Fly vs Google Cloud Load Balancing: What are the differences?

## Key Differences between Fly and Google Cloud Load Balancing

**1. Integrated CDN:**
Fly provides integrated content delivery network (CDN) capabilities, allowing for accelerated content delivery globally, while Google Cloud Load Balancing does not offer built-in CDN services.

**2. Routing Flexibility:**
Fly enables users to define routing rules based on multiple criteria such as geolocation, time of day, client device type, etc., providing more flexibility compared to Google Cloud Load Balancing, which primarily relies on standard load balancing algorithms.

**3. Application Layer Load Balancing:**
Fly supports application-layer load balancing, which allows for more granular control and optimization of traffic based on specific application requirements and performance metrics. In contrast, Google Cloud Load Balancing focuses more on network and transport layer load balancing.

**4. Global Anycast Network:**
Fly's global anycast network allows users to deploy applications closer to end-users, minimizing latency and providing a more consistent user experience across different regions. Google Cloud Load Balancing may not offer the same level of global reach and proximity to end-users.

**5. Self-hosted Edge Runtimes:**
Fly enables users to deploy edge runtimes closer to the end-users, offering capabilities such as serverless functions, data caching, and edge computing. This feature provides users with more control and customization options compared to Google Cloud Load Balancing's more centralized approach.

**6. Pricing Model:**
Fly offers a pay-as-you-go pricing model, where users pay for actual usage, while Google Cloud Load Balancing follows a tiered pricing structure based on the level of service and resources consumed, which may result in different cost implications for users.

In Summary, Fly and Google Cloud Load Balancing differ in terms of integrated CDN, routing flexibility, application layer load balancing, global anycast network, self-hosted edge runtimes, and pricing models.