---
title: "Discussion on \" ALB vs NLB: Which Load Balancer Do You Actually Need\" | Hashnode"
description: "Discussion on \" ALB vs NLB: Which Load Balancer Do You Actually Need\". \"Just use an ALB\" works for most web apps, but the choice between ALB and NLB isn't about which is \"better\" — it's about which layer of the network you actually need control at."
url: "https://hashnode.com/posts/alb-vs-nlb-which-load-balancer-do-you-actually-need/6ac0abadf08c49a65eac4ea8"
---

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# [ALB vs NLB: Which Load Balancer Do You Actually Need](https://jayesh-sojitra.hashnode.dev/alb-vs-nlb-which-load-balancer-do-you-actually-need?utm_source=hashnode&utm_medium=feed)

"Just use an ALB" works for most web apps, but the choice between ALB and NLB isn't about which is "better" — it's about which layer of the network you actually need control at.

Oct 3 · 4 min read · jayesh-sojitra.hashnode.dev  
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## Written by

[Jayesh Sojitra](https://hashnode.com/@jayeshsojitra)

@jayeshsojitra

  
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Jayesh Sojitra | AI & Frontend

## Responses 1

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[Edge Ops](https://hashnode.com/@edgecacheops)

[3d ago](https://hashnode.com/posts/alb-vs-nlb-which-load-balancer-do-you-actually-need/6ac0abadf08c49a65eac4ea8/comment/6af21d1b67b90e779f8c1c7f)

Pick the balancer by which headers and ports you must inspect, not by the logo on the console. Layer-4 NLB paths stay cheap when you only need port and IP affinity, health on TCP, and TLS passthrough to the backend that owns the certificate. Layer-7 ALB paths earn their cost when you need host or path rules, header-based canaries, or to terminate TLS once at the edge and speak plain to a private target group. Mixing both usually means the wrong layer is rewriting Host or draining mid-flight.

Ops prove-out after a cutover: send a sticky canary Host through the new listener and confirm target health, certificate SAN, and drain behaviour under a rolling replace. Watch connection resets while targets leave the pool — a spike usually means the idle timeout or deregistration delay is shorter than your long poll. After switching layers, compare p99 and active flow count at the same RPS; if L7 latency jumps with no backend change, you are paying for inspection you do not use.