HA-Proxy is a TCP/HTTP reverse proxy which is particularly suited for high availability environments. Indeed, it can: - route HTTP requests depending on statically assigned cookies - spread the load among several servers while assuring server persistence through the use of HTTP cookies - switch to backup servers in the event a main one fails - accept connections to special ports dedicated to service monitoring - stop accepting connections without breaking existing ones - add/modify/delete HTTP headers both ways - block requests matching a particular pattern