After initial stress testing showed that a platform performed well with the specification of a single 32 vCPU node, which of the following will provide the desired service with the LOWEST cost and dow

A single 32 vCPU node with CDN caching improves content delivery latency but leaves the application with a single point of failure, so downtime risk is not reduced.

A load-balanced pair of nodes eliminates the single point of failure present in a one-node design, so if one node becomes unavailable the other continues serving traffic, directly minimizing downtime. Two smaller nodes typically cost less per vCPU than one large instance, reducing overall spend while still providing adequate capacity for a workload validated by stress testing. This combination of redundancy and lower per-unit pricing makes it the most cost-effective option that also addresses availability.

An autoscaling group of three to six nodes adds operational complexity and incurs higher costs at maximum scale, making it less cost-optimal for a stable, predictable workload.

Four 8 vCPU nodes match the full 32 vCPU capacity and increase total cost, while DNS round robin lacks health-check-based failover, making it less reliable than a proper load balancer.