Horizontal Scaling, also known as scaling out, is a method of adding more machines or nodes to a system to increase capacity. In cloud computing, this means adding more instances to handle increased load, which can often be done automatically using auto-scaling features.

• Horizontal scaling allows for increased capacity by adding more machines or nodes to the system.
• It provides a way to improve performance and handle increased load without upgrading the hardware of individual nodes.

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Horizontal Scaling works by distributing the load evenly across multiple servers, reducing the strain on any single server and increasing the redundancy and availability of the application.

• In a horizontally scaled system, a load balancer is typically used to distribute network traffic to multiple servers.
• This approach allows for increased capacity and reliability, as even if one server fails, the system can continue to operate using the remaining servers.

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An online retailer experiences a significant increase in traffic during a holiday sale. To handle the increased load, the retailer uses horizontal scaling to add more servers to its e-commerce platform. This allows the platform to handle the increased traffic, ensuring a smooth shopping experience for customers, even during peak times.