Akamai Global Traffic Management (GTM) is a DNS-based load balancing solution that routes user requests to optimal data center locations based on real-time Internet conditions. The service uses policy-based load balancing to direct traffic according to geography, server status, IP header information, and performance metrics. GTM operates by responding to DNS queries with optimal IP address routes, leveraging the EDNS standard to map end users to the nearest data centers. The system monitors server health at configurable intervals across multiple data centers, checking for specific status codes, response text, and timeouts. The service provides automatic failover capabilities, redirecting requests to alternate locations when primary sites fail. It supports multiple load balancing methods including weighted random load balancing, performance-based load balancing, and performance-based load balancing with load feedback from data centers. GTM includes a 100% uptime SLA and maintains availability during DDoS events. The platform offers real-time and historical reporting on traffic patterns, with data feeds from the global network of servers. Configuration management is available through APIs and a command-line interface (CLI). The service supports multi-cloud environments, enabling traffic policy implementation across different cloud providers from a single interface. It uses IP Anycast technology to ensure DNS queries connect to the closest server for performance and availability.