load-balancer

To configure Nginx load balancing, you define an upstream block listing your backend servers and set a proxy pass directive. This distributes incoming network traffic across the servers using algorithms like round-robin or least connections.

Nginx supports four traffic distribution algorithms: round-robin, least connections, IP hash, and weighted. You select one by adding the corresponding directive within your upstream block to control how requests are routed.

Failover and health checks in Nginx are configured within the upstream block to automatically detect unresponsive servers. You can route traffic away from unhealthy servers and configure backup servers to take over when primary servers are unavailable.

Yes, this requires an understanding of Nginx configuration directives for upstream blocks, proxying, and health checks. It is designed for users setting up traffic distribution across multiple backend servers who need high availability.

Use weighted load balancing in Nginx when your backend servers have varying processing capacities, allowing you to assign more traffic to stronger servers. Round-robin distributes requests equally, making it suitable only for servers with identical capabilities.