What is a load balancer?

A Load Balancer is a device or software that distributes incoming network or application traffic across multiple servers to ensure no single server becomes overwhelmed. This process helps optimize resource use, maximizes throughput, reduces response time, and increases the availability of applications. Load balancers are commonly used in data centers and cloud environments to enhance performance and reliability. They can also provide additional features like health checks, SSL termination, and protection against certain types of cyber attacks.