A Load Balancer is a system that distributes incoming traffic across multiple servers in a network or server environment. This helps balance the load on servers, making the system more efficient and highly available.
How It Works:
The load balancer typically distributes incoming client requests between servers using a specific algorithm (e.g., round-robin, least connections, etc.). This process ensures the application runs faster and can handle higher traffic without service interruptions.
Types:
- Hardware-Based Load Balancer: Uses physical devices or network hardware to perform load balancing.
- Software-Based Load Balancer: Balances traffic through software running on applications or virtual machines.
- Global Load Balancer: Balances load across multiple data centers, improving performance for geographically distributed users.
Advantages:
- Load Balancing: Distributes the load evenly across servers, ensuring each one operates efficiently.
- High Availability: In case of a server failure, the load balancer redirects traffic to active servers, ensuring continuous service.
- Flexibility: Load balancing strategies can be selected based on user demands.
- Performance Improvement: Even distribution of traffic prevents servers from being overloaded, boosting overall performance.