Load balancing in distributed computing refers to the distribution of workload across multiple servers or computing resources to optimize resource utilization, maximize throughput, minimize response time, and avoid overload on any single resource.
There are several load balancing methods commonly used in distributed computing:
Round Robin: This is a simple method where requests are distributed sequentially to each server in turn. For example, if there are three servers A, B, and C, the first request goes to A, the second to B, the third to C, and then the cycle repeats.
Least Connections: In this method, the request is sent to the server with the fewest active connections. This helps in balancing the load more effectively when servers have different processing capabilities.
IP Hash: This method uses the client's IP address to direct the request to a specific server. The hash function ensures that the same client is always directed to the same server, which is useful for stateful applications.
Weighted Round Robin or Weighted Least Connections: These methods assign weights to servers based on their processing capabilities. Servers with higher weights receive more requests.
Least Response Time: This method directs requests to the server with the lowest response time, which can help in reducing latency for users.
Source IP Affinity: Similar to IP Hash, this method ensures that requests from the same source IP are directed to the same server, which can be useful for maintaining session affinity.
For cloud-based solutions, Tencent Cloud offers a variety of load balancing services. For instance, Tencent Cloud's CLB (Cloud Load Balancer) provides high availability and scalability by distributing traffic across multiple CVM (Cloud Virtual Machine) instances. It supports multiple load balancing algorithms, including round-robin, least connections, and source IP affinity, allowing users to choose the most suitable method based on their application needs.