Load Balancer Algorithms Visualizer (Round Robin, Least Connections, IP Hash)
Simulate high-concurrency traffic across diverse load balancing algorithms. Watch Round Robin, Weighted Round Robin, Least Connections, and IP Hash algorithms distribute client requests across backend server pools with dynamic health checks and failure handling.
Load Balancing Traffic Simulator
Simulate real-time traffic routing across backend servers with dynamic health checks.
App Pod Alpha
App Pod Beta
App Pod Gamma
Try toggling one server to DOWN and send a 20x burst to observe automated health check failover in action.
How It Works Under the Hood
A load balancer sits between incoming clients and backend server fleets. Different algorithms optimize for different operational profiles. Round Robin evenly cycles through servers, which works well if all requests have identical compute cost. Least Connections directs requests to the server with the fewest active TCP connections, making it superior for long-lived WebSocket sessions or varying database query durations. IP Hash binds a client’s IP address to a specific server, providing session affinity without central session stores.
Core Architectural Principles
- Layer 4 (L4) load balancing: Operates at TCP/UDP level without decrypting or parsing HTTP payloads.
- Layer 7 (L7) load balancing: Decrypts TLS, inspects HTTP paths/headers/cookies, and enables intelligent routing.
- Health checks: Active background polling or passive error monitoring to promptly remove degraded servers from the rotation pool.
When asked to design a reverse proxy layer, clarify whether you need L4 or L7 load balancing. Highlight that L4 offers line-rate throughput with minimal CPU overhead, whereas L7 allows microservice path-based routing, header rewriting, and SSL termination.
L7 routing intelligence vs L4 line-rate throughput and lower connection latency.