Prioritize Horizontal Scaling for Scalability
Embracing Horizontal Scaling
Horizontal scaling, or scaling out, involves adding more nodes to a system, such as additional servers, to distribute the load more evenly. This contrasts with vertical scaling (scaling up), which involves adding more power (CPU, RAM) to an existing machine.
How to Implement
- Load Balancing: Use load balancers to distribute traffic across multiple servers.
- Stateless Application Design: Design applications so that any server can handle any request without dependencies on local state.
- Scalable Data Stores: Use databases and storage solutions that can scale out across multiple nodes or instances.
Benefits
- Flexibility: Easier to scale out by adding more machines as needed.
- Resilience: No single point of failure, enhancing system reliability.
- Cost-Effective: Often more cost-effective at scale compared to vertical scaling.
Shortcomings
- Increased Complexity: Managing a distributed system can be more complex.
- Data Consistency: Ensuring data consistency across nodes can be challenging.
- Network Latency: Increased communication between nodes can introduce latency.
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