correct because Application Load Balancers natively support sticky sessions (session affinity) using duration-based cookies. The ALB generates a cookie (AWSALB) that binds a user's session to a specific target instance for the duration of the cookie's lifetime, ensuring consistent user experience without external dependencies.
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.
- ✗
Configure an Amazon CloudFront distribution with session affinity.
Why it's wrong here
CloudFront session affinity is for edge caching, not for ALB.
- ✗
Store session data in Amazon ElastiCache and use a cookie to reference it.
Why it's wrong here
This is a possible solution but not a load balancer feature; the question asks what to do with the load balancer.
- ✓
Enable sticky sessions on the ALB using duration-based cookies.
Why this is correct
ALB supports sticky sessions via cookies.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Use a Network Load Balancer (NLB) with cross-zone load balancing.
Why it's wrong here
NLB does not support sticky sessions.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse stateless session management (e.g., ElastiCache) with ALB sticky sessions, or incorrectly assume that CloudFront or NLB can provide HTTP-level session affinity, when only ALB duration-based cookies directly satisfy the requirement for sticky sessions on the load balancer.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
ALB sticky sessions use the AWSALB cookie, which is set with a configurable duration (default 1 day) and is tied to the target group's stickiness settings. The cookie contains an encrypted endpoint identifier, so even if the cookie is intercepted, it cannot be used to target a different instance. In real-world scenarios, if the target instance fails, the ALB automatically routes to a healthy instance, breaking stickiness — this is a key consideration for high-availability designs.
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 SAP-C02 question test?
Design for New Solutions — This question tests Design for New Solutions — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Enable sticky sessions on the ALB using duration-based cookies. — Option C is correct because Application Load Balancers natively support sticky sessions (session affinity) using duration-based cookies. The ALB generates a cookie (AWSALB) that binds a user's session to a specific target instance for the duration of the cookie's lifetime, ensuring consistent user experience without external dependencies.
What should I do if I get this SAP-C02 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 2026
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