How do you handle session persistence and sharing across multiple backend instances?

Q: How do you handle session persistence and sharing across multiple backend instances?

Session persistence and sharing across multiple backend instances are typically managed through tools like sticky sessions and session replication. Sticky sessions route a user's requests to the same backend instance to maintain session state, while session replication copies session data across all backend instances. These approaches ensure consistent user experience and data access, even in distributed environments.

Sticky Sessions

Sticky sessions, also known as session affinity, route a user’s requests to the same backend instance based on a session identifier. This ensures that all requests related to a specific session are handled by the same server.

By associating a user’s session with a particular backend server, sticky sessions help maintain session state and data integrity throughout the user’s interaction with the application.

Session Replication

In cases where sticky sessions may not be sufficient or practical, session replication can be used to copy session data across all backend instances.

With session replication, changes to a session on one server are replicated to other servers, ensuring that session data remains consistent and available across the entire backend infrastructure.

By implementing a combination of sticky sessions and session replication, software developers can effectively manage session persistence and sharing across multiple backend instances, providing a seamless and reliable user experience.