Cost-Effective UDP Load Balancing for Game Servers

SAA-C03 By islever Editorial Last updated

Design cost-optimized network architectures.

Short answer

C Configure a Network Load Balancer with the required protocol and ports for the internet traffic to specify EC2 instances as targets.

Question

An online video game company must maintain ultra-low latency for its game servers. The game servers run on Amazon EC2 instances. The company needs a solution that can handle millions of UDP internet traffic requests each second. Which solution will meet these requirements MOST cost-effectively?
  1. Configure an Application Load Balancer with the required protocol and ports for the internet traffic. Specify the EC2 instances as the targets.
  2. Configure a Gateway Load Balancer for the internet traffic. Specify the EC2 instances as the targets.
  3. Configure a Network Load Balancer with the required protocol and ports for the internet traffic. Specify the EC2 instances as the targets. Correct Answer
  4. Launch an identical set of game servers on EC2 instances in separate AWS Regions. Route internet traffic to both sets of EC2 instances.

Key Takeaways

The core concept tested is matching transport protocols to load balancer types, specifically recognizing that NLB supports UDP while ALB does not, and GLB is unnecessarily expensive for pure traffic distribution.

This question evaluates the ability to select a cost-effective network architecture for high-volume UDP traffic using AWS load balancers. The correct solution leverages Network Load Balancer (NLB) capabilities to handle millions of requests per second with ultra-low latency.

Common mistake: Learners often incorrectly choose Application Load Balancer (ALB) because it is the most common load balancer type, failing to recall that ALB only supports Layer 7 (HTTP/HTTPS) and not UDP.

Expert Analysis

Why the Answer Is Correct

Network Load Balancer (NLB) operates at Layer 4 (Transport Layer) and supports both TCP and UDP protocols, making it ideal for game servers requiring UDP connectivity. It is designed to handle millions of requests per second with ultra-low latency, fulfilling the performance requirements. Additionally, NLB is more cost-effective than Gateway Load Balancer for simple traffic distribution as it lacks the overhead of integrating third-party virtual appliances.

Why the Other Options Are Wrong

Application Load Balancer (Option A) is incorrect because it operates at Layer 7 and exclusively supports HTTP and HTTPS protocols, not UDP. Gateway Load Balancer (Option B) is designed to deploy, scale, and manage third-party virtual appliances like firewalls or intrusion detection systems, adding unnecessary cost and complexity for simple traffic routing. Option D suggests multi-region deployment, which introduces significant costs for data transfer and additional infrastructure without addressing the immediate need for low-latency handling within a region.

Community Comment Notes

The community consensus strongly favors Option C, with multiple users noting that UDP traffic requires a Layer 4 load balancer like NLB. As one commenter succinctly put it, "UDP -> NLB," highlighting the direct protocol-to-service mapping. Another user emphasized that while GLB can technically handle UDP, NLB is "more cost effective" for this specific use case, aligning with the exam's focus on cost optimization.

Official Reference

These links open the official vendor documentation in a new tab.

Exam Strategy

When dealing with UDP traffic in AWS exams, immediately rule out ALB as it only supports HTTP/HTTPS. Choose NLB for high-performance, low-latency UDP/TCP distribution unless third-party appliance integration is explicitly required, which would point to Gateway Load Balancer.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why can't I use an Application Load Balancer for UDP?

ALB operates at Layer 7 (Application Layer) and only supports HTTP and HTTPS protocols. It cannot route raw UDP traffic, which is essential for many online games.

Is Gateway Load Balancer ever better for UDP?

Only if you need to inspect traffic with a third-party virtual appliance like a firewall. For pure traffic distribution, NLB is significantly more cost-effective and performant.

More SAA-C03 FAQ →

Community Votes

C
100%

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

Discussion 9 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 9

  1. osmk 👍 4
    C ->https://docs.aws.amazon.com/elasticloadbalancing/latest/network/introduction.html
  2. Marunio 👍 3 Answered C
    UDP -> NLB. ALB is for HTTP/HTTPS. Gateway Load Balancer is for 3rd party virtual appliances like Firewalls etc not the traffic distribution. https://aws.amazon.com/compare/the-difference-between-the-difference-between-application-network-and-gateway-load-balancing/#:~:text=An%20NLB%20operates%20on%20layer,level%20along%20with%20gateway%20functionality.
  3. Gagg 👍 2 Answered C
    UDP, should use network load balancer
  4. zinabu 👍 1
    Ans : C OfCourse we can use both NLB and GLB balancers for UDP traffic but NLB is more cost effective than GLB that is why we choice C.
  5. Andy_09 👍 9
    UDP needs NLB
Show 4 more comments
  1. nj1999 👍 4
    C, NLB
  2. asdfcdsxdfc 👍 3 Answered C
    TCP/UDP = NLB
  3. MatAlves 👍 2 Answered C
    UDP > NLB.
  4. echonesis 👍 1
    UDP -> L4 Protocol -> NLB

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