hash-type
defaults frontend listen backend yes yes no no yes yes yes yes Arguments :
map-based the hash table is a static array containing all alive servers. The hashes will be very smooth, will consider weights, but will be static in that weight changes while a server is up will be ignored. This means that there will be no slow start. Also, since a server is selected by its position in the array, most mappings are changed when the server count changes. This means that when a server goes up or down, or when a server is added to a farm, most connections will be redistributed to different servers. This can be inconvenient with caches for instance.
consistent the hash table is a tree filled with many occurrences of each server. The hash key is looked up in the tree and the closest server is chosen. This hash is dynamic, it supports changing weights while the servers are up, so it is compatible with the slow start feature. It has the advantage that when a server goes up or down, only its associations are moved. When a server is added to the farm, only a few part of the mappings are redistributed, making it an ideal method for caches. However, due to its principle, the distribution will never be very smooth and it may sometimes be necessary to adjust a server's weight or its ID to get a more balanced distribution. In order to get the same distribution on multiple load balancers, it is important that all servers have the exact same IDs. Note: consistent hash uses sdbm and avalanche if no hash function is specified.
sdbm this function was created initially for sdbm (a public-domain reimplementation of ndbm) database library. It was found to do well in scrambling bits, causing better distribution of the keys and fewer splits. It also happens to be a good general hashing function with good distribution, unless the total server weight is a multiple of 64, in which case applying the avalanche modifier may help.
djb2 this function was first proposed by Dan Bernstein many years ago on comp.lang.c. Studies have shown that for certain workload this function provides a better distribution than sdbm. It generally works well with text-based inputs though it can perform extremely poorly with numeric-only input or when the total server weight is a multiple of 33, unless the avalanche modifier is also used.
wt6 this function was designed for haproxy while testing other functions in the past. It is not as smooth as the other ones, but is much less sensible to the input data set or to the number of servers. It can make sense as an alternative to sdbm+avalanche or djb2+avalanche for consistent hashing or when hashing on numeric data such as a source IP address or a visitor identifier in a URL parameter.
crc32 this is the most common CRC32 implementation as used in Ethernet, gzip, PNG, etc. It is slower than the other ones but may provide a better distribution or less predictable results especially when used on strings.
avalanche This directive indicates that the result from the hash function above should not be used in its raw form but that a 4-byte full avalanche hash must be applied first. The purpose of this step is to mix the resulting bits from the previous hash in order to avoid any undesired effect when the input contains some limited values or when the number of servers is a multiple of one of the hash's components (64 for SDBM, 33 for DJB2). Enabling avalanche tends to make the result less predictable, but it's also not as smooth as when using the original function. Some testing might be needed with some workloads. This hash is one of the many proposed by Bob Jenkins. The default hash type is "map-based" and is recommended for most usages. The default function is "sdbm", the selection of a function should be based on the range of the values being hashed. See also : "balance", "hash-balance-factor", "server"