ACM – Integration with Application Load Balancer (ALB)

Overview

• ACM integrates with ALBs to provide TLS/SSL termination.

• Certificates are provisioned and renewed automatically by ACM, avoiding manual certificate handling.

Example Architecture

• EC2 instances in an Auto Scaling Group.

• Application Load Balancer receives incoming requests.

TLS Flow

1. Client initiates HTTP request.

2. ALB redirects HTTP to HTTPS.

3. ACM certificate is used to establish a secure connection.

4. ALB forwards decrypted HTTP traffic to backend EC2 instances.

Benefits

• Centralized certificate management.

• Automated provisioning and renewal reduce operational overhead.

• Enforced HTTPS improves security posture.

Best Practices

• Enforce HTTP → HTTPS at the ALB level.

• Use ACM-managed certificates for automatic renewals and compliance