Question 200
A payment API needs to spread legitimate requests across healthy service instances and stop sending traffic to failed nodes. What infrastructure function provides this?
Explanation
Correct Answer
A load balancer selects available backends using health signals and distribution policy. Architecture controls differ by layer: application-aware filtering, network isolation, secure access and load distribution address different failure or abuse paths. The stated evidence is a payment API needs to spread legitimate requests across healthy service instances and stop sending traffic to failed nodes. This distinction rules out “A DNS record with one failed hardcoded server only”: a single unmonitored endpoint does not adapt to backend failure. “Health-aware application load balancing” addresses the specific security outcome rather than the separate function that alternative performs.
Incorrect Answers
A single unmonitored endpoint does not adapt to backend failure. DNS determines how names resolve to network destinations; it is not by itself a mechanism for validating a human identity or code provenance. Here the decisive fact is a payment API needs to spread legitimate requests across healthy service instances and stop sending traffic to failed nodes. “Health-aware application load balancing” matches that requirement because a load balancer selects available backends using health signals and distribution policy.
Mail identity rules cannot distribute API requests among servers. The evidence is a payment API needs to spread legitimate requests across healthy service instances and stop sending traffic to failed nodes. Architecture controls differ by layer: application-aware filtering, network isolation, secure access and load distribution address different failure or abuse paths. By contrast, “Health-aware application load balancing” operates on the specific concern: a load balancer selects available backends using health signals and distribution policy.
At-rest protection does not route requests around failed replicas. Encryption addresses readability of protected data. Authentication, correct permissions and availability must still be enforced separately. Here the decisive fact is a payment API needs to spread legitimate requests across healthy service instances and stop sending traffic to failed nodes. “Health-aware application load balancing” matches that requirement because a load balancer selects available backends using health signals and distribution policy.






CompTIA Security+ (SY0-701) Practice Tests