Java Load Balancing Options

Question

Rather than reinvent the wheel, I'd like to utilize an open source load balancer for my Java backend. I'll be using GlassFish as the app server (running an EAR), and each app server will most likely be running on an Ubuntu Server VM.

So the load balancer will probably (although I'm open for other ideas!) be its own Ubuntu Server VM running some sort of open source load balancing software. As to what this is (please note the big "?" in the diagram!) I don't really care so long as it:

• Is super fast
• Is secure
• Plays nice with GlassFish
• Is free and open source and comes with a license that doesn't restrict me from selling this system as a product or service
• Is relatively easy to configure (but I'm not scared do get my hands dirty)

Just wondering what my (best) options were. So far I've scouted out:

• Apache HTTPd
• haproxy
• nginx

But nothing is blowing my doors down as being the end-all-be-all-obvious-solution to my requirements. Thanks in advance for any suggestions or nudges in the right direction!

Answer 1

Here is a complete overview about what comes out-of-the-box and is commonly used. http://blog.eisele.net/2012/01/throwing-light-on-glassfish-webserver.html In commercial scenarios I have seen a lot of BigIP products in use.

Answer 2

GlassFish Server Open Source Edition supports AJP (mod_jk, mod_proxy, see the administration guide in the all-in-one docs bundle). Oracle GlassFish Server ships with a plugin that works with Apache httpd, IIS, and the Oracle iPlanet Web Server.

Hope this helps.

Answer 3

I have used Python Director in the past with great success. This isn't really a Java problem, any SLB ( Software Load Balancer ) will do the job to load balance and proxy HTTP.

We actually hacked ZeroConf / Bonjour into our version of Python Director so that the load balancer would auto discover when things were added or removed from the network automatically. It worked in production for a couple of years with no issues, we never had to touch it.