Target Groups
Create and manage AWS Target Groups to control application traffic routing
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Create and manage AWS Target Groups to control application traffic routing
Last updated
Was this helpful?
Target Groups route traffic from a Load Balancer to specific backend resources, such as EC2 instances, IP addresses, or other Load Balancers (ALBs). They’re helpful when you need precise control over traffic distribution, health check monitoring, or when consolidating traffic across multiple services behind a shared ALB.
A Target Group routes traffic to one or more backend resources, which are the actual systems that process incoming requests. Before creating a Target Group, ensure the appropriate backend resource is already created.
Supported backend resource types include:
EC2 Instances: Instances managed within DuploCloud.
IP Addresses: Static IPs for known resources, such as external systems.
Internal ALBs (Application Load Balancers): ALBs created within DuploCloud. These must already exist and be configured appropriately. Supported internal ALBs include:
ALBs created under Networking → Load Balancer.
ALBs provisioned through Kubernetes → Ingress Load Balancer.
ALBs created via Kubernetes → Services or Docker → Services.
A Target Group defines how traffic is routed to backend resources. This is a required step before connecting a frontend ALB to internal services such as Kubernetes or Docker workloads.
Follow these steps to create a Target Group:
From the DuploCloud Portal, navigate to Cloud Services → Networking → Load Balancers.
Select the Target Groups tab.
Click Add. The Create Target Group pane displays.
Complete the following fields:
Target Group Name
Provide a unique name for the target group.
Target type
Specify what kind of backend resource will receive traffic:
Choose Instance to route traffic to EC2 instances.
Choose IP to route traffic to a static IP address.
Choose ALB to route traffic to another load balancer, such as one attached to a Kubernetes or Docker service.
Note: When using an ALB as a Target Type, the target group's port and protocol must match a listener on the selected ALB. For example, if the target group uses port 30080 with TCP, the ALB must have a listener on port 30080 using TCP.
Port
Specify the port on which backend resources are listening (must be between 1 and 65535).
Protocol
Specify how traffic is routed to targets:
Select HTTP or HTTPS if your backend supports Layer 7 routing (e.g., web services).
Select TCP for Layer 4 routing (common with internal ALBs or non-HTTP services).
Health Check Path
Specify the URL path for health checks (e.g., /health).
Health Check Protocol
Select the protocol used for health checks (e.g., HTTPS, TCP, etc.).
HTTP Success Code
Enter the HTTP Success Code that indicates a healthy response (e.g., 200, 200-299).
Click Add to create the Target Group.
Register backend resources to your Target Group. Registered targets will receive traffic routed by the Load Balancer. You can register EC2 Instances, IP addresses, or ALB Load Balancers.
From the DuploCloud Portal, navigate to Cloud Services → Networking → Load Balancers.
Select the Target Groups tab.
Select Register Targets. The Register Targets pane displays.
In the Register Targets pane, specify the Targets you want to register:
Instance: Select an EC2 Instance from the Targets list box.
IP Address: Enter the IP Address in the Add IP address field.
ALB: Select an Application Load Balancer (ALB) from the Targets list box.
Click Register. The target(s) are registered to the Target Group.
To route traffic to your Target Group, create an Application Load Balancer (ALB) and associate it with the appropriate Target Group.
From the DuploCloud Portal, navigate to Cloud Services → Networking → Load Balancers.
Select the Load Balancers tab.
Click Add. The Create a Load Balancer pane displays.
Complete the required fields as shown below:
Name
Provide a unique name for the Load Balancer.
Type
Choose your Load Balancer type (e.g., Network or Application).
Visibility
Select Public to make the Load Balancer accessible from the internet, or Internal to restrict access to within your private network or VPC.
Click Create to create the Load Balancer.
Once the Load Balancer is created, add a listener:
On the Load Balancers page, select your newly created Load Balancer, and click on the Listeners tab.
Click Add. The Add Load Balancer Listener page displays.
Complete the fields in the Add Load Balancer Listener page as shown below:
Port
Provide the Load Balancer Listener Port (e.g., 80 for HTTP or 443 for HTTPS).
Protocol
Choose the same protocol used by the Target Group (e.g., TCP, TLS, or UDP) to ensure compatibility.
Action Type
Choose Forward to target groups.
Forward Target Group
Select the Target Group created in step 1.
Click Save to create the listener. The Load Balancer will route traffic to the selected Target Group based on the configured listener rules and health checks.
You can update your Target Group configurations directly from Target Group menu:
From the DuploCloud Portal, navigate to Cloud Services → Networking → Load Balancers.
Select the Target Groups tab.
Select from the following options:
Console
Access the Azure Console
Edit
Modify the Target Group settings
Register Targets
Register target(s) from the Target Group
Deregister Targets
Deregister target(s) from the Target Group
Delete
Permanently removes the Target Group
Click Update. The changes are applied.
Click the menu icon () in the row of the Target Group.
Click the menu icon () next to the Target Group you want to edit.
