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Load Balancing Strategies

The various algorithms and methods used to distribute incoming network traffic across a group of backend servers.

Categorydev

Overview

Effective load balancing is crucial for scalability and high availability. Different strategies are used depending on the application's needs and the nature of the traffic.

Common Algorithms

  • Round Robin: Requests are distributed sequentially to each server in the pool.
  • Least Connections: Sends traffic to the server with the fewest active connections.
  • IP Hash: Uses the client's IP address to determine which server receives the request, ensuring session persistence.
  • Weighted Round Robin: Assigns a weight to each server based on its capacity.

Layer 4 vs. Layer 7

  • Layer 4: Balances based on IP and port (fast, but less intelligent).
  • Layer 7: Balances based on application data like URLs or cookies (slower, but allows for complex routing).