What is the AWSALB cookie?
AWSALB is a cookie generated automatically by AWS Elastic Load Balancing (Application Load Balancer). It is not set by the website's developers directly, but by the AWS infrastructure running the application, when traffic is distributed across multiple backend servers.
It appears on any site or web application hosted on AWS that uses a load balancer configured with sticky sessions. It is visible as soon as a visitor loads the page, if this configuration is active on the infrastructure.
What data it stores
The cookie stores an identifier generated by the load balancer, used to associate the visitor's browser with a specific backend server. It does not contain directly readable personal data such as a name, email address, or IP address.
The value is an encoded/encrypted string specific to AWS's sticky session mechanism; the exact format can vary and is not fully documented publicly by Amazon. The information is read and used exclusively by the load balancer at the infrastructure level and is not sent to third-party services.
What it is used for
The cookie's purpose is purely technical: it keeps a visitor's session tied to the same backend server, for as long as the application requires this (for example, shopping carts, authentication, or session state not shared between servers).
For the site owner, AWSALB ensures the application works correctly in distributed architectures, avoiding errors caused by requests within the same session being routed to different servers.
Does it require consent?
Under CookieFix's classification, AWSALB is a strictly necessary cookie (required for the technical operation of the site). Under Article 6 of Law 506/2004 (transposing the ePrivacy Directive) and GDPR guidance, cookies strictly necessary to provide a service explicitly requested by the user do not require prior consent.
The site owner should still disclose this cookie in the cookie policy, stating its purpose, provider (Amazon Web Services), and duration, to meet GDPR transparency requirements.
How to block or delete AWSALB
A visitor can delete or block AWSALB from browser settings (Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari) in the per-site cookie management section. Blocking it may cause session errors on sites that rely on sticky sessions to function correctly.
- Being a strictly necessary cookie, it should not be blocked through the consent banner, as this would break core site functionality.
- A consent management platform such as CookieFix can automatically classify AWSALB as "necessary" and exclude it from the pre-consent blocking applied to statistics or marketing cookies, letting it run without waiting for visitor acceptance.
Frequently asked questions
No, it is a technical cookie used by Amazon Web Services infrastructure to correctly distribute traffic between servers; it is not used for tracking or advertising.
No, since it is strictly necessary for the site's technical operation, it does not require prior consent, but it must be disclosed in the cookie policy.
Its typical duration is 7 days, though the exact configuration can be adjusted by whoever manages the AWS infrastructure.
On sites using sticky sessions, blocking it can cause session errors or loss of login state or shopping cart contents.