ACloud Guru Certified Cloud Practitioner Practice Exam

What is the main benefit of using an Elastic Load Balancer with EC2 instances?

1. Reduced data transfer costs

2. Elimination of single points of failure

3. Improved cloud security

4. Simplified deployment processes

The correct answer is: Elimination of single points of failure

The primary advantage of employing an Elastic Load Balancer (ELB) with EC2 instances lies in its capability to eliminate single points of failure within an application architecture. By distributing incoming application traffic across multiple EC2 instances, an ELB ensures that if one instance becomes unavailable or fails, the traffic can be directed to healthy instances. This redundancy increases availability and reliability for users, which is critical for maintaining a consistent user experience. Furthermore, if your application experiences sudden traffic spikes, the load balancer can automatically distribute this load, which not only enhances performance but also contributes to fault tolerance. This architecture helps ensure that your application remains operational and can handle varying levels of inbound traffic without crashing or becoming unresponsive. In contrast, while the other options mention important aspects of cloud operations, they do not directly relate to the core competency of an Elastic Load Balancer. For instance, although reduced data transfer costs, improved cloud security, and simplified deployment processes are valuable in different contexts, they are not the primary function of an Elastic Load Balancer. Its primary role is thus centered around maintaining high availability and preventing single points of failure.