---
title: "Create a Load Balancer in Kubernetes | Hostman Docs"
description: "Learn how to create a Kubernetes load balancer using a Service manifest, configure multiple ports, and fine-tune it with annotations."
---

> For the complete documentation index for AI agents, see [llms.txt](https://hostman.com/llms.txt).

To ensure the stable operation of applications and evenly distribute traffic among pods in [Kubernetes](https://hostman.com/products/kubernetes/), you can use a load balancer. It helps avoid overloading individual pods, maintaining high availability and stability of services.

To create a load balancer in Kubernetes, we define a `Service` resource with the type `LoadBalancer`. Below is an example of a basic manifest:

```yml
apiVersion: v1
kind: Service
metadata:
  name: example-balancer
  namespace: kubernetes-dashboard
spec:
  selector:
    app.kubernetes.io/name: nginx
  ports:
    - port: 80            # External port for accessing the application
      targetPort: 80      # Pod port to which traffic is redirected
  type: LoadBalancer
```

In this example, the load balancer redirects traffic from port 80 to port 80 inside the pods matching the selector `app.kubernetes.io/name: nginx`.

If you need to add multiple rules for balancing, ensure that you specify the `name` attribute for each port:

```yml
apiVersion: v1
kind: Service
metadata:
  name: example-balancer
  namespace: kubernetes-dashboard
spec:
  selector:
    app.kubernetes.io/name: nginx
  ports:
    - port: 80
      targetPort: 80
      name: http
    - port: 443
      targetPort: 443
      name: https
  type: LoadBalancer
```

The value of the `name` attribute can be arbitrary.

For each port, you can specify the traffic protocol using the `appProtocol` attribute. This explicitly defines how the load balancer will handle traffic. By default, the value is `proto-tcp`.

The following values are supported:

-   `k8s.hostman.com/proto-http`: standard HTTP traffic
-   `k8s.hostman.com/proto-https`: HTTPS traffic
-   `k8s.hostman.com/proto-tcp`: TCP traffic
-   `k8s.hostman.com/proto-tcp-ssl`: TCP traffic with TLS support
-   `k8s.hostman.com/proto-http2`: HTTP/2 traffic

After creation, the load balancer will be visible in the management panel under the **Load Balancers** section, with a `k8s` label.

> [!NOTE]
> A load balancer created through Kubernetes can only be modified via `kubectl`, not through the dashboard or API.