Azure Load Balancer

Azure Load Balancer is a highly available and scalable cloud-based service that distributes inbound network traffic across multiple servers or virtual machines (VMs) to ensure high availability and reliability of applications. By balancing the load, Azure Load Balancer helps prevent any single server from becoming overwhelmed with traffic, thereby improving the overall performance and responsiveness of applications. It operates at the transport layer (Layer 4) of the OSI model, using algorithms like round-robin or least connections to distribute requests. The service supports both public and internal load balancing, allowing organizations to manage traffic for internet-facing applications as well as private services within their virtual network. Additionally, Azure Load Balancer integrates with Azure Monitor to provide real-time metrics and alerts, enabling administrators to monitor traffic patterns and ensure that applications remain accessible and performant under varying loads.