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Load Balancer vs Reverse Proxy

A load balancer’s primary job is distributing incoming requests across multiple backend instances so no single one is overwhelmed, using algorithms like round robin or least connections plus health checks. A reverse proxy sits in front of one or more backend servers and can do TLS termination, caching, compression, or routing by path, load balancing is one thing a reverse proxy can do, not the only thing. In practice, most software (nginx, HAProxy, Envoy) does both roles at once.

Left

Load Balancer

Right

Reverse Proxy

Primary purposeSpread load across many backend instancesSit between client and server for TLS, caching, routing

Health checksCore feature, removes unhealthy backendsOptional, depends on the proxy software

Can work aloneNeeds at least one backend to route toCan front a single backend for TLS/caching only

Common softwareAWS ELB/ALB, HAProxy, Envoynginx, Envoy, Cloudflare

RelationshipA specialized kind of reverse proxy behaviorThe broader category load balancers fall under

Use Load Balancer when

You have multiple backend instances and need traffic spread across them with automatic health checking.

Use Reverse Proxy when

You need TLS termination, caching, or request routing in front of your service, even if there is only one backend.

The verdict

Think of load balancing as one job a reverse proxy can do. Most production setups use a single piece of software that does both at once.

Study this on the roadmap

Load Balancer vs Reverse Proxy

Load Balancer

Reverse Proxy

Use Load Balancer when

Use Reverse Proxy when

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