What type of load balancing does CyberArk recommend?

CyberArk recommends application-aware load balancing deployed as a reverse proxy because this approach ensures that the load balancer can intelligently route traffic based on the specific application layer protocols and user requests. Application-aware load balancing can perform health checks on backend services and make routing decisions based on the state of the application or the content of requests. This means it can ensure that traffic is directed to the most appropriate endpoint, which can improve performance and reliability significantly.

In contrast, round-robin based load balancing, while simple, does not consider the health or performance of the back-end servers or services. It treats each server equally regardless of its current load or ability to handle requests effectively. IP-based load balancing also lacks the fine-tuned control of application-state and specific request handling that application-aware systems provide, leading to potential inefficiencies.

Content-based routing, while useful in some contexts, can introduce additional complexity and may not always be necessary for typical CyberArk deployments. Thus, application-aware load balancing deployed as a reverse proxy is favored for its ability to dynamically adapt to the needs of the application and ensure optimal performance and security.