Choose an Application Load Balancer (ALB) when a service must route HTTP requests using details such as host, path, header, method, query parameter, or source IP. Choose a Network Load Balancer (NLB) when the design depends on network-level traffic handling, fixed addresses per enabled Availability Zone, or listener protocols such as TCP, TLS, and UDP. If you need NLB entry-point capabilities and ALB request routing, AWS also supports placing an NLB in front of an ALB.
ALB vs. NLB: what is the practical difference?
The central distinction is what the load balancer can use to make a routing decision. ALB operates at the application layer (OSI layer 7) and evaluates HTTP request content against listener rules. NLB distributes network traffic through listeners and target groups; do not treat it as an equivalent to ALB for routing by HTTP request fields.
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| Decision | ALB | NLB |
|---|---|---|
| Routing basis | HTTP request fields and listener-rule conditions, including host, path, headers, methods, query parameters, and source IP. | Network traffic handled through configured listeners and target groups; not an ALB-style HTTP content-routing substitute. |
| Typical reason to choose | Route web requests to different services or targets based on the request. | Use supported network protocols or stable per-zone addresses. |
| Addressing | DNS-based addresses; available address types include IPv4, dualstack, and dualstack without public IPv4 under documented conditions. | Static IP addresses per enabled Availability Zone; an internet-facing NLB can optionally use an Elastic IP per zone. |
| Cross-zone default | Enabled at the load-balancer level; a target group can override it. | Disabled by default; can be enabled. |
These are architecture choices, not a universal performance ranking. A useful decision depends on protocol, routing needs, addressability, target topology, Availability Zone distribution, and the current service constraints. AWS documentation does not establish a general price or workload-performance winner.
When should you use an ALB?
Use ALB when a request determines its destination
ALB evaluates listener rules by priority, applies the action for a matching rule, and selects a target from the associated target group. That makes it a natural fit for a web front door that sends different hosts or URL paths to different applications, or uses other documented request conditions such as headers, methods, query parameters, or source IP. Rules can also support redirects and custom responses. See AWS’s ALB overview for the documented routing model and capabilities.
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Account for the protocol and target type
ALB supports HTTP/2 on HTTPS listeners and WebSocket upgrades, as described in the Elastic Load Balancing behavior guide. Targets may include EC2 instances, containers, and IP addresses. Health checks are configured at target-group level, so define target groups around the service and health-check behavior you need rather than treating the load balancer as a single undifferentiated pool.
When should you use an NLB?
Use NLB for network-protocol listeners or fixed per-zone addresses
NLB supports listener protocols including TCP, TLS, UDP, and TCP_UDP, subject to the listener, target-group, and address-family configuration. It provides a static IP for each enabled Availability Zone. For an internet-facing NLB, you can associate an Elastic IP address per zone. Those characteristics can help where clients or network policy require stable addresses, or where the service handles supported traffic that is not simply HTTP request routing. AWS describes NLB listeners, target groups, supported connectivity, and address behavior in its NLB overview.
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Check the actual protocol combination
Do not select NLB based only on a broad label such as “faster” or “more advanced.” Confirm that the exact listener protocol, target-group protocol, target type, address family, and feature combination fits the service. NLB targets can span one or more Availability Zones. AWS also documents connectivity through VPC peering, AWS managed VPN, Direct Connect, and third-party VPN solutions in the NLB overview.
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How does cross-zone load balancing affect the design?
Cross-zone behavior determines whether a load-balancer node can distribute traffic to targets in other enabled Availability Zones. When enabled, each node can distribute to targets across all enabled zones; when disabled, a node sends traffic only to targets in its own zone.
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| Load balancer | Default behavior | Operational consequence |
|---|---|---|
| ALB | Cross-zone balancing is enabled at the load-balancer level. A target group can explicitly disable it. | If disabled for an ALB target group, target stickiness is not supported, and Lambda targets are not supported in that mode. |
| NLB | Cross-zone balancing is disabled by default and can be enabled. | With it off, each node depends on targets in its own zone; local target capacity and local traffic therefore matter more. |
A setting that changes which targets can receive traffic also changes the importance of target counts and capacity in each zone. Evaluate it against the traffic pattern and zonal resilience goal; do not assume that turning cross-zone balancing off always reduces cost or latency. AWS details the behavior and ALB target-group constraints in its NLB documentation and ALB documentation.
Can an NLB sit in front of an ALB?
Yes. AWS supports registering one ALB as a target in an NLB target group. This arrangement can provide an NLB entry point—for example, static IP addresses or PrivateLink endpoint-service capability—while the ALB behind it routes HTTP requests by application content. AWS also gives media services that use HTTP for signaling and RTP for streaming as an example of an application that may need one endpoint for multiple protocols. See AWS’s NLB-to-ALB configuration guide.
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Topology constraints to plan for
- Each NLB target group can register one ALB.
- The ALB and NLB must be in the same VPC and AWS account.
- An ALB can be registered with up to two NLBs through separate target groups.
- Communication from the NLB to the ALB uses IPv4.
- Registering an ALB reduces the maximum number of targets per Availability Zone per NLB by 50; confirm current quotas and configuration details before production deployment.
The extra hop is useful only if the entry-point and application-routing requirements both justify it. It also adds topology and operational configuration that must be monitored and maintained.
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- List client-facing protocols and routing rules. If the destination depends on HTTP request fields, assess ALB first. If the workload needs a supported network-protocol listener, assess NLB.
- Identify address requirements. Determine whether clients, allowlists, or network policy require stable per-zone addresses, and verify the required IPv4 or IPv6 behavior.
- Decide whether a combined design earns its complexity. Put NLB in front of ALB only when the NLB entry-point characteristics and ALB request routing are both needed.
- Plan Availability Zones and targets together. Select enabled zones and ensure suitable registered targets are available in each. Check how the cross-zone setting interacts with target counts, zonal resilience, and traffic distribution.
- Verify implementation details before deployment. Check listener and target-group protocols, address family, health checks, security-group rules, quotas, and current pricing for the exact region and design against AWS documentation and the AWS console.
What this comparison does not establish
There is no universal price winner or performance ranking between ALB and NLB established here. Costs depend on region, traffic, and architecture, while performance depends on the workload and configuration; compare current regional pricing and validate the design under its own requirements rather than extrapolating from a generic claim. AWS capabilities and quotas can change, so verify current service documentation at implementation time.
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