Azure Load Balancer
Azure Load Balancer is a Microsoft Azure service that distributes incoming network traffic across multiple virtual machines or instances to ensure high availability and reliability of applications. It operates at Layer 4 (transport layer) of the OSI model, supporting TCP and UDP protocols, and provides both public and internal load balancing options. This service helps prevent downtime by automatically rerouting traffic to healthy instances if failures occur.
Developers should use Azure Load Balancer when building scalable, fault-tolerant applications on Azure, such as web apps, microservices, or databases that require even traffic distribution and minimal latency. It is essential for scenarios involving high-traffic websites, multi-tier applications, or disaster recovery setups, as it enhances performance and resilience by balancing loads across availability zones or regions.