Why You Should Use AWS Load Balancer for Your Full-Stack App

If your full-stack app is growing and handling more users, you’ll need a way to keep it fast, reliable, and secure.

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That’s where AWS Elastic Load Balancer (ELB) comes in. It acts like a traffic cop, making sure that requests are evenly distributed across multiple servers, so no single server gets overloaded.

What Does a Load Balancer Actually Do?

1. Prevents Overloaded Servers

Instead of one server handling everything, the load balancer distributes the load.
If one server fails, traffic is automatically rerouted to healthy servers.
Your app stays fast and responsive, even during high traffic.

2. Keeps Your App Available & Scalable

Works with Auto Scaling to add or remove servers as needed.
If you get a huge spike in traffic (like a viral post), new servers automatically spin up.
No need to worry about downtime during high-traffic events.

3. Secure & Encrypted Connections (HTTPS)

Handles SSL/TLS encryption, so your backend doesn’t have to.
Ensures secure connections and helps protect against attacks.
Works with AWS Web Application Firewall (WAF) to block bad traffic.

4. Works with Different Full-Stack Architectures

For containerized apps: Works with Amazon ECS, Fargate, and Kubernetes (EKS).
For microservices: The Application Load Balancer (ALB) can route requests based on URL paths (e.g., '/api' for backend, '/app' for frontend).
For high-traffic apps: Pair it with CloudFront for caching and RDS for databases.

Which AWS Load Balancer Should You Choose?

Application Load Balancer (ALB): Best for modern web apps and APIs that need smart traffic routing. If you’re running an Angular or React frontend with a Spring Boot or Node.js backend, ALB can route requests efficiently (e.g., /api goes to backend, /app serves the frontend).

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Network Load Balancer (NLB): Best for real-time, high-performance workloads where latency matters. If you're handling millions of requests per second (e.g., financial transactions, multiplayer gaming, or real-time bidding systems), NLB is ideal since it handles TCP/UDP traffic at lightning speed.

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‍Classic Load Balancer (CLB): Mainly used for legacy applications that need basic load balancing without advanced routing features. If you have an older monolithic app that doesn’t use microservices or containerized workloads, CLB might be sufficient, though ALB is usually the better upgrade.

When Should You Use AWS Load Balancer?

If you’re expecting high traffic or sudden spikes.‍
If you’re running multiple backend instances and need automatic traffic distribution.
If you need secure HTTPS connections without extra setup.
If you want scalability without managing servers manually.

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AWS Load Balancer makes sure your app stays online, scales smoothly, and handles traffic efficiently—all without you having to manually manage it.

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‍Thinking of scaling your full-stack app? AWS Load Balancer is a game-changer!‍