In computing and networking, load balancing refers to the method of distributing workloads across multiple resources, such as servers, a cluster, network links, or CPUs. This distribution can help optimize the utilization of resources, maximize throughput, minimize response time, and avoid overload of any single resource. Load balancers can be hardware-based or software-based, working at the session, transport, or application layer. Additionally, load balancing can be configured to ensure high availability and reliability by redirecting traffic from failed units to healthy ones.