---
title: Local traffic steering · Cloudflare Load Balancing docs
description: Endpoint steering customizes how each pool distributes requests to
  its associated endpoints.
lastUpdated: 2025-08-20T20:59:04.000Z
chatbotDeprioritize: false
source_url:
  html: https://developers.cloudflare.com/load-balancing/understand-basics/traffic-steering/origin-level-steering/
  md: https://developers.cloudflare.com/load-balancing/understand-basics/traffic-steering/origin-level-steering/index.md
---

Endpoint steering customizes how each [pool](https://developers.cloudflare.com/load-balancing/pools/) distributes requests to its associated endpoints.

These distributions are a combination of two properties:

* The endpoint steering [policy](#policies) chosen for your pool.
* The [weights](#weights) assigned to each endpoint.

Note

If an endpoint [becomes unhealthy](https://developers.cloudflare.com/load-balancing/understand-basics/health-details/), your pool will also re-balance traffic according to its endpoint steering policy.

## Policies

When you [create a pool](https://developers.cloudflare.com/load-balancing/pools/create-pool/), you have to choose an option for **Endpoint Steering**.



* [Random](https://developers.cloudflare.com/load-balancing/understand-basics/traffic-steering/origin-level-steering/random-origin-steering/)
* [Hash](https://developers.cloudflare.com/load-balancing/understand-basics/traffic-steering/origin-level-steering/hash-origin-steering/)
* [Least Outstanding Requests](https://developers.cloudflare.com/load-balancing/understand-basics/traffic-steering/origin-level-steering/least-outstanding-requests-pools/)

## Weights

The weight assigned to an endpoint controls the percentage of pool traffic sent to that endpoint. By default, all endpoints within a pool have a weight of **1**.

If you leave each endpoint with the default setting and choose a **Random** endpoint steering policy, each endpoint will receive the same percentage of traffic. If you use a **Hash** policy, that percentage will vary based on the IP distribution of your requests.

### Customize weights

To customize weights when you [create or edit a pool](https://developers.cloudflare.com/load-balancing/pools/create-pool/), set the **Weight** to a number between 0 and 1 (expressed in increments of .01). Cloudflare will then send traffic to that pool based on a combination of your endpoint steering policy and the following formula.

```txt
% of traffic to endpoint = endpoint weight ÷ sum of all weights in the pool
```

Endpoint weight example

Here’s an example applying weights to three endpoints with a **Random** endpoint steering policy:

* **Weights:** Endpoint A = 0.25; Endpoint B = 0.25; Endpoint C = 0.50
* **When all endpoints are healthy**, each endpoint will receive the following proportion of total traffic: A = 25%; B = 25%; C = 50%.
* **When one endpoint is unhealthy** (such as endpoint C), each healthy endpoint will receive the following proportion of total traffic: A = 50%; B=50%.

A significant amount of traffic is required for the distribution to converge on the expected values.

An endpoint with a weight of **0** should not receive any traffic sent to that pool (though the endpoint will still receive health monitor requests).

You can also see this value in the **Percent** field when creating or editing a pool in the dashboard.

Note:

If an endpoint is used in multiple pools and has multiple weights assigned, the total traffic sent to that pool will differ from the percentage specified in each individual pool.

### Limitations

If you choose **Hash** for your **Endpoint Steering** or enable [session affinity](https://developers.cloudflare.com/load-balancing/understand-basics/session-affinity/), these options can affect traffic distribution.

Additionally, session affinity takes precedence over any selected weight or endpoint steering policy.

When using [DNS-only load balancing](https://developers.cloudflare.com/load-balancing/understand-basics/proxy-modes/#dns-only-load-balancing), DNS resolvers may cache resolved IPs for clients and affect traffic distribution.
