AWS

Different Types of Load Balancers in AWS

In this article, I will explain Different Types of Load Balancers in AWS.

In order to provide high availability, fault tolerance, and effective resource utilization, Amazon Web Services (AWS) offers many types of load balancers that distribute incoming traffic over numerous instances or resources.

Three Load Balancers in AWS

The following list shows the main types of load balancers offered by AWS.

  1. Application Load Balancer (ALB). Actually, Application Load Balancers are Layer 7 load balancers that operate at the application layer of the OSI model. Further, they are designed to route incoming traffic based on content of the request, such as URL paths or HTTP headers. In fact, ALBs are well-suited for applications that require advanced routing, content-based routing, and support for multiple domains. They also offer features like request routing, host-based routing, path-based routing, and integration with AWS Web Application Firewall (WAF).
  2. Network Load Balancer (NLB). Meanwhile, layer 4 load balancers called network load balancers route traffic using information from the IP protocol. In particular, they are made to manage high amounts of incoming traffic quickly. In fact, NLBs are best suited for high-performance applications that demand effective TCP/UDP traffic distribution, such as gaming, IoT, and high-throughput applications.
  3. Classic Load Balancer (CLB). Indeed, the more traditional load balancer in AWS is called a classic load balancer. In fact, both Layer 7 (HTTP/HTTPS) and Layer 4 (TCP/UDP) traffic is supported by them. However, due to their improved features and speed, AWS advises utilizing ALBs or NLBs for the majority of use cases.

Selecting a Load Balancer

Since each type of load balancer has a different set of features and capabilities, so the choice relies on the particular requirements of your application.

  • Therefore, select an Application Load Balancer (ALB) if you require complex routing based on HTTP headers or URL routes.
  • In the same way, select a Network Load Balancer (NLB) if you require effective TCP/UDP traffic distribution without content-based routing.
  • Although ALBs and NLBs are often advised for newer deployments, consider employing a Classic Load Balancer (CLB) if you have older applications or use cases that require both Layer 4 and Layer 7 functionality.

For the purpose of ensuring your applications run at their best and are always available, keep in mind that you may use Auto Scaling in conjunction with load balancers to dynamically alter the number of instances based on traffic.


Further Reading

Cloud Computing with Amazon Web Service (AWS)

Getting Started Your Journey into Cloud With AWS

How to Work With AWS Management Console?

What are the Important Components of AWS

Understanding Amazon EC2 and How Does it Work

Features and Benefits of Amazon S3 Bucket

Demystifying Serverless Computing from the Ground Up

Different Types of Load Balancers in AWS

Applications of Elasticsearch

What is Elasticsearch?

Applications of Amazon Simple Notation Service

What is Elastic BeanStalk?

AWS Tools for CI/CD Pipelines

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