Amazon Application Recovery Controller
Multi-zone failover control
Helps check application readiness and shift traffic between AZs or Regions during incidents, through routing controls (based on Route 53) and zonal shift to avoid an impaired AZ.
- Cost$$ Medium
- Difficulty●●●●●
- Costs money when idle?Yes
- Managed by AWS
Think of it asLike a control panel for flipping the breaker to switch power over to the backup generator.
When to use it
✓ Use it when
Multi-AZ/multi-Region applications that need controlled, reliable failover.
✗ Avoid it when
You only need simple DNS failover → Route 53 health checks.
Common uses
- Zonal shift to avoid a failing AZ
- Shifting all traffic to a standby Region
- Checking whether standby configuration is ready
What does it cost?
- Pricing model: Zonal shift is free; readiness checks and routing control clusters are charged hourly.
Related services
SAA-C03 study guide
Application Recovery Controller is covered in these study modules: