SOA-C02 Networking and Content Delivery Practice Question
A SysOps administrator is configuring an Application Load Balancer to route traffic to multiple target groups based on the URL path. The ALB is not routing traffic correctly. Which listener rule configuration should be used to route requests with path /api/* to target group A and all other requests to target group B?
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
✓
Create a rule with path pattern /api/* and forward to target group A with priority 10, and a default rule with path pattern /* and forward to target group B with priority 20.
The ALB listener rules are evaluated in order; the first rule with a path pattern /api/* will match, and then a default rule (catch-all) is needed for all other paths. Option A is incorrect because order is not automatically prioritized by pattern. Option B is incorrect because a single rule cannot have two conditions with different paths to different target groups. Option D is incorrect because while both rules with path patterns are valid, the priority must be explicitly set; the ALB does not automatically prioritize based on pattern length.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Create a rule with a host header condition matching 'api.example.com' and forward to target group A, and a default rule forward to target group B.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. A host header condition does not route based on path; it routes based on domain. The requirement is path-based routing, not host-based.
- ✗
Create one rule with a condition that matches /api/* and forward to target group A, and another condition in the same rule for /* to forward to target group B.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. A single listener rule can have multiple conditions, but each condition can only forward to one target group. You cannot assign two different target groups within one rule.
- ✓
Create a rule with path pattern /api/* and forward to target group A with priority 10, and a default rule with path pattern /* and forward to target group B with priority 20.
Why this is correct
Correct. Path pattern /api/* matches requests starting with /api/, and the default rule with /* catches all others. Priority determines evaluation order; higher priority rules are evaluated first.
- ✗
Create two rules with path patterns /api/* and /*, and set priority based on the pattern length.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. While path patterns are allowed, the ALB does not automatically set priority based on pattern length. Priority must be explicitly assigned to ensure correct order of evaluation.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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