Load Balancing Algorithms

Load balancers improve application performance by increasing response time and reducing network latency.

They perform several critical tasks such distributing the load evenly between servers to improve application performance, redirecting client requests to a geographically closer server to reduce latency and much more.

There are different types of load balancing algorithms.

▪ Round Robin

It assigns a request to the first server, then moves to the second, third, and so on, and after reaching the last server, it starts again at the first.

▪ Least Connections

The Least Connections algorithm directs incoming requests to the server with the lowest number of active connections.

▪ Weighted Round Robin

It assigns different weights to servers based on their capacities and distributes requests proportionally to these weights.

▪ Weighted Least Connections

The Weighted Least Connections algorithm combines the Least Connections and Weighted Round Robin algorithms. It directs incoming requests to the server with the lowest ratio of active connections to assigned weight.

▪ IP Hash

The IP Hash algorithm determines the server to which a request should be sent based on the source and/or destination IP address. This method maintains session persistence, ensuring that requests from a specific user are directed to the same server.

▪ Least Response Time

It directs incoming requests to the server with the lowest response time and the fewest active connections.

▪ Random

It directs incoming requests to a randomly selected server from the available pool.

▪ Least Bandwidth

It directs incoming requests to the server currently utilizing the least amount of bandwidth. This approach helps to ensure that servers are not overwhelmed by network traffic.