Route 53 - AWS Study Guide (v2.0)

Learning Objectives

Understand the core function of Amazon Route 53 in DNS-based routing.

Identify scenarios where Route 53 provides routing but not content caching or acceleration.

Recognize the components and basic process for configuring a custom domain using Route 53.

Core Functionality and Limitations

Amazon Route 53's primary role is DNS-based routing, enabling traffic management for domains, but it has specific limitations regarding content delivery.

Amazon Route 53 primarily provides DNS-based routing. This service is fundamental for directing internet traffic to various AWS resources.

Route 53 offers Geoproximity routing, which provides DNS routing based on the geographic location of users and resources.

Route 53 does not reduce latency or deliver cached content for streaming. Its role is solely DNS resolution and routing, not content delivery network (CDN) functionality.

While Route 53 Geoproximity provides DNS routing capabilities, it explicitly does not cache or accelerate content delivery.

Configuring a Custom Domain

procedure

Route 53 is utilized to configure custom domains, connecting them to AWS resources like Elastic Beanstalk environments.

The process to set up a custom domain involves registering a domain, creating a hosted zone, and configuring CNAME records.

Prerequisites

An existing domain or a domain to be registered.
An AWS resource (e.g., Elastic Beanstalk environment) to point the custom domain to.

Register a new domain or use an existing one (e.g., quiz.yourdomain.com).

💡 A domain name is a prerequisite for using Route 53 to manage traffic.

Create a hosted zone in Route 53 for the specified domain.

💡 A hosted zone serves as a container for all the DNS records that define how traffic should be routed for your domain.

Add a CNAME record within the hosted zone.

💡 The CNAME record maps an alias (like 'quiz') to the canonical domain name of your AWS resource (e.g., an Elastic Beanstalk environment URL).

Name: quiz
Type: CNAME
Value: saa-quiz-production.us-east-1.elasticbeanstalk.com

Exam Tips

Remember that Amazon Route 53 provides DNS-based routing but does NOT reduce latency or deliver cached content for streaming; these are functions of a CDN. (source_page: 6)

Be aware that Route 53 Geoproximity provides DNS routing but does NOT cache or accelerate delivery. (source_page: 6)

Note that creating a hosted zone in Route 53 incurs a cost of $0.50/month. (source_page: 9)

Glossary

DNS-based routing

The mechanism by which Amazon Route 53 directs internet traffic to specific AWS resources or external endpoints based on Domain Name System queries.

Geoproximity routing

A type of DNS routing policy in Route 53 that allows traffic to be routed based on the geographic location of users and AWS resources.

Hosted zone

A container for records that define how you want to route traffic for a domain and its subdomains. Creating a hosted zone costs $0.50/month.

CNAME record

A Canonical Name record, a type of DNS record that maps an alias domain name to another canonical (true) domain name. It is used to point custom domains to target AWS resource URLs.

Key Takeaways

Amazon Route 53's core service is providing DNS-based traffic routing. (source_page: 6)

Route 53 is essential for connecting custom domain names to AWS applications, typically involving hosted zones and CNAME records. (source_page: 9)

It is crucial to differentiate Route 53 from content delivery services, as it does not offer caching or acceleration for content. (source_page: 6)