Load balancer for gateway cluster

New Relic recommends implementing a load balancer for the gateway cluster.

1. Assess load requirements:

   • Determine expected data throughput and identify potential bottlenecks.
   • Evaluate the number of APM agents and peak load times.

2. Select load balancer type:

   • Choose a software load balancer that integrates well with Kubernetes. Options include cloud-based solutions such as AWS Application Load Balancer, Google Cloud Load Balancer, or Azure Load Balancer, as well as open-source solutions like NGINX or Traefik.

3. Configure load balancer:

   • Set up the load balancer to distribute traffic evenly across multiple gateway instances within the Kubernetes cluster.
   • Implement health checks to ensure only healthy instances receive traffic.

4. Set up DNS and certificates:

   • Configure DNS entries to ensure seamless routing of data to your gateway.
   • Obtain and set up SSL/TLS certificates to secure communication between agents and the gateway.
   • Ensure the certificate is properly configured for the load balancer to maintain secure data transfer.

5. Size and scale:

   • Configure auto-scaling policies to add or remove instances based on predefined thresholds, such as CPU usage or network traffic.
   • Monitor performance metrics to adjust scaling policies as needed.

6. Test and optimize:

   • Conduct load testing to ensure effective traffic distribution and identify any bottlenecks.
   • Optimize configurations to minimize latency and maximize throughput.

As an example, learn more about how to implement a load balancer specifically using AWS services