Which AWS Service Improves Performance for Apps Behind ALBs?

Answer Correct answer: A — AWS Global Accelerator improves performance of ALB-fronted public applications by routing user traffic over the AWS global network instead of the public internet.

A company has deployed several public applications behind Application Load Balancers. The company wants to improve the performance of the applications. Which AWS service will meet these requirements?

  1. AWS Global Accelerator Correct Answer
  2. Amazon Connect
  3. Amazon ElastiCache
  4. Amazon CloudWatch

Community Votes

A
100%

100% of anonymous learners picked answer A. Votes are pick records left by other test-takers — they are not the verified answer.

Community Insight

The exam ties the phrase "improve the performance" and "public applications behind Application Load Balancers" to a network-path service, and the trap is choosing a caching or monitoring tool that only optimizes one tier.

This question tests which AWS service improves the performance of public applications deployed behind Application Load Balancers. The answer is AWS Global Accelerator, which routes user traffic over the AWS global network instead of the public internet.

Many test takers choose Amazon ElastiCache because "improve performance" often signals caching, but a cache does nothing for the network latency that globally distributed users experience before their requests even reach the ALB.

Community Discussion (3 comments)

Nikmah 👍 1 Selected: A
AWS Global Accelerator • Improve global application availability and performance using the AWS global network
babycute999 👍 1 Selected: A
Keyword: Improve performance A. AWS Global Accelerator
ShaiTay 👍 1 Selected: A
A. AWS Global Accelerator

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Expert Analysis

Why the Answer Is Correct

AWS Global Accelerator gives an application two static anycast IP addresses that onboard traffic at the nearest AWS edge location and then carry it over the AWS global network, avoiding much of the public internet's latency and jitter. It natively supports Application Load Balancers as endpoints, so the existing ALB-fronted public applications gain a measurable performance improvement without re-architecting the application. It also adds fast regional failover, which further supports availability and performance for public-facing workloads. Because the requirement is squarely about improving the performance of applications sitting behind ALBs, Global Accelerator is the direct architectural fit.

Why the Other Options Are Wrong

Amazon Connect is a cloud contact-center service and has no role in accelerating web application traffic. Amazon ElastiCache improves performance only at the data tier by caching frequently read data, which requires application code changes and does not shorten the network path for users hitting an ALB. Amazon CloudWatch provides monitoring, metrics, and alarms; it can tell you that performance is poor, but it cannot make the traffic faster. None of these three address the network-level latency of public applications the way Global Accelerator does.

Community Comment Notes

Every learner comment converges on Global Accelerator: Nikmah restates the AWS description almost verbatim, noting it can "Improve global application availability and performance using the AWS global network," while babycute999 and ShaiTay reduce the reasoning to the keyword "Improve performance" pointing at option A. The shared logic is that a network acceleration service, not a cache or a monitoring tool, is what improves delivery of public apps sitting behind ALBs. That reasoning matches the service documentation, so the unanimous pick is sound rather than a case of following the vote.

Official Reference

Exam Strategy

When a CLF-C02 question says "improve performance" and mentions load balancers or globally distributed users, think first about the network path and anycast edge entry, not about caching. Map each distractor to its real category (contact center, in-memory cache, monitoring) to eliminate options quickly.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is Amazon ElastiCache wrong for improving performance of apps behind an ALB?

ElastiCache only caches data at the database tier and requires application changes; it does not reduce the network latency users experience before reaching the ALB.

Does AWS Global Accelerator work with Application Load Balancers as endpoints?

Yes. Global Accelerator supports Application Load Balancers as endpoints, so existing ALB-fronted public apps gain faster edge entry and global network routing.

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