A Software Load Balancer is application software that runs on servers and is designed to distribute incoming traffic across multiple servers. Unlike Hardware Load Balancers, which are physical devices, Software Load Balancers are purely software-based and are implemented on the servers themselves. Here are some basic features and functions of Software Load Balancers:
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Load Distribution: A Software Load Balancer distributes client traffic to a group of servers, typically based on various algorithms to ensure an even distribution of the load across available servers.
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Scalability: By deploying Software Load Balancers, new servers can be integrated into the infrastructure to enhance performance. Load distribution allows for easy scalability without noticeable impact on end-users.
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Flexibility: Software Load Balancers are often highly configurable and provide various customization options. Administrators can tailor the configuration based on the requirements of their system.
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Health Monitoring: Many Software Load Balancers include features for monitoring server health. They can remove servers from active service if they become unresponsive or exhibit poor performance.
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SSL Termination: Some Software Load Balancers offer SSL termination features, where SSL/TLS traffic decryption occurs on the Load Balancer before forwarding the request to the servers.
Software Load Balancers are typically more cost-effective than Hardware Load Balancers as they can run on existing hardware, but their performance may vary depending on server capacity and configuration. They are often used in virtualized environments, cloud infrastructures, or on dedicated servers to enable efficient load distribution and scalability.
