AWS Global Accelerator for TCP Stream Acceleration

SAA-C03 By islever Editorial Last updated

Determine high-performing and/or scalable network architectures.

Short answer

B Use AWS Global Accelerator to provide accelerated TCP connections for the reporters' live streams.

Question

A news company that has reporters all over the world is hosting its broadcast system on AWS. The reporters send live broadcasts to the broadcast system. The reporters use software on their phones to send live streams through the Real Time Messaging Protocol (RTMP). A solutions architect must design a solution that gives the reporters the ability to send the highest quality streams. The solution must provide accelerated TCP connections back to the broadcast system. What should the solutions architect use to meet these requirements?
  1. Amazon CloudFront
  2. AWS Global Accelerator Correct Answer
  3. AWS Client VPN
  4. Amazon EC2 instances and AWS Elastic IP addresses

Key Takeaways

The exam tests the ability to identify that Global Accelerator is the specific service for accelerating generic TCP/UDP traffic, whereas CloudFront is optimized for HTTP/HTTPS web content.

This question tests the correct use of AWS Global Accelerator to provide accelerated TCP connections for live broadcast streams, distinguishing it from HTTP-based CDN solutions like CloudFront.

Common mistake: Many learners select Amazon CloudFront because they associate 'broadcast' with video delivery and assume a CDN is always required, failing to notice the explicit requirement for 'accelerated TCP connections'.

Expert Analysis

Why the Answer Is Correct

Amazon Global Accelerator is the ideal solution here because it uses the AWS global network to route traffic to optimal endpoints using any protocol, including TCP and UDP. The question explicitly asks for "accelerated TCP connections," which is the primary function of Global Accelerator. It provides static Anycast IP addresses that direct user traffic to the nearest AWS edge location, reducing latency and improving performance for non-HTTP protocols like RTMP.

Why the Other Options Are Wrong

Amazon CloudFront (A) is a Content Delivery Network (CDN) primarily designed for HTTP and HTTPS traffic. While it can handle streaming, modern best practices recommend migrating RTMP to HLS or DASH over HTTP, but CloudFront does not natively accelerate raw TCP connections in the same way Global Accelerator does. AWS Client VPN (C) is used for secure remote access to private networks, not for public stream ingestion acceleration. Amazon EC2 instances with Elastic IPs (D) provide compute resources but do not offer the global network optimization or accelerated routing capabilities required by the scenario.

Community Comment Notes

Community consensus strongly favors option B, with users noting that "Upload, TCP > AWS Global Accelerator" highlights the protocol-specific nature of the requirement. Several commenters emphasized that "CloudFront is CDN" and thus unsuitable for raw TCP acceleration. One user referenced official documentation confirming Global Accelerator's role in handling TCP/UDP workloads efficiently.

Official Reference

https://docs.aws.amazon.com/global-accelerator/latest/dg/introduction-how-it-works.html

This link opens the official vendor documentation in a new tab.

Exam Strategy

Always match the protocol mentioned in the question to the service capabilities. If you see "TCP" or "UDP" acceleration, think Global Accelerator. If you see "HTTP" or "Web", think CloudFront.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why not CloudFront for live video streaming?

CloudFront optimizes HTTP/HTTPS traffic. The question specifies TCP acceleration for RTMP, which Global Accelerator handles better via its Anycast IP routing.

Does Global Accelerator support RTMP?

Yes, Global Accelerator supports both TCP and UDP protocols, making it suitable for RTMP streams that require low-latency connection acceleration.

More SAA-C03 FAQ →

Community Votes

B
100%

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

Discussion 11 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 11

  1. Mikado211 👍 5
    HTTP(S) -> Cloudfront Other TCP -> AWS Global Accelerator
  2. dds69 👍 4 Answered B
    Global accelerator provides the acceleration for TCP
  3. sandordini 👍 4 Answered B
    Upload, TCP > AWS Global Accelerator
  4. chasingsummer 👍 3 Answered B
    Can't believe I finally made it to the last question. Good luck to everyone!
  5. Scheldon 👍 2 Answered B
    AnswerB We can eliminate C and D, A is for Web apps hence B should be ok additionally https://docs.aws.amazon.com/global-accelerator/latest/dg/introduction-how-it-works.html
Show 6 more comments
  1. Drew3000 👍 2
    Last time I made it to the last question, they added more questions 2 mins later.
  2. mk168898 👍 2
    I see TCP/UDP related connection => AWS Global accelerator
  3. Kaula 👍 2
    Where are questions 841-848? I am I missing something?
  4. Kaula 👍 2 Answered B
    B makes sense not A since CloudFront is CDN
  5. elmyth 👍 1 Answered A
    Looks like the question is very old, but before the right answer was Cloudfront. Now AWS says that "All RTMP workloads should begin migrating to a standard CloudFront Web distribution and use one of several HTTP streaming protocols such as HTTP Live Streaming (HLS), Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTP (DASH), Microsoft Smooth Streaming (MSS), or HTTP Dynamic Streaming (HDS)." https://repost.aws/questions/QUoUZgHZh7SEWlnQUPlBmVNQ/announcement-rtmp-support-discontinuing-on-december-31-2020
  6. TruthWS 👍 2
    OptionB

Reader comments & corrections

No reader corrections yet — spotted an error or have a note? Share it below.

Log in to comment, report an error, or add a note about this question.

Submitted for moderation before publishing. Keep it helpful and respectful.

S3 Multi-Region Access Point and Replication Strategy

S-grade

Securing NLB with Security Groups for Minimal Change

S-grade

Most Cost-Effective 7-Year Retention for EBS Snapshots?

S-grade

AWS Forecast vs SageMaker for Time-Series Prediction

S-grade

Practice All SAA-C03 Questions

Access 120 questions with complete answers and detailed explanations.

View Full SAA-C03 Practice Test →

← Back to SAA-C03 Study Guide