Load Balancing

Building Scalable API Gateways An API gateway acts as the single entry point for client requests. It sits in front of microservices, handles common tasks, and helps apps scale. A well designed gateway keeps latency low, even as traffic grows, and it protects internal services from bad inputs. It also simplifies client interactions by providing a stable surface and consistent policies. Start with core responsibilities: routing, authentication, rate limits, and caching. Make the gateway stateless, so you can add or remove instances as demand shifts. Use a load balancer in front of gateway instances to distribute traffic and avoid a single point of failure. Clear rules help teams move fast without surprises. ...

Container Networking Essentials Containers run in shared environments, so knowing how they talk to each other and to the outside world helps avoid surprises. Start with the basics: each container gets a network interface, an IP, and a way to reach other services. Most projects use a container runtime plus a networking layer called a CNI (Container Network Interface) to manage these connections. Key concepts to know Namespaces and isolation keep traffic separate between containers and processes. IP addressing and a CNI plugin decide how containers receive addresses and routes. Service discovery and DNS give stable names to dynamic containers, so apps can find each other. Port mapping and NAT let internal services reach the outside world, and vice versa. Pod networking in Kubernetes assigns each pod its own IP and defines how pods talk within the cluster. Overlay networks add network paths across hosts, useful in multi-host setups. Network policies control which workloads may talk to others and when, improving security. Observability helps you see traffic flow with simple metrics and logs. Practical takeaways ...

Web Servers: Architecture, Tuning and Scaling Web servers sit at the front of most online services. A small site might run on a single machine, but real apps use a stacked approach. A typical setup includes a reverse proxy or load balancer, a capable web server, an application server, and a data store. The goals are speed, reliability, and ease of scaling. When apps are designed to be stateless, you can add more instances to handle traffic without changing code. ...

Web Servers and Technologies Behind the Internet The Internet runs on many small rules and shared tools. When you type a site name, your device asks a domain name system (DNS) to translate that name into an address. That address tells the browser where to reach a computer that can answer the request. Data then travels through routers and networks, following efficient paths to reach the server that hosts the site. The journey is built from simple steps, but it needs careful coordination to feel instant. ...

Web Servers How They Work and How to Optimize Them Web servers are the entry point for most online apps. They listen for requests, fetch data or files, and return responses. They must handle many connections at once, so speed and reliability matter for every visitor. There are two common processing models. A thread-per-request approach is simple: one thread handles each connection. It works for small sites but wastes memory as traffic grows. An event-driven model uses a small pool of workers that manage many connections asynchronously, which scales better with traffic. ...

Distributed Systems Principles for Scalable Apps Distributed systems are the backbone of modern apps that run across many machines. They help us serve more users, store more data, and react quickly to changes. But they also add complexity. This article highlights practical principles to keep services scalable and reliable. Data distribution and consistency Data is often spread across servers. Partitioning, or sharding, places different keys on different machines so traffic stays even. Replication creates copies to improve availability and read performance. The right mix matters: strong consistency for critical records like payments, and eventual consistency for searchable or cached data where small delays are acceptable. ...

Web Servers: Architecture, Tuning, and Scaling A web server handles client requests, serves content, and sometimes runs dynamic code. It sits at the edge of your system and has a strong impact on user experience. A clear architecture, sensible tuning, and thoughtful scaling keep sites fast and reliable. Architecture matters. A common setup has several layers: A reverse proxy or load balancer in front (Nginx, HAProxy, or a cloud LB) One or more application servers running the app logic (Node, Go, Python, PHP, or Java) A caching layer (in-memory cache like Redis, or Memcached) A content delivery network (CDN) for static assets A database or data store behind the app Many teams design apps to be stateless. This makes it easier to add or remove servers during demand swings. If you need sessions, use a shared store or tokens so any server can handle a request. ...

Understanding Web Servers and How They Scale A web server is software that accepts HTTP requests from browsers or apps, runs code, and returns responses such as HTML, JSON, or media. When many users visit a site, the server must react quickly to keep the experience smooth. Scaling is the practice of growing capacity to meet demand. Requests flow is simple in theory. A user’s request travels from the browser to a nearby edge or CDN, then to a load balancer, and finally to one of several application servers. The app server talks to databases and caches. Many modern services stay stateless: each request carries what it needs, so any server can handle it. ...

Web Servers: Architecture, Performance, and Security Web servers are the front door of online services. They accept requests, serve content, and work with other parts of the system to deliver fast, reliable results. A good setup balances simple defaults with options that scale as traffic grows. In this guide, we cover core ideas you can apply in most environments. Architecture basics A web server can handle static files, dynamic content, or both. Common roles include serving static assets quickly, running application code through a backend, and terminating TLS for secure connections. The software model matters: some servers create a new process per connection, while others use event-driven or multi-threaded designs. For reliability, many sites split duties: a reverse proxy sits in front, while the actual app runs behind it. ...

Web Servers and Hosting: Performance and Reliability A good hosting setup balances fast response with steady uptime. The right choice depends on traffic, content, and how much you value availability. Shared hosting is affordable but often limited in resources. Cloud and dedicated plans offer more control, better performance, and built‑in redundancy. Performance basics: a fast site blends quick network delivery with efficient server work. The main factors are network latency, DNS lookups, TLS handshakes, and how quickly the server processes requests. To improve speed, use caching at multiple levels, compress assets, and reduce the number of requests. A content delivery network places static files near visitors, cutting delivery time. ...