To use the Load Balancer service, you are required to have an available
Elastic IP.
Load Balancers are crucial, playing a fundamental role in ensuring the accessibility, reliability, and optimal performance of applications distributed within the Kubernetes cluster.
Their main function is to manage incoming traffic flow, distributing it evenly among the various container instances operating within the cluster nodes.
Key functions:
Even distribution of traffic
Even distribution of traffic - The Load Balancer ensures that incoming traffic load is evenly divided among the instances handling a specific application. This approach is critical to prevent a single node from being overloaded and to ensure efficient use of resources within the cluster.
High availability guarantee
By balancing traffic across various application instances, the Load Balancer significantly contributes to maintaining high availability. If an instance fails or is unavailable, the Load Balancer stops directing traffic to that specific instance and reroutes it to operational and functioning instances.
Support for horizontal scalability
Support for horizontal scalability - When an increase in application capacity is required to handle a larger volume of requests, the Load Balancer facilitates the smooth addition of new instances. This process, known as horizontal scaling, allows users to manage increased load without service interruptions.