Load balancing is a network solution that distributes the load among two or more computers, network connections, processors, hard drives, or other resources. The goal is to achieve optimal resource utilization, maximize throughput, minimize response time, and prevent overload.
Using multiple components with load balancing instead of a single component can increase reliability through redundancy. Load balancing service is usually provided by dedicated hardware devices (such as multilayer switches or DNS servers).
For internet services, load balancing is typically a program that listens on a port to which an external client connects. It then forwards the request to one of the backend servers and usually responds to the load balancer. This allows the client to receive a response without knowing about the load distribution. It also prevents clients from directly accessing the backend servers.
Some load balancers provide a function that performs a certain operation if all backend servers are unavailable. This may include forwarding requests to a backup load balancer or displaying an error message.
Additional features:
- Guaranteed application availability under any circumstances – with application awareness and traffic redirection capabilities
- Multi-site load balancing global server solutions – to ensure operational continuity and disaster recovery
- Faster response times for web applications
- Cost-effective, built-in virtualization
- Built-in application and network security
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