New Relic recommends implementing a load balancer for the gateway cluster.
- Determine expected data throughput and identify potential bottlenecks.
- Evaluate the number of APM agents and peak load times.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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