Azure Load Balancer offers two main SKUs: Basic and Standard.
Each SKU provides different features, capabilities, and use cases.
Here’s a detailed breakdown of these SKUs to help you understand and choose the right one for your application.
Azure Load Balancer SKUs Overview
| Feature | Basic Load Balancer | Standard Load Balancer |
|---|---|---|
| Backend Resources | Limited to 100 resources | Supports up to 1000 resources |
| Availability Zones | Not supported | Fully supported |
| Resiliency | Single region | Zone-redundant or zone-specific |
| Health Probes | Basic TCP/HTTP/HTTPS probes | Advanced probes with customizable intervals and thresholds |
| Security | Open to all IPs by default | Secure by default with NSG enforcement |
| Outbound Rules | Limited | Fully customizable outbound rules |
| Performance | Basic performance | Higher throughput and lower latency |
| Pricing | Lower cost | Higher cost, pay-as-you-go |
| Cross-VNet Load Balancing | Not supported | Supported |
| Diagnostics | Minimal diagnostic support | Integrated with Azure Monitor and Insights |
| Idle Timeout | Fixed at 4 minutes | Configurable up to 30 minutes |
Features of Basic SKU
Entry-Level Option: Suitable for small-scale applications or test environments.
Backend Pools: Limited scalability with fewer backend instances.
Health Probes: Basic TCP and HTTP probes for instance monitoring.
No Zone Redundancy: Cannot span across availability zones.
Use Cases
Non-critical workloads.
Testing and development environments.
Applications with limited scale requirements.
Features of Standard SKU
Enterprise-Grade Option: Designed for production-grade, high-availability scenarios.
Enhanced Security: Only traffic explicitly allowed through Network Security Groups (NSGs) is permitted.
High Availability: Supports zone redundancy and higher resiliency.
Scalable Backend Pools: Accommodates up to 1000 backend instances.
Customizable Health Probes: Advanced settings for health checks.
Use Cases
Business-critical applications.
Applications requiring high throughput and low latency.
Multi-zone or multi-region architectures.
Scenarios requiring advanced diagnostics and monitoring.
Comparison of Key Features
| Feature | Basic Load Balancer | Standard Load Balancer |
|---|---|---|
| Backend Pool Size | Up to 100 instances | Up to 1000 instances |
| Availability Zone Support | No | Yes |
| Health Probes | TCP/HTTP only | TCP/HTTP/HTTPS with advanced settings |
| Cross-VNet Load Balancing | Not supported | Supported |
| Outbound Connections | NAT for a single VM | Configurable and scalable NAT rules |
| Security | Open by default | Secure by default with NSGs enforced |
| Monitoring and Diagnostics | Basic metrics | Advanced metrics, logs, and alerts |
| Pricing | Lower | Slightly higher |
How to Choose Between Basic and Standard Load Balancer
1. Scale Requirements
Basic: For small-scale, non-critical workloads with up to 100 backend instances.
Standard: For large-scale, high-performance workloads requiring up to 1000 backend instances.
2. Resiliency
Basic: Single-region, no availability zone support.
Standard: Zone-redundant for higher resiliency and disaster recovery.
3. Security
Basic: Minimal security, open by default.
Standard: NSG enforcement ensures stricter security controls.
4. Performance and Throughput
Basic: Basic performance for limited workloads.
Standard: Optimized for high-throughput and low-latency applications.
5. Cost Sensitivity
Basic: More cost-effective for development or lightweight scenarios.
Standard: Slightly higher cost but essential for enterprise-grade deployments.
Real-World Use Cases
Basic Load Balancer
Testing environments for new web apps.
Small-scale internal tools or APIs.
Standard Load Balancer
High-availability e-commerce platforms.
Multi-region, enterprise-grade applications.
Scenarios with strict compliance or monitoring needs.
Summary
Selecting the right SKU depends on your application’s requirements for scale, performance, resiliency, and cost.
For production workloads, Standard Load Balancer is typically the preferred choice due to its advanced features and flexibility.
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