AWS has a suite of products that provide load balancing services. An ALB helps distribute incoming traffic by forwarding it to one of the instances in a user-defined group, such as an Availability Zone. Conversely, an NLB helps distribute incoming traffic by forwarding it to one of the devices in a network, such as a virtual private cloud (VPC).
What is an AWS Network Load Balancer?
An AWS Network Load Balancer is a type of load balancer that operates at the network layer (Layer 4). It is used to route traffic between different Amazon Web Services (AWS) resources, such as Amazon EC2 instances, containers, and IP addresses. A Network Load Balancer is designed to handle high levels of traffic and can scale horizontally to support more traffic.
What are the benefits of using a Network Load Balancer?
There are several benefits of using a Network Load Balancer:
-It can handle high levels of traffic and scale horizontally to support more traffic. -It can route traffic between different AWS resources, such as Amazon EC2 instances, containers, and IP addresses. -It is a cost-effective way to load balance traffic on your website or application.
What are the drawbacks of using a Network Load Balancer?
-It can't route traffic based on advanced criteria, such as cookies or session information. -It can't terminate SSL/TLS connections.
What is an AWS Application Load Balancer?
An AWS Application Load Balancer is a load balancer that operates at the application layer and routes traffic to applications based on their specific needs. It is a fully managed service that automatically scales in response to changing traffic conditions and provides robust performance and security. The load balancer supports several application-level protocols such as HTTP, HTTPS, TCP, and SSL. It can also distribute traffic to other AWS services in order to prevent network overloading.
ALB or NLB: Which One Should I Use?
If you're running a web application on AWS, you'll need to choose between using an Application Load Balancer (ALB) or a Network Load Balancer (NLB). Both types of load balancers distribute traffic across multiple Amazon EC2 instances, but they differ in how they route traffic and what features they offer.
So, which type of load balancer should you use? It depends on your needs. If you're looking for increased performance and scalability, NLB is the way to go. But if you need advanced routing capabilities, such as path-based routing or host-based routing, you'll need to use ALB.
Keep reading to learn more about the differences between ALBs and NLBs so that you can make the best decision for your web application.
ALB and NLB Comparison
Application Load Balancers (ALBs) and Network Load Balancers (NLBs) are both powerful tools used to distribute traffic across multiple servers. But how do they differ?
To help you decide which type of load balancer is right for your needs, we've put together a comparison chart.
ALBs are best suited for load balancing web applications that rely on HTTP or HTTPS protocols. This is because ALBs can route traffic to specific URLs, making it easy to direct users to the correct page on your website.
NLBs, on the other hand, are designed for high-traffic applications that require low latency and high throughput. NLBs are able to distribute traffic evenly across all servers, making them ideal for applications that need to handle large amounts of data.
So, which type of load balancer is right for you? If you're not sure, our team of experts can help you decide. Contact us today to get started.
Conclusions
After reading this article, you should now have a good understanding of the differences between AWS Network Load Balancers and Application Load Balancers. Both have their own unique benefits that can be leveraged depending on your needs. If you're looking for a load balancer that can handle large amounts of traffic and scale easily, then an NLB is a good choice. If you need a load balancer with more features and flexibility, then an ALB is a better option. No matter which one you choose, you can be confident that your traffic will be well-balanced and your applications will be able to handle the load.
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