Have you ever noticed how some websites load really fast and some websites feel slow? Often that is due to load balancers. Not all load balancers are the same—let’s understand Global Load Balancers (GSLB) versus a local load balancer and what they mean.
Why does it help?
Advantages of GSLB:
• Speed: Users connect to the nearest server.
• Uptime: If a data center is down, traffic is rerouted to another data center.
• Better reliability: If there is a problem with one data center in a region, that does not crash your whole site.
So if your users are scattered around the globe, GSLB smooths things out and makes it fast for everyone.
Key distinctions:
• Coverage: Local LB = 1 data center; GSLB = multiple data centers.
• Speed for users: Local LB serves users well in a local area, but if your users are everywhere, GSLB is the best choice.
• Reliability: GSLB keeps your site up and running even if one data center goes down while a local LB cannot do this.
Consider Netflix or Amazon – when do they ever buffer? That’s good old GSLB working away behind the scenes.
Next time you quickly hit a website that’s loading immediately and it’s far away from you, consider that there is probably some GSLB working quietly behind the scenes in the cloud.
What is a Local Load Balancer?
A local load balancer operates at a single data center. For example, if your website is hosted in New York and has all the servers there, the local load balancer would decide which New York server would handles every visitor.Why does it help?
- It balances the traffic between the servers.
- It keeps any one server from being overwhelmed (too busy).
- For users in that data center area it can make your website faster.
What is a Global Load Balancer (GSLB)?
Global Server Load Balancers (GSLBs) guide traffic between many data centers located worldwide, the GSLB will direct traffic to the closest or fastest server to the user.Advantages of GSLB:
• Speed: Users connect to the nearest server.
• Uptime: If a data center is down, traffic is rerouted to another data center.
• Better reliability: If there is a problem with one data center in a region, that does not crash your whole site.
So if your users are scattered around the globe, GSLB smooths things out and makes it fast for everyone.
Key distinctions:
• Coverage: Local LB = 1 data center; GSLB = multiple data centers.
• Speed for users: Local LB serves users well in a local area, but if your users are everywhere, GSLB is the best choice.
• Reliability: GSLB keeps your site up and running even if one data center goes down while a local LB cannot do this.
My Experience
I have evaluated both types. For global users, GSLB is terrific. Local LBs are fine on small websites or apps that only need to serve users in one area/region, but if your traffic is going to be international, GSLB prevents slow/bad experiences for end-users.Consider Netflix or Amazon – when do they ever buffer? That’s good old GSLB working away behind the scenes.
Ending Point
Choose a local load balancer if your website serves the majority of people from one area, or go with a GSLB if your audience is global (both work in their own way). GSLBs speed up your website, make it stable, and keep online users happy no matter where they are in the world.Next time you quickly hit a website that’s loading immediately and it’s far away from you, consider that there is probably some GSLB working quietly behind the scenes in the cloud.