What is Load Balancing?

Load balancing is a computing technology that helps distribute workloads across multiple computing resources, such as computers, a computer cluster, network links, central processing units or disk drives. The function of Load balancing is to optimize resource use, maximize throughput, minimize response time, and avoid overload of any single resource. Using multiple components with load balancing instead of a single component may increase reliability through redundancy. Load balancing usually involves dedicated software or hardware, such as a multilayer switch or a Domain Name server process.

Load balancing is different from channel bonding. Load balancing divides traffic between network interfaces on a network socket basis, while channel bonding implies a division of traffic between physical interfaces at a lower level, either per packet or on a data link basis.