What are the main GCP load balancer types?

GCP offers: External Application LB (global HTTP/S), Regional External Application LB (regional HTTP/S), Internal Application LB (internal HTTP/S), External Network LB (TCP/UDP passthrough), Regional Internal TCP/UDP LB (internal passthrough), External Proxy Network LB (TCP proxy), and Internal Proxy Network LB (internal TCP proxy). The choice depends on traffic scope, protocol, and whether you need content-based routing.

When should I use a global vs. regional load balancer?

Use global load balancers for internet-facing services that need anycast IPs, multi-region backends, and automatic failover. Use regional load balancers for single-region deployments or when you need to keep traffic within a specific region for data residency or latency requirements.

Can I use Cloud CDN with load balancers?

Cloud CDN integrates only with the External Application Load Balancer (global HTTP/S). When enabled, it caches responses at Google's edge locations worldwide. Regional and internal load balancers do not support Cloud CDN since they don't operate at the global edge.

GCP Load Balancer Chooser

NetworkingGCP

Choose the right GCP load balancer type based on protocol, scope, and requirements.

Load Balancer Requirements

Traffic Type

Scope

Facing

Additional Requirements

Preserve client IPWebSocket supportCloud CDN integration

Raw JSON

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About This Tool

The GCP Load Balancer Chooser helps you select the right Google Cloud load balancer based on your protocol requirements, traffic scope (internal vs. external), and regional vs. global needs. GCP offers seven distinct load balancer products with different capabilities, and choosing the wrong one leads to architecture rework. The tool walks you through a decision tree and explains each option's features.

When to Use This Tool

•Selecting the appropriate load balancer type for a globally distributed web application.
•Choosing between regional and global load balancing for an internal microservice mesh.
•Determining which load balancer supports gRPC, WebSocket, or HTTP/2 for your application protocol.
•Understanding the differences between proxy-based and passthrough load balancers for network-level traffic.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the main GCP load balancer types?: GCP offers: External Application LB (global HTTP/S), Regional External Application LB (regional HTTP/S), Internal Application LB (internal HTTP/S), External Network LB (TCP/UDP passthrough), Regional Internal TCP/UDP LB (internal passthrough), External Proxy Network LB (TCP proxy), and Internal Proxy Network LB (internal TCP proxy). The choice depends on traffic scope, protocol, and whether you need content-based routing.
When should I use a global vs. regional load balancer?: Use global load balancers for internet-facing services that need anycast IPs, multi-region backends, and automatic failover. Use regional load balancers for single-region deployments or when you need to keep traffic within a specific region for data residency or latency requirements.
Can I use Cloud CDN with load balancers?: Cloud CDN integrates only with the External Application Load Balancer (global HTTP/S). When enabled, it caches responses at Google's edge locations worldwide. Regional and internal load balancers do not support Cloud CDN since they don't operate at the global edge.

Related Learning Guides

Cloud CDN & Load Balancing24 min read
GCP Networking Deep Dive30 min read

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