What Is A Load Balancer? How Does It Operate?

What is a Load Balancer?

There are hardware and software solutions for load balancing, both of which are aimed at improving the efficiency of moving packets between servers and preventing network overload. For any modern application or website, load balancing is a must-have tool.

There are over a million requests each day for these services, and they can only respond and provide consistent results if the servers are not overburdened and the demand is evenly distributed.

It has been traditional to consider adding extra servers, but the adoption of load balancers is a significantly more cost-effective alternative that offers an improved customer experience. Understanding the workings of load balancers are essential when discussing this topic.

Read More : What Is Auto Scaling And How Does It Works?

What is the function of a Load Balancer?

Load balancers are critical in making sure that the customer’s experience isn’t affected by traffic overload and directing it to the most capable servers. Using a load balancer is essential for monitoring the health of all of your servers, web and backend.

It sends data to servers that are better equipped to handle it. As a result, the server’s speed and capacity are better utilised, and no servers are overburdened. In the event of a server outage, the load balancer will divert traffic to other available machines.

When a new server is added, the load balancer immediately begins routing requests to that server. As soon as users type in the URL [email protected], the load balancer secures the connection and forwards the request to that server. Thus, we can say:

• Load balancing is a device that distributes network traffic or client requests to numerous servers in the most efficient manner possible.

• Assists in boosting availability and reliability by only sending requests to servers that are currently up.

• Servers can be added or removed depending on demand, giving it some degree of adaptability.

A load balancer has numerous advantages. Listed below are some examples of these advantages:

1) Security:  The application does not need to be changed to take use of this security measure. It has a built-in Web Application Firewall to keep out intruders. User credentials are also verified to ensure that no unwanted access is made to the website.

2) Detection and prevention against DDoS traffic: As a second benefit, a load balancer may identify and protect against DDoS traffic before it reaches a website, commonly known as a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS). When it comes to computer security risks, DDoS attacks are among the most widespread.

3) Enhanced performance: Load balancing also significantly reduces the load on web servers, resulting in a better experience for the end user. SSL (Secure Socket Layer) offloading ensures that the web application has sufficient resources.

4) Compression of traffic: Another fascinating function of a load balancer is compression of traffic, which helps to deliver a better client experience.

5) Caching of traffic: It keeps a duplicate of the parts of the website with the most traffic. Reduced requests to the web server mean faster loading times for customers. This is good for both the web server and the users.

6) Continuity: In the event that one server fails or becomes overloaded, the load balancer ensures that clients will continue to receive service. When a server is down or overloaded, traffic is effortlessly transferred to other servers.

In the event that one of the load balancers fails, the other can be deployed in order to ensure that load balancing continues. A user’s experience is not disrupted by this, as it ensures the continuity of the site for visitors.

7) Scalability: Changing the infrastructure of servers without affecting services for users is made easier by this feature. Users’ requests can be redirected to another site if an outage is detected at one.

8) Auto-scaling for clouds: Load balancing is especially useful for cloud-based websites that need to be scaled up or down depending on demand fluctuations. Customers don’t have to make any adjustments during the procedure.

9) Cost benefits: Because it allows for additional capacity rather than the more expensive option of upgrading an existing server, it saves money.

Read More : DDOS Attack-Types And Ways To React To Them?

​Conclusion

Maintaining and monitoring the operation of an IT company’s websites and applications is critical. In order to avoid any negative effects on the end user’s experience, load balancing becomes an essential component.

Therefore, load balancing has been defined in this article. The advantages and kinds of load balancing are also discussed in this article that will help you to know about various functions also.