AWS Global Accelerator and NLB for TCP/UDP Gaming

SAA-C03 By islever Editorial Last updated

Determine high-performing and/or scalable network architectures.

Short answer

CD Configure an AWS Global Accelerator accelerator to route traffic to load balancers in each Region and configure Amazon Route 53 to use a geolocation routing policy to distribute the traffic.

Question

A gaming company wants to launch a new internet-facing application in multiple AWS Regions. The application will use the TCP and UDP protocols for communication. The company needs to provide high availability and minimum latency for global users. Which combination of actions should a solutions architect take to meet these requirements? (Choose two.)
  1. Create internal Network Load Balancers in front of the application in each Region.
  2. Create external Application Load Balancers in front of the application in each Region.
  3. Create an AWS Global Accelerator accelerator to route traffic to the load balancers in each Region. Correct Answer
  4. Configure Amazon Route 53 to use a geolocation routing policy to distribute the traffic. Correct Answer
  5. Configure Amazon CloudFront to handle the traffic and route requests to the application in each Region

Key Takeaways

The exam tests your ability to distinguish between HTTP-based services (like CloudFront or ALB) and TCP/UDP optimization tools (Global Accelerator and NLB), specifically targeting low-latency scenarios like gaming.

This question addresses designing high-performance network architectures for global users using non-HTTP protocols like TCP and UDP, where AWS Global Accelerator combined with Network Load Balancers is the optimal solution.

Common mistake: Candidates often incorrectly choose Route 53 geolocation routing (Option D) or CloudFront (Option E), failing to recognize that these do not provide the same static IP benefits and latency optimization for raw TCP/UDP traffic as Global Accelerator.

Expert Analysis

Why the Answer Is Correct

AWS Global Accelerator is designed to improve availability and performance for applications accessing from anywhere by using the AWS global network. It directs traffic to optimal endpoints based on health, connectivity, and routing policies, leveraging AWS's internal backbone to reduce latency. When combined with Network Load Balancers (NLBs), which are ideal for handling millions of requests per second while preserving client source IP and supporting both TCP and UDP, this architecture perfectly meets the requirements for a global gaming application.

Why the Other Options Are Wrong

Option A is incorrect because Internal NLBs are not internet-facing; they can only be accessed within a VPC, making them unsuitable for public gaming clients. Option B suggests Application Load Balancers, which operate at Layer 7 and primarily support HTTP/HTTPS, not the raw TCP/UDP required here. Option D (Route 53) relies on DNS resolution and does not optimize network paths or provide static anycast IPs, leading to higher latency and less reliability compared to Global Accelerator. Option E (CloudFront) is a CDN for caching content and primarily supports HTTP/HTTPS and WebSockets, not generic TCP/UDP streaming suitable for real-time gaming.

Community Comment Notes

Community consensus strongly supports AC, noting that "Gaming + TCP / UDP => always think NLB and global accelerator". Users emphasized that Global Accelerator is the correct fit for non-HTTP use cases such as gaming, IoT, or VoIP, whereas other options are too specific to web traffic or lack the necessary performance characteristics.

Exam Strategy

When you see 'TCP/UDP' or 'non-HTTP' combined with 'global' or 'low latency', immediately eliminate ALB, CloudFront, and standard DNS routing. Focus on Global Accelerator for path optimization and NLB for protocol flexibility and high throughput.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why not use Route 53 Geolocation Routing alone?

Route 53 only resolves DNS names and doesn't optimize the actual network path. Global Accelerator uses AWS's private backbone to reduce latency significantly.

Can Global Accelerator work with Application Load Balancers?

Yes, but for TCP/UDP gaming apps, NLBs are preferred because they handle raw packet traffic better and preserve source IPs without Layer 7 overhead.

More SAA-C03 FAQ →

Community Votes

AC
100%

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

Discussion 8 contributions

Compiled from public community threads and reader submissions, lightly edited for clarity. Handles and vote tallies are shown as recorded, and comments reflect the views of individual contributors.

From public community threads 8

  1. ogerber 👍 5
    Gaming + TCP / UDP => always think NLB and global accelerator
  2. Kezuko 👍 4
    UDP -> NLB and Global Accelerator
  3. jaswantn 👍 3
    For global user where TCP and UDP protocols are used and HA with minimum latency is needed.... Global Accelerator with NLB is the solution combination .
  4. 1Alpha1 👍 3
    AC - the app is using TCP & UDP
  5. waldirlsantos 👍 2
    Global Accelerator is a good fit for non-HTTP use cases, such as gaming (UDP), IoT (MQTT), or Voice over IP. NLB + GA for UDP, TCP
Show 3 more comments
  1. sandordini 👍 2
    Gaming, TCP&UDP, HA, Low latency >> NLB + AWS Global Accelerator
  2. yangbo 👍 1
    A is wrong . AWS Global Accelerator cannot directly connect to Internal Network Load Balancers (NLBs). It can only connect to Internet-facing NLBs or Application Load Balancers (ALBs), and cannot connect to Internal NLBs because Internal NLBs are designed to serve traffic within the VPC and are not exposed to the internet.
  3. Andy_09 👍 10
    Correct answer should be AC

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