Load Balancing Algorithms Developers Should Know. Effective load balancing is crucial in system design, providing high availability and optimizing resource utilization. Let's look at how some of the most popular load balancing algorithms work. ๐น ๐ฆ๐๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ฐ ๐๐น๐ด๐ผ๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ต๐บ๐ ๐ญ) ๐ฅ๐ผ๐๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฏ๐ถ๐ป It distributes requests sequentially between servers, ensuring equitable distribution. Despite its simplicity, it does not account for server load, which might be a drawback when demand changes significantly. ๐ฎ) ๐ฅ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ๐ผ๐บ Implements a simple way of distributing requests regardless of server load or capability. This form of load distribution is basic, less precise, and suitable for less complicated applications. ๐ฏ) ๐๐ฃ ๐ต๐ฎ๐๐ต Uses a consistent hashing method depending on the client's IP address to route requests. This technique is one way to ensure session persistence by consistently directing requests from the same client to the same server. ๐ฐ) ๐ช๐ฒ๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฏ๐ถ๐ป Improves round robin by assigning requests based on server capacity, aiming to better utilize resources by allocating more requests to higher-capacity servers. This approach seeks to optimize resource use, though actual results can vary with request complexity and system conditions. ๐น ๐๐๐ป๐ฎ๐บ๐ถ๐ฐ ๐๐น๐ด๐ผ๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ต๐บ๐ ๐ฑ) ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐ป๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ Intelligently sends requests to the server with the fewest active connections, adapting to changing loads. This technique aims to better reflect current server utilization, potentially leading to more efficient resource consumption. ๐ฒ) ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ฝ๐ผ๐ป๐๐ฒ ๐๐ถ๐บ๐ฒ Targets performance by routing requests to the server with the quickest response time. By considering both current server load and performance, this technique supports faster processing, potentially reducing response times for users. While these are some of the most popular load-balancing strategies, there are other algorithms that also address specific needs and challenges. Choosing the right algorithm is very important to ensuring your application remains scalable, reliable, and efficient. ๐ฌ What other algorithms would you add? ๐ญ | 33 comments on LinkedIn