Sign in to track progress and bookmarks.
Elastic Load Balancing (ELB) is the gateway to your server fleet. Choosing between ALB and NLB depends on your protocol needs.
Operates at the HTTP/HTTPS level. It can 'Read' the request and route based on Path (/api vs /web) or Hostname. Use this for 99% of web applications and REST APIs.
Operates at the TCP/UDP level. It is extremely fast and handles millions of requests per second with ultra-low latency. Use this for **gRPC**, Games, or any high-performance non-HTTP traffic.
Q: "Should I terminate SSL at the Load Balancer or the Instance?"
Architect Answer: "Terminate at the **Load Balancer**. This is called **SSL Offloading**. It frees up your .NET app's CPU from the heavy math of encryption/decryption. AWS also provides free SSL certificates via **ACM (Certificate Manager)** if you terminate at the LB. It's a win-win for security and performance."
Quizzes linked to this course—pass to earn certificates.
On this page
1. Application Load Balancer (ALB) - Layer 7 2. Network Load Balancer (NLB) - Layer 4 3. Architect Insight