Application Load Balancer vs Network Load Balancer

Developers should use Application Load Balancers when building modern web applications or microservices that require advanced routing, SSL/TLS termination, or integration with containerized workloads meets developers should use a network load balancer when building applications that require extreme performance, such as gaming servers, iot applications, or real-time streaming services, due to its ability to handle volatile traffic patterns with minimal latency. Here's our take.

Application Load Balancer

Nice Pick

Developers should use Application Load Balancers when building modern web applications or microservices that require advanced routing, SSL/TLS termination, or integration with containerized workloads

Pros

• They are essential for scenarios like A/B testing, blue-green deployments, and handling high-traffic websites, as they provide features like sticky sessions, health checks, and WebSocket support
• Related to: aws, microservices

Cons

• Specific tradeoffs depend on your use case

Network Load Balancer

Developers should use a Network Load Balancer when building applications that require extreme performance, such as gaming servers, IoT applications, or real-time streaming services, due to its ability to handle volatile traffic patterns with minimal latency

Pros

• It is also ideal for scenarios where preserving the source IP address of clients is crucial, like for security logging or geolocation, and for protocols that don't require content-based routing, such as TCP-based databases or custom protocols
• Related to: application-load-balancer, elastic-load-balancing

Cons

• Specific tradeoffs depend on your use case

The Verdict

Use Application Load Balancer if: You want they are essential for scenarios like a/b testing, blue-green deployments, and handling high-traffic websites, as they provide features like sticky sessions, health checks, and websocket support and can live with specific tradeoffs depend on your use case.

Use Network Load Balancer if: You prioritize it is also ideal for scenarios where preserving the source ip address of clients is crucial, like for security logging or geolocation, and for protocols that don't require content-based routing, such as tcp-based databases or custom protocols over what Application Load Balancer offers.

The Bottom Line

Application Load Balancer wins

Developers should use Application Load Balancers when building modern web applications or microservices that require advanced routing, SSL/TLS termination, or integration with containerized workloads