How to Install and Configure HAProxy on Ubuntu 24.04 & 22.04

HAProxy, an open-source load balancer, is essential for optimizing the performance and reliability of your web applications. By distributing incoming traffic across multiple servers, it ensures that no single server becomes overwhelmed, thus maintaining the availability and stability of your services. Ubuntu, a popular Linux distribution, provides an ideal environment for deploying HAProxy due to its robustness and user-friendly nature.

In this guide, we will walk you through the process of installing and configuring HAProxy on Ubuntu 24.04 and 22.04 LTS. Whether you are a beginner or have some experience with Linux, this tutorial is designed to be simple and straightforward, allowing you to set up HAProxy efficiently and effectively.

Step-by-Step Installation and Configuration

Step 1: Update Your System

Before installing HAProxy, it’s important to update your system’s package list to ensure you have the latest software versions. Open a terminal and run:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

Step 2: Install HAProxy

Once your system is updated, you can install HAProxy packages using the following command:

sudo apt install haproxy -y

Step 3: Verify HAProxy Installation

To verify that HAProxy has been installed successfully, check its version by running:

haproxy -v

You should see output similar to:

HA-Proxy version 2.x.x-x 202x/xx/xx

Step 4: Configure HAProxy

Now that HAProxy is installed, it’s time to configure it. Open the HAProxy configuration file in a text editor:

sudo nano /etc/haproxy/haproxy.cfg

Add the following basic configuration to the file:

global
    log /dev/log local0
    log /dev/log local1 notice
    chroot /var/lib/haproxy
    stats socket /run/haproxy/admin.sock mode 660 level admin
    stats timeout 30s
    user haproxy
    group haproxy
    daemon

defaults
    log global
    mode http
    option httplog
    option dontlognull
    timeout connect 5000
    timeout client  50000
    timeout server  50000
    errorfile 400 /etc/haproxy/errors/400.http
    errorfile 403 /etc/haproxy/errors/403.http
    errorfile 408 /etc/haproxy/errors/408.http
    errorfile 500 /etc/haproxy/errors/500.http
    errorfile 502 /etc/haproxy/errors/502.http
    errorfile 503 /etc/haproxy/errors/503.http
    errorfile 504 /etc/haproxy/errors/504.http

frontend http_front
    bind *:80
    default_backend http_back

backend http_back
    balance roundrobin
    server server1 192.168.1.2:80 check
    server server2 192.168.1.3:80 check

Here we defined on frontend that will “http_front” that will listen requests on port 90. Then it will forward all incoming requests on port 80 to defined backend servers 192.168.1.2 and 192.168.1.3 on port 80.

Step 5: Restart HAProxy

After saving your configuration file, restart HAProxy to apply the changes:

sudo systemctl restart haproxy

Also, enable HAProxy to start on boot:

sudo systemctl enable haproxy

Step 6: Check HAProxy Status

Finally, check the status of HAProxy to ensure it’s running correctly:

sudo systemctl status haproxy

You should see output indicating that HAProxy is active and running.

Conclusion

Congratulations! You have successfully installed and configured HAProxy on your Ubuntu 24.04 or 22.04 LTS system. By following these steps, you’ve set up a robust load balancing solution that will help improve the performance and reliability of your web applications. Remember to periodically check your HAProxy configuration and logs to ensure everything runs smoothly and to make adjustments as needed.