A Nginx-based Dynamic Feedback Load Balancing Algorithm With Adaptive Heartbeat Detecting

Abstract

Load balance technology of web server clusters which assigns customer requests to suitable servers, is a major tool for quality-of-service guarantees. Nginx, a popular frontend web server, is lightweight and requires low-complexity load balancing algorithms. This study proposed a Nginx-based dynamic feedback load balancing algorithm that delivers customer requests to server nodes in accordance with the nodes’ status. Specifically, an adaptive heartbeat detection mechanism that adjusts heartbeat packet transmission in line with the server node status is designed to collect real-time node status information. The simulation study indicates that our algorithm can obtain better load balancing with a considerable reduction in heartbeat packet transmissions compared with baseline algorithms.