# Load Balancer A load balancer is a device or software component that distributes incoming network traffic across multiple backend servers or services. The primary goals are to maximize throughput, minimize response time, avoid overloading any single server, and provide redundancy in case of server failure. Load balancing algorithms include round-robin (distributing requests sequentially), least connections (routing to the server with fewest active connections), weighted distribution (routing based on server capacity), and IP hash (routing based on client IP for session persistence). Load balancers can operate at Layer 4 (TCP/UDP) or Layer 7 (HTTP/HTTPS), with Layer 7 offering content-aware routing decisions. In API architectures, load balancers work alongside or are integrated into API gateways. While traditional load balancers focus on distributing traffic, API gateways add application-level concerns like authentication, rate limiting, and request transformation. Serverless platforms and edge-deployed gateways typically include built-in load balancing, automatically distributing requests across available compute resources without manual configuration. --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://docs.serverlessapigateway.com/glossary/l/load-balancer.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.