# Route 53 failover + health-check checklist (July 2026)

For controlled multi-Region cutover beyond DNS TTL luck, evaluate [Route 53 Application Recovery Controller](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/r53recovery/latest/dg/what-is-route53-recovery-controller.html) routing controls (quorum data plane, safety rules).

## Before you trust failover

- [ ] Every failover / latency record has an associated **health check**
- [ ] Geolocation sets include a **default** record
- [ ] Alias at apex (never CNAME at zone apex)
- [ ] TTL lowered before cutovers; raised after stability
- [ ] CloudWatch alarm on `HealthCheckStatus` / `%Healthy`
- [ ] Query logging on for prod hosted zones (security + debug)

## GameDay

1. Force primary health check unhealthy (or flip ARC routing control)
2. Measure client-visible failover time (resolver TTL vs ARC switch)
3. Confirm secondary capacity and data plane RPO still hold
4. Document who can flip controls and the safety rules that block split-brain

## Cost sanity

| Item                   | Note                                                        |
| ---------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------- |
| Alias to AWS resources | No query charge                                             |
| Standard health check  | Cheaper than fast-interval                                  |
| ARC cluster            | Separate cost — only when DNS-only failover is insufficient |