Definition

A load balancer is a type of software or hardware that distributes incoming traffic across multiple servers or resources. This allows the load balancer to distribute the workload evenly, improving the performance and availability of the application.

The Load Balancer Lab

To run your own load balancer using open source software, you will need to:

• Install and configure the load balancer software on a server. Some popular open source options include HAProxy, Nginx, and Envoy.
• Configure the load balancer to distribute incoming traffic to the appropriate servers or resources. This typically involves setting up virtual servers and defining rules for routing traffic.
• Test the load balancer to ensure that it is working correctly and distributing traffic as expected.
• Monitor the load balancer and the underlying servers to ensure that the system is performing well and handling traffic effectively.
• Continually tune and optimize the load balancer configuration to improve performance and ensure that the application is always available and responsive.