--- title: "Deploying a Public Cloud Load Balancer (EN)" description: "Find out how to configure the Public Cloud Load Balancer" url: https://docs.ovhcloud.com/pl/guides/public-cloud/network-services/octavia-use-lbaas-openstack lang: pl lastUpdated: 2025-09-17 --- # Deploying a Public Cloud Load Balancer (EN) ## Objective This tutorial explains the following Load Balancer configurations: - Deploying a basic HTTP Load Balancer Private → Private - Deploying a basic HTTP Load Balancer Public → Private ## Requirements - A [Public Cloud project](https://www.ovhcloud.com/pl/public-cloud/) in your OVHcloud account - A [private network](/pl/guides/public-cloud/network-services/vrack.md) configured in your project - [Prepare the environment to use the OpenStack API](/pl/guides/public-cloud/cross-functional/compute-prepare-openstack-api-environment.md) - [Set OpenStack environment variables](/pl/guides/public-cloud/cross-functional/compute-set-openstack-environment-variables.md) - [OpenStack Octavia client](https://docs.openstack.org/python-octaviaclient/latest/install/index.html) installed ## Instructions ### Load Balancer within your Private Network (Private → Private) When you create a Load Balancer, by default it gets a private IP in the private network selected during its creation. We want to balance the load between the two backends: `backend--1` and `backend--2`. ```bash (os_client) ~ openstack server list +--------------------------------------+------------+--------+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+--------------+--------+ | ID | Name | Status | Networks | Image | Flavor | +--------------------------------------+------------+--------+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+--------------+--------+ | 5b8c722b-57d0-460a-b2c0-b0a681bf4e52 | backend--2 | ACTIVE | priv-net=10.0.111.243 | Ubuntu 20.04 | d2-4 | | 9a43ce4c-e0fe-4a54-81f5-aad3ac6f8e88 | backend--1 | ACTIVE | priv-net=10.0.112.172 | Ubuntu 20.04 | d2-4 | | 67b9372e-bf08-4c57-9945-42b07dbfcd36 | bastion | ACTIVE | Ext-Net=2001:48f0:163:100::1662, 169.254.10.150; priv-net=10.0.109.243 | Ubuntu 20.04 | d2-8 | +--------------------------------------+------------+--------+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+--------------+--------+ ``` **Step 1: Create the Load Balancer** ```bash openstack loadbalancer create --name loadbalancer_private_to_private --vip-subnet-id +---------------------+--------------------------------------+ | Field | Value | +---------------------+--------------------------------------+ | admin_state_up | True | | availability_zone | None | | created_at | 2022-06-29T12:24:35 | | description | | | flavor_id | 2d4bc92c-38fc-4b50-9484-8351ab0c4e69 | | id | 4db76fce-f8f7-435f-8031-716f82a7f1dc | | listeners | | | name | loadbalancer_private_to_private | | operating_status | OFFLINE | | pools | | | project_id | 96575fa614c14aa7b001c7e121d772f2 | | provider | amphora | | provisioning_status | PENDING_CREATE | | updated_at | None | | vip_address | 10.0.3.50 | | vip_network_id | d20943ed-5159-4805-b48a-2375dd93e480 | | vip_port_id | 631f240c-16f7-483f-b1c4-6eff7a8adcf4 | | vip_qos_policy_id | None | | vip_subnet_id | 4ecfca39-6e87-496a-8692-2e7f43bf7767 | | tags | | +---------------------+--------------------------------------+ ``` :::warning **Load Balancer Flavors** If you do not provide the parameter `--flavor` during the creation, the Load Balancer will be of a small size. ::: Use the following command to display the flavors in OpenStack: ```bash openstack loadbalancer flavor list +--------------------------------------+--------+--------------------------------------+---------+ | id | name | flavor_profile_id | enabled | +--------------------------------------+--------+--------------------------------------+---------+ | 2d4bc92c-38fc-4b50-9484-8351ab0c4e69 | small | e9970d43-695e-4947-8005-38be80bc966a | True | | 4d6a92af-d4c8-4e81-8596-e3b14159e232 | medium | 24559467-a4dd-4712-9981-93276400fa17 | True | | fd43698c-0a2f-4124-9695-478f9114a07c | large | 3ded4565-7bc7-40b3-9a2c-83077035b134 | True | +--------------------------------------+--------+--------------------------------------+---------+ ``` :::warning **Status** The Load Balancer creation will take some time, mainly to create the instance and to configure the network. For the next configuration, you will have to wait until the `provisioning_status` becomes `ACTIVE`. ::: You can already see when creating our Load Balancer that it is associated with a Virtual IP address (VIP). ```console | vip_address | 10.0.3.50 | ``` This will be our Load Balancer IP inside our Private Network. **Step 2: Create a listener** ```bash openstack loadbalancer listener create --protocol-port 80 --protocol HTTP --name listener +-----------------------------+--------------------------------------+ | Field | Value | +-----------------------------+--------------------------------------+ | admin_state_up | True | | connection_limit | -1 | | created_at | 2022-06-29T12:34:37 | | default_pool_id | None | | default_tls_container_ref | None | | description | | | id | e2e67b80-61e6-43bd-b1f1-703ab1abc7af | | insert_headers | None | | l7policies | | | loadbalancers | 4db76fce-f8f7-435f-8031-716f82a7f1dc | | name | listener | | operating_status | OFFLINE | | project_id | 96575fa614c14aa7b001c7e121d772f2 | | protocol | HTTP | | protocol_port | 80 | | provisioning_status | PENDING_CREATE | | sni_container_refs | [] | | timeout_client_data | 50000 | | timeout_member_connect | 5000 | | timeout_member_data | 50000 | | timeout_tcp_inspect | 0 | | updated_at | None | | client_ca_tls_container_ref | None | | client_authentication | NONE | | client_crl_container_ref | None | | allowed_cidrs | None | | tls_ciphers | None | | tls_versions | None | | alpn_protocols | None | | tags | | +-----------------------------+--------------------------------------+ ``` **Step 3: Create the pool** ```bash openstack loadbalancer pool create --name pool --lb-algorithm ROUND_ROBIN --listener --protocol HTTP +----------------------+--------------------------------------+ | Field | Value | +----------------------+--------------------------------------+ | admin_state_up | True | | created_at | 2022-06-29T12:41:52 | | description | | | healthmonitor_id | | | id | f0c833f7-53bb-46b7-8818-637d89a68089 | | lb_algorithm | ROUND_ROBIN | | listeners | e2e67b80-61e6-43bd-b1f1-703ab1abc7af | | loadbalancers | 4db76fce-f8f7-435f-8031-716f82a7f1dc | | members | | | name | pool | | operating_status | OFFLINE | | project_id | 96575fa614c14aa7b001c7e121d772f2 | | protocol | HTTP | | provisioning_status | PENDING_CREATE | | session_persistence | None | | updated_at | None | | tls_container_ref | None | | ca_tls_container_ref | None | | crl_container_ref | None | | tls_enabled | False | | tls_ciphers | None | | tls_versions | None | | tags | | | alpn_protocols | None | +----------------------+--------------------------------------+ ``` **Step 4. Add the servers** ```bash openstack loadbalancer member create --subnet-id --address --protocol-port 80 +---------------------+--------------------------------------+ | Field | Value | +---------------------+--------------------------------------+ | address | 10.0.3.123 | | admin_state_up | True | | created_at | 2022-06-29T12:48:55 | | id | fbe34622-2538-4896-bda3-d92ca66f7a30 | | name | | | operating_status | NO_MONITOR | | project_id | 96575fa614c14aa7b001c7e121d772f2 | | protocol_port | 80 | | provisioning_status | PENDING_CREATE | | subnet_id | 4ecfca39-6e87-496a-8692-2e7f43bf7767 | | updated_at | None | | weight | 1 | | monitor_port | None | | monitor_address | None | | backup | False | | tags | | +---------------------+--------------------------------------+ ``` **Step 5. Use your Load Balancer** ```bash root@bastion:~# curl http://10.0.3.50/backend.txt Backend 1 root@bastion:~# curl http://10.0.3.50/backend.txt Backend 2 ``` ### Load Balancer with a public IP (Public → Private) We will be using the Load Balancer previously deployed in a private network and use an OpenStack Floating IP. We will need to create a Floating IP address on the public network (Ext-Net), and then associate it to the Load Balancer's VIP port. In order to use a Floating IP, we will need to create an L3 router and configure an external Gateway on it. > **What is the role of a Floating IP?** > > Floating IP addresses are used in the OpenStack universe to expose resources (Neutron port) to the Internet. You can associate a Floating IP to a private network port **only**. > > You can expose two types of resources: > > - An instance with a private port > - An Load Balancer Virtual IP address (VIP) > > Floating IP currently does not support IPv6. > > You can read more about it on our dedicated [Concepts page](/pl/guides/public-cloud/network-services/additional-ip-vs-floating-ip.md). **Step 1: Create the router** ```bash openstack router create ``` **Step 2: Add an external Gateway on your router** ```bash openstack router set --external-gateway Ext-Net ``` **Step 3: Attach the router to your Private Network** ```bash openstack router add subnet ``` **Step 4: Now we can create a Floating IP on the public network: Ext-Net** ```bash openstack floating ip create Ext-Net +---------------------+--------------------------------------+ | Field | Value | +---------------------+--------------------------------------+ | created_at | 2022-06-29T13:19:10Z | | description | | | dns_domain | None | | dns_name | None | | fixed_ip_address | None | | floating_ip_address | 169.254.10.250 | | floating_network_id | b2c02fdc-ffdf-40f6-9722-533bd7058c06 | | id | 5f1ad04e-f341-457b-a174-a1204ee4feef | | name | 169.254.10.250 | | port_details | None | | port_id | None | | project_id | 96575fa614c14aa7b001c7e121d772f2 | | qos_policy_id | None | | revision_number | 0 | | router_id | None | | status | DOWN | | subnet_id | None | | tags | [] | | updated_at | 2022-06-29T13:19:10Z | +---------------------+--------------------------------------+ ``` **Step 5: Associate its ID to the Load Balancer's VIP address** ```bash openstack floating ip set --port ``` **Step 6: Using your Load Balancer with its public IP** ```bash ❯ curl http://169.254.10.250/backend.txt Backend 2 ❯ curl http://169.254.10.250/backend.txt Backend 1 ❯ curl http://169.254.10.250/backend.txt Backend 2 ❯ curl http://169.254.10.250/backend.txt Backend 1 ❯ curl http://169.254.10.250/backend.txt Backend 2 ``` #### Where to place the public Gateway The public Gateway is defined by an L3 router attached to a private network with an external Gateway. ![diagram](/images/public-cloud/network-services/technical-resources-01-using-lbaas-in-openstack-environment/topology.png) ### Delete the Load Balancer ```bash openstack loadbalancer delete [--cascade] [--wait] ``` ## Go further [Getting started with Load Balancer on Public Cloud](/pl/guides/public-cloud/network-services/getting-started-load-balancer.md) [Official documentation of OpenStack Octavia](https://docs.openstack.org/octavia/latest/) [Cookbook OpenStack Octavia](https://docs.openstack.org/octavia/latest/user/guides/basic-cookbook.html) [OpenStack Floating IP](https://docs.openstack.org/ocata/user-guide/cli-manage-ip-addresses.html) If you need training or technical assistance to implement our solutions, contact your sales representative or click on [this link](https://www.ovhcloud.com/pl/professional-services/) to get a quote and ask our Professional Services experts for assisting you on your specific use case of your project. 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