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YARP (Yet Another Reverse Proxy) is a powerful tool for managing and distributing incoming API requests across multiple backend servers. Understanding its built-in load balancing strategies can help optimize your system’s performance and reliability.
Built-in Load Balancing Strategies in YARP
1. PowerOfTwoChoices:
- Selects two random destinations and picks the one with the least assigned requests.
- Reduces overhead compared to checking all servers.
2. FirstAlphabetical:
- Chooses the first available server alphabetically.
- Simple but not optimal for dynamic workloads.
3. LeastRequests:
- Directs traffic to the server with the fewest active requests.
- Ideal for uneven workloads.
4. RoundRobin:
- Distributes requests sequentially across all available servers.
- Ensures fair distribution but ignores server load.
5. Random:
- Picks a backend server randomly.
- Simple but unpredictable under heavy loads.
You Should Know:
Configuring YARP for Load Balancing
To apply a load balancing policy, modify your YARP configuration (appsettings.json):
{
"ReverseProxy": {
"Routes": {
"route1": {
"ClusterId": "cluster1",
"Match": { "Path": "/api/{catchall}" }
}
},
"Clusters": {
"cluster1": {
"LoadBalancingPolicy": "LeastRequests",
"Destinations": {
"server1": { "Address": "http://localhost:5001/" },
"server2": { "Address": "http://localhost:5002/" }
}
}
}
}
}
Monitoring Load Balancing Performance
Use these Linux commands to monitor server load:
Check CPU and memory usage top htop Monitor network traffic iftop -i eth0 Track active HTTP connections netstat -tuln | grep :80
For Windows:
Check active connections Get-NetTCPConnection -State Established Monitor CPU/memory Get-Counter '\Processor(_Total)\% Processor Time'
Scaling with Docker
Deploy YARP in a container for horizontal scaling:
docker run -d -p 8080:80 --name yarp_proxy your_yarp_image
Further Reading
What Undercode Say
Load balancing is critical for high-availability systems. YARP simplifies this with flexible policies, but always monitor performance using tools like htop, netstat, or PowerShell commands. Combine YARP with Docker for scalable deployments, and fine-tune policies based on real-world traffic patterns.
Expected Output:
A configured YARP instance distributing traffic efficiently across backend servers using the selected load balancing strategy.
References:
Reported By: Milan Jovanovic – Hackers Feeds
Extra Hub: Undercode MoN
Basic Verification: Pass ✅
