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ADC vs Load Balancer Key Differences Explained

The key difference between a Load Balancing Service and an Application Delivery Controller (ADC) lies in their scope of functionality:

1. Load Balancing Service:

  • Primary Purpose: Distributes network or application traffic across multiple servers to ensure no single server becomes overwhelmed, thus improving reliability and availability.
  • Functionality: Focuses mainly on balancing traffic using algorithms like round-robin, least connections, or IP hash.
  • Example Features:
    • Layer 4 (Transport Layer) or Layer 7 (Application Layer) load balancing.
    • Simple traffic management and server health checks.

2. Application Delivery Controller (ADC):

  • Primary Purpose: Provides advanced traffic management, security, optimization, and acceleration services in addition to load balancing.
  • Functionality: ADCs not only load balance but also handle application security, SSL offloading, traffic optimization, and monitoring to enhance application performance and security.
  • Example Features:
    • Load balancing (Layer 4 and Layer 7).
    • Web Application Firewall (WAF).
    • SSL/TLS offloading.
    • DDoS protection, application acceleration, and caching.
    • Application health monitoring and analytics.

Summary:

  • Load Balancing Service focuses purely on distributing traffic for high availability.
  • ADC offers load balancing plus additional services like security, optimization, and traffic management, providing a more comprehensive solution for application delivery.
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