Follow-up · depth 4
What trade-offs come with L4 vs L7 Load Balancing?
What trade-offs come with L4 vs L7 Load Balancing?
Answers use simple, clear English.
Quick interview answer
Pros: L7 smart routing; L4 performance for non-HTTP. Cons: L7 terminates TLS — cert management; L4 no URL awareness.
Detailed answer
Trade-offs for L4 vs L7 Load Balancing: Pros: L7 smart routing; L4 performance for non-HTTP. Cons: L7 terminates TLS — cert management; L4 no URL awareness. Decision rule: choose L4 vs L7 Load Balancing when the benefits outweigh operational cost for your SLO. Parent context: Baseline: L4 (TCP) routes by IP/port fast. L7 (HTTP) routes by path/header/cookie — enables sticky sessions, TLS, WAF integration.
Full explanation
Strong answers state both sides and when you would pick an alternative. Pros: L7 smart routing; L4 performance for non-HTTP. Cons: L7 terminates TLS — cert management; L4 no URL awareness.
Follow-up questions
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Parent context — L4 vs L7 Load Balancing
Baseline: L4 (TCP) routes by IP/port fast. L7 (HTTP) routes by path/header/cookie — enables sticky sessions, TLS, WAF integration.
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