Spring Cloud LoadBalancer vs Ribbon: Key Differences and Why Ribbon Was Replaced

The article explains the functional and architectural differences between Spring Cloud LoadBalancer and Netflix Ribbon, why Ribbon entered maintenance mode and was replaced, outlines migration steps, compares configuration, caching, reactive support, and provides code examples and common interview questions for Java developers.

Client-side load balancingJavaLoadBalancer

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Spring Cloud LoadBalancer vs Ribbon: Key Differences and Why Ribbon Was Replaced

Lobster Programming

Dec 8, 2025 · Backend Development

How Netflix Ribbon Implements Client‑Side Load Balancing in Java

This article explains Netflix's open‑source Ribbon client‑side load balancer, detailing how it intercepts @LoadBalanced RestTemplate calls, resolves service names to IPs using various algorithms, and forwards requests via HttpClient, while highlighting its key features such as in‑process balancing, multiple strategies, fault‑tolerance, and protocol support.

Client-side load balancingJavaRibbon

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How Netflix Ribbon Implements Client‑Side Load Balancing in Java