If you have a website with a sizable audience, load-balancing is the best option, but it isn’t easy to understand as not everyone knows its procedure. But don’t worry; I’ll explain what you need to know about WordPress load balancing.
Load balancing means distributing your website traffic to different servers. With this method, a single server’s traffic burden isn’t solely shouldered. It has different types, but I usually prefer hosting providers for WordPress instead of setting it up separately.
What WordPress hosting providers do I trust for load-balancing, and what are the benefits of load-balancing? I’ll answer these questions below and explain the load-balancing algorithm. So, let’s get into the details!
What Is Load Balancing In WordPress?
In simple words, load balancing is a technology or method of distributing all the traffic of applications, websites, etc, to different servers. This takes the traffic burden from one server, and every user gets the data faster.
Let’s understand this with an example using the “restaurant” analogy:
Suppose you own a restaurant (website), and one busy evening, a flood of customers (traffic) arrives. With only one waiter (server) taking orders and serving dishes (providing data), the customers have to wait longer for their meals.
A manager (load balancer) can solve this issue. This manager, which is a load balancer, will assign different waiters (servers) to each customer (request). Doing so distributes the load evenly, and every customer receives the best service.
How Does Load Balancing Work?
In reality, load balancing techniques work in two ways: using the hardware device or the software. Both are available online and serve the same purpose: distributing incoming traffic across multiple servers to optimize performance.
Besides the traffic distribution, it also offers scalability. If the servers are at full capacity, the load balancer hosting will use the scalability feature and assign the request to more servers. Once the traffic returns to normal levels, it will stop using the extra servers.
Dynamic Vs. Static Load Balancing Algorithm
The purposes of dynamic and static load balancing algorithms are the same, yet they operate differently. Below, we outline the differences between these algorithms and their mechanisms.
Dynamic Load Balancing
The dynamic load balancing algorithm considers various factors, including server response time and the server’s current load. These considerations enable the algorithm to choose the most suitable server based on its capacity to fulfill the request.
Static Load Balancing
The static load balancing algorithm suits web applications with a predictable workload. This algorithm cyclically distributes traffic among a group of servers without considering individual server conditions.
The Benefits of Load Balance WordPress Hosting
Here are the main benefits of load balance WordPress hosting and how it will help your website. Ensure to consider these advantages carefully, as they’ll help you decide whether to switch to load-balancing hosting or not:
1. Availability of server: Load-balancing hosting gives you peace of mind; you no longer need to worry about downtime. With the load balancing technique, you can use multiple servers simultaneously per the traffic demand.
2. Scalability of server: A Load balancing WordPress hosting isn’t limited to one or a few servers. It can adapt as the website grows or experiences spikes in traffic and when it goes down to normal.
3. Provide security: One of the best load-balancing features is built-in security. Load balancers are perfectly capable of monitoring traffic and checking its quality. It will block unwanted malicious traffic that can harm your site.
4. Improve performance: All features like availability, scalability, and security load balancing make your website or app work faster and better for visitors. This improves user experience, increasing the chances of better ranking.
5. Better Server Response Time: The load balancing technique prevents the server from becoming overloaded, so you will avoid the slower response time. This makes your website load super fast.
Should You Use A Load Balancing Strategy?
Yes, you should use a load-balancing strategy, especially if you want to host a big e-commerce site, an application, etc. This is because e-commerce sites and service applications get a flood of visitors, especially during sales or special offers.
The sudden spike can create issues for the server. Due to server problems, the owner sometimes loses a lot of money and turns off customers who might not want to return because of the bad experience.
Thankfully, the problems can be sorted using a load balancer hosting. However, it’s a costly solution; you need to spend extra compared to normal hosting, but it’s worth it if it improves the web application or website performance.
Load Balancing Hosting To Try For Your Website
There aren’t many hosting providers that offer load-balancing features, but among the ones that offer, Convesio and Cloudways Autonomous stand out. While both excel in their performance, Convensio tends to be pricier than Cloudways.
Cloudways Autonomous Hosting has seven different plans, starting with just $35 monthly for one web application. Convesio hosting offers only three plans, and the least expensive one costs about $150 monthly.
In terms of features, I like Convensio more. Convesio earns extra points from me for including a load testing tool and its consistent, top-notch performance, backed by a 99.9% uptime guarantee.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Can Load Balancing Improve WordPress Site Security?
Load balancing improves WordPress site security, but it’s not enough if you only think of depending on it. The load balancer can easily stop malicious traffic and has a network firewall, adding another protection layer.
Is Load Balancing suitable for all WordPress sites?
Load Balancing is an ideal option for large-scale websites, web applications, and e-commerce stores, but it’s not beneficial for a small blog. Load balancing mainly aims to divide the high traffic among servers, and smaller websites do not experience high traffic.
What are the types of load balancers?
There are two primary types of load balancers: Hardware load balancers and Software load balancers. Hardware load balancers are way more costly than the software load balancer. You can read about their main difference below:
- Hardware Load Balancer: As the name implies, a hardware load balancer is a physical device (resembling a CD player in design) that typically comes with a significant price tag.
- Software Load Balancer: Software load balancers, on the other hand, are paid software solutions like the Kemp Virtual LoadMaster. They can be either open-source software or commercial software.
Final Thoughts On WordPress Load Balancing
In short, Load Balancing is the technology that helps big websites handle many visitors by distributing the workload across multiple servers. The distribution of traffic ensures good performance and availability of the content to every user.
If you have a server, you can set up a load balancer by buying a hardware device or software, but it’s too costly. If you want an affordable option, select hosting with auto-scaling and load-balancing features like Cloudways or Convesio WordPress hosting.
