To configure dual-stack endpoints in AWS Global Accelerator, follow these detailed steps and considerations:
Overview of Dual-Stack Accelerators
A dual-stack accelerator in AWS Global Accelerator supports both IPv4 and IPv6 traffic by providing a pair of global static anycast IP addresses for each protocol. This enables clients to connect over either IP version seamlessly. To use dual-stack accelerators, all endpoints associated with the accelerator must also support dual-stack (IPv4 and IPv6)[3][4].
Supported Dual-Stack Endpoints
You can add the following as dual-stack endpoints:
- Network Load Balancers (NLBs) configured for dual-stack
- Application Load Balancers (ALBs) configured for dual-stack
- Amazon EC2 instances with a primary IPv6 address attached to their network interface
Note that Elastic IP addresses cannot be added as dual-stack endpoints[4][8].
Creating a New Dual-Stack Accelerator
1. Open the AWS Global Accelerator Console.
2. Choose Create accelerator.
3. Enter an accelerator name.
4. For Accelerator type, select Standard.
5. For IP address type, select Dual-stack to enable IPv4 and IPv6 addresses.
6. Choose Next.
7. On the Add listeners page, specify the listener configuration:
- Enter the port number (e.g., 80).
- Select the protocol (e.g., TCP).
- Choose Next.
8. On the Add endpoint groups page, select the AWS Region where your endpoints reside and proceed.
9. On the Add endpoints page, select the endpoint type (e.g., Network Load Balancer, Application Load Balancer, or EC2 instance) that is dual-stack enabled.
10. Select the specific dual-stack endpoint resources to add.
11. Optionally, set endpoint weights to control traffic distribution and enable client IP address preservation if needed.
12. Choose Add endpoint and then Create accelerator to finalize.
After creation, the accelerator will have two IPv4 and two IPv6 static anycast IP addresses assigned[3][5][8][9].
Updating an Existing Accelerator to Dual-Stack
If you have an existing IPv4-only accelerator, you can update it to dual-stack only if *all* endpoints behind it are dual-stack:
1. Open the Global Accelerator console.
2. Select the accelerator and choose Edit.
3. Change the IP address type to Dual-stack.
4. Save changes.
If any EC2 instances do not have a primary IPv6 address, Global Accelerator will add one automatically during the update.
The provisioning status will show In progress until the update completes, after which IPv6 addresses become available[6][8].
Important Considerations
- All endpoints in a dual-stack accelerator must be dual-stack; mixing IPv4-only and dual-stack endpoints is not supported.
- Dual-stack EC2 instances must have a primary IPv6 elastic network interface attached.
- Elastic IP addresses cannot be used as dual-stack endpoints.
- Avoid sending direct internet traffic to endpoints behind Global Accelerator to prevent connection collisions.
- Cross-account endpoint support requires specific permissions and subnet access configurations[4][6].
Summary
Configuring dual-stack endpoints in AWS Global Accelerator involves creating or updating a standard accelerator with the dual-stack IP address type, ensuring all endpoints are dual-stack enabled (NLBs, ALBs, or EC2 instances with IPv6), and adding these endpoints to endpoint groups. This setup provides global static IPv4 and IPv6 anycast IP addresses for your applications, improving availability and reachability over both IP protocols.
Citations:
[1] https://docs.aws.amazon.com/global-accelerator/latest/dg/about-endpoints.html
[2] https://docs.aws.amazon.com/global-accelerator/latest/dg/introduction-how-it-works.html
[3] https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/networking-and-content-delivery/introducing-aws-global-accelerator-ipv6/
[4] https://docs.aws.amazon.com/global-accelerator/latest/dg/about-endpoints-caveats.html
[5] https://docs.aws.amazon.com/global-accelerator/latest/dg/about-endpoints-adding-endpoints.html
[6] https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/networking-and-content-delivery/global-accelerator-ipv6-ec2/
[7] https://docs.aws.amazon.com/pdfs/global-accelerator/latest/dg/global-accelerator-guide.pdf
[8] https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/networking-and-content-delivery/global-accelerator-ipv6-nlb/
[9] https://docs.aws.amazon.com/global-accelerator/latest/dg/getting-started-standard.html