Load Balancer
Domain: Computer Systems
🎯 Motivation
Distributes incoming requests across multiple servers. Prevents any single server from being overwhelmed.
📋 Concrete Example
Load balancer: 5 web servers. 1000 requests arrive. LB sends 200 to each. If server 3 crashes, LB sends its 200 to the other 4. Smooth, reliable service.
🔗 Analogy
A load balancer is like a traffic controller at a toll plaza - they direct cars to different toll booths (servers). If a booth closes, they redirect cars to open booths. No single booth is overwhelmed.