Simple Routing in Route 53: What It Is and How It Works

Simple routing in Route 53 directs all traffic for a domain or subdomain to a single resource like a web server or an IP address. It is the easiest way to route users without any complex rules or health checks.

How It Works

Simple routing in Route 53 works like a straightforward address book. Imagine you have a phone book that lists one phone number for a friend. When you look up their name, you get that one number to call. Similarly, simple routing points your domain name to one destination, such as a website or server.

When someone types your domain name in their browser, Route 53 looks up the simple routing record and sends the user directly to the specified resource. There are no extra checks or decisions; it’s a direct one-to-one mapping.

Example

This example shows a simple Route 53 record that routes the domain example.com to an IP address.

json

{
  "Comment": "Simple routing record for example.com",
  "Changes": [
    {
      "Action": "CREATE",
      "ResourceRecordSet": {
        "Name": "example.com.",
        "Type": "A",
        "TTL": 300,
        "ResourceRecords": [
          {
            "Value": "192.0.2.44"
          }
        ]
      }
    }
  ]
}

Output

A DNS record created for example.com pointing to IP 192.0.2.44 with a TTL of 300 seconds.

When to Use

Use simple routing when you want to send all traffic for a domain or subdomain to one place without any special conditions. It is perfect for small websites, single servers, or applications where you don’t need load balancing or failover.

For example, if you have a personal blog hosted on one server, simple routing is the easiest way to connect your domain to that server’s IP address.

Key Points

• Simple routing sends all traffic to one resource.
• It does not support health checks or multiple targets.
• It is easy to set up and manage.
• Best for straightforward use cases without failover or load balancing.

Key Takeaways

Simple routing in Route 53 directs all domain traffic to a single resource.

It is the easiest routing method with no health checks or complex rules.

Use it for simple websites or applications hosted on one server.

It provides a direct one-to-one mapping from domain to IP or resource.

Not suitable for load balancing or failover scenarios.