> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.xloud.tech/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Load Balancer Provider Drivers

> View and configure load balancing provider drivers in Xloud to control the underlying appliance implementation.

## Overview

Provider drivers determine the underlying implementation used to create and manage load
balancing appliances. The default provider is configured during XDeploy deployment.
You can view available providers, inspect their capabilities, and allow users
to select a specific provider at provisioning time.

<Warning>
  **Administrator Access Required** — This operation requires the `admin` role. Contact your
  Xloud administrator if you do not have sufficient permissions.
</Warning>

***

## View Available Providers

```bash title="List available load balancing providers" theme={null}
openstack loadbalancer provider list
```

Example output:

```
+----------+---------------------+
| name     | description         |
+----------+---------------------+
| amphora  | Amphora provider    |
| ovn      | OVN provider        |
+----------+---------------------+
```

```bash title="List provider capabilities" theme={null}
openstack loadbalancer provider capability list <provider-name>
```

The capabilities output lists supported protocols, algorithms, session persistence types,
and feature flags (ACTIVE\_STANDBY topology, L7 policies, TLS termination, etc.).

***

## Provider Comparison

| Feature            | Amphora                            | OVN                                       |
| ------------------ | ---------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------- |
| Data plane         | Instance-based appliance           | OVN logical flows (no appliance instance) |
| HA topology        | ACTIVE\_STANDBY supported          | Built-in via OVN HA                       |
| L7 routing         | Full L7 policy support             | Limited L7 support                        |
| TLS termination    | Supported                          | Supported                                 |
| Throughput         | Limited by appliance instance size | Near line-rate (kernel-based)             |
| Appliance overhead | 1 instance per load balancer       | No appliance instances                    |
| Best for           | Full-featured production LBs       | High-throughput, simpler LBs              |

***

## Configure Default Provider

The default provider is set during XDeploy deployment via globals:

```yaml title="XDeploy globals: set default load balancer provider" theme={null}
octavia_provider: "amphora"  # or "ovn"
```

Apply after changing:

```bash title="Deploy load balancer configuration" theme={null}
xavs-ansible deploy --tags octavia
```

<Warning>
  Changing the default provider affects all new load balancers. Existing load balancers
  retain their original provider — they are not automatically migrated.
</Warning>

***

## Specify Provider at Provisioning Time

You can override the default provider when creating a load balancer:

```bash title="Create load balancer with specific provider" theme={null}
openstack loadbalancer create \
  --name my-lb \
  --vip-subnet-id <subnet-id> \
  --provider ovn
```

<Note>
  Not all providers are available in all deployments. The available providers depend
  on which drivers are deployed and configured by the platform administrator.
</Note>

***

## Next Steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Flavor Profiles" href="/services/load-balancer/flavor-profiles" color="#197560">
    Create capacity tiers that wrap provider-specific configuration for users.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Architecture" href="/services/load-balancer/lb-architecture" color="#197560">
    Understand the controller-appliance model for the Amphora provider.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Monitoring" href="/services/load-balancer/lb-monitoring" color="#197560">
    Monitor provider-specific appliance health and statistics.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Admin Troubleshooting" href="/services/load-balancer/lb-troubleshooting" color="#197560">
    Resolve provider driver configuration and appliance provisioning issues.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>