Linode offers several high level web hosting plans. Linode designed these plans for applications and websites that have unique needs and require a large amount of resources. Basic websites don’t need what they offer. If your application or website will have thousands of users, you’re going to be concerned with its speed and availability. Linode designed their NodeBalancers tool with these websites in mind. Our Linode NodeBalancers review will look at what this plan entails and what types of projects may need it.
Pros
- Great for sites that need a large amount of storage.
- Multiple servers host the website, so if one goes down, another takes over. There’s no downtime.
- The website’s traffic load is balanced between servers, so the site can have a huge number of visitors at once without any noticeable slowdown.
- Server load is balanced automatically, so you don’t need to do anything.
Cons
- Setting up and maintaining any of Linode’s plans does require higher-than-average knowledge and skills.
- Hosting plans do not include a basic control panel or pre-configured settings. You have to set everything up.
- The NodeBalancers tool is an additional $10 a month on top of what you pay for Linode hosting.
Linode Cloud Networking Review & Analysis
The Linode NodeBalancers tool is ideal for some websites. For example, it’s great for sites that have a large number of users who need the same data or who are accessing a large amount of data at once. However, it may not be useful for smaller websites or even some good-sized eCommerce sites. There are more affordable options out there that can be better solutions for these needs.
Who This Hosting Plan is For
- Websites that require a large amount of resources.
- Sites that need 100% uptime.
- Large data-sharing sites that have many users online at once needing to access the same resources.
Who This Hosting Plan is Not For
- Small and medium-sized websites.
- Sites that don’t host many large files users will be accessing frequently.
- Users who aren’t familiar with Linode’s block hosting and aren’t prepared to learn the necessary skills to configure it.
Bottom Line
Linode’s NodeBalancers isn’t a form of web hosting on its own, but it is a nice tool that can help large websites manage their load. If your site is going to share videos, allow users to upload content, or otherwise have a large amount of traffic, NodeBalancers can be worth the extra small monthly fee.
Linode Cloud Networking Features
- Point-and-Click High Availability
- Perform Maintenance Without Dropping Traffic
- Built-In Health Monitoring
- Distribute Any Load
Additional Features
- SSL Termination
- Session Persistence
- Multi-Port Balancing
- Pooled Network Transfer
- Passive and Active Health Checks
- Static IPv4 and IPv6 Addresses
- Connection Throttling
- Full API Support
Linode Cloud Networking Prices
What Is Linode Cloud Networking?
Before looking at what Linode specifically offers, you may want an answer to the question of what is cloud networking? Cloud networking uses a group of servers to host a website or application. The servers work together, sharing the load instead of placing all of the burden on one. They also act as backups for each other. If one server goes down, another can take its place. The cloud servers back up data among themselves, so there’s always a copy available.
Linode is a hosting company that focuses on cloud computing. They aim to provide affordable and accessible infrastructure-as-a-service platforms for those who need advanced cloud services. They are one of the largest global cloud providers and offer a number of different hosting plans. Linode’s services are aimed primarily at developers, large enterprises, and others who have needs that most hosting companies simply cannot meet.
Is Linode’s Cloud Networking Technology Right for You?
If you’re looking to build a small website or even a small to medium-sized eCommerce site, you won’t need Linode. Even if you’re planning for a large eCommerce website, you may still be better off with something such as Cloudways cloud hosting. Linode’s hosting is really only necessary if you know you will have a very high volume of traffic or data.
One example of a website that may need Linode cloud networking is a video streaming site. These sites deal with huge amounts of data both coming into the server and going out. This load needs to be balanced with the servers in the cloud so one doesn’t become overloaded. Websites that allow users to upload videos and share them with others may also have these issues and can take advantage of Linode’s plans.
Basically, any project that requires a large amount of data sharing, processing, speed, and scalability can make use of Linode’s hosting. While this can include websites, cloud networking is also ideal for application sharing.
Bitcoin mining is another task you could use Linode’s NodeBalancer tool for. Bitcoin processing involves using a server to solve a very complex math equation. Solving these equations creates a transaction record that confirms the Bitcoin is legitimate. Cryptocurrency is somewhat complicated. However, the bottom line is that these equations have to be solved in order for the whole system to work. However, basic computers simply aren’t capable of handling the work. Linode NoteBalancers cloud hosting, however, is.
Linode NodeBalancers Review
The NodeBalancers hosting tool from Linode handles server loan increases automatically. This means you don’t have to do anything. It shifts loads back and forth between servers as needed, ensuring your site is always available. The tool routes incoming data transfer requests to backend Linodes to keep your application running at peak efficiency. The cloud monitors these backend Linodes to make certain they’re handling the traffic in the best way possible. If they aren’t, the cloud temporarily blocks new data requests from being sent to the overloaded Linode until it’s capable of processing them.
This type of cloud network technology is done automatically, but you can also manually use the cloud manager control panel to do it yourself. You can also perform system maintenance as needed or update software without taking your entire system offline. Instead, simply pull Linodes offline, update them, and return them to the cloud.
To make use of NodeBalancers, you will need to have purchased hosting space through Linode. This additional tool is $10 a month. In addition to balancing server load, NodeBalancers has a number of other features. These include the ability to terminate SSL traffic, throttle connections, and actively check the health of each server. You will also receive a set of static IP addresses.
Using Linode Plans Requires Experience with Servers
Another reason why you may want to consider Network Solutions starter cloud hosting instead of Linode is because of the expertise required. Linode’s servers don’t come with basic control panels or pre-configured servers. You are responsible for setting everything up. The NodeBalancers servers do include an API for controlling the Linodes, but that’s all it does.
You will need to be familiar with network cloud security. If you aren’t comfortable configuring your own server security, you won’t want to use Linode’s plans. Your other option would be to hire a security expert to set up your server. However, this will only add to your costs.
Other Options
While Linode is known for their cloud computing, they do have a few competitors. Digital Ocean offers similar plans. Instead of Linodes, they use Droplets. It’s very easy to create a new Droplet. This gives Digital Ocean more flexibility than Linode offers. However, their basic server security isn’t as good. You will need to add additional security measures.
Upcloud is another competitor. Their servers are faster than what Linode’s are. However, their backup system, automation, and some other features are lacking. They simply don’t offer as much as Linode.
If you want a cloud hosting plan that is incredibly flexible, Digital Ocean does stand out. For speed, Upcloud is the clear winner. However, both of these services do have some pretty major downsides. Linode, on the other hand, may not stand out in one area but is very strong all-around. They offer solid cloud hosting with little to no downsides.
The Linode NodeBalancers cloud networking tool may not be for everyone, but it can be incredibly helpful if you know your servers will have a lot of data requests to handle. Being able to shift the load between Linodes that are overworked and those that are idle will make everything faster and more reliable.
Review Linode NodeBalancers (Cloud Networking) Review.