---
title: "Manage security groups"
description: "Attach security groups to a TIR Load Balancer to control which traffic reaches it, and detach them when you are done with them."
content_type: "how-to"
product: "tir-load-balancer"
platform: "TIR"
url: "/tir/tir-load-balancer/how-to/manage-security-groups/"
topic: ["network"]
---

# Manage security groups

Attach security groups to a Load Balancer to restrict which traffic can reach it. Every Load Balancer
starts with open access. Attaching the first security group turns that open access off, so only what
the security groups' rules allow reaches the Load Balancer.

## Before you begin

- A security group with the rules you want. To make one, see [Create a security
  group](/tir/tir-security-group/how-to/create-a-security-group/), and to add rules, [Manage security
  group rules](/tir/tir-security-group/how-to/manage-security-group-rules/). The security group must
  be in the same project and region as the Load Balancer.
- A Load Balancer. To make one, see [Create a Load
  Balancer](/tir/tir-load-balancer/how-to/create-a-load-balancer/).

## Attach security groups

1. Open the Load Balancer and select the **Security Groups** tab.
2. In **Select Security Groups**, pick the groups to attach.
3. Select **Attach**.

You can attach up to five security groups at a time. If one of several groups fails to attach, the
others stay attached.

On the **Create Load Balancer** form, the **Security Group** field attaches one group to a new Load
Balancer; see [Create a Load Balancer](/tir/tir-load-balancer/how-to/create-a-load-balancer/). If that group fails to attach, TIR still creates the Load Balancer, and you can attach the group here.

## Detach a security group

1. On the **Security Groups** tab, select the detach button of the group.
2. In **Detach Security Group**, tick "Are you sure you want to detach this security group?" and
   select **Detach**.

Removing the last security group brings back the open access that every Load Balancer starts with.

Deleting a Load Balancer detaches all its security groups first.

## See the attached groups

The attached groups are on the **Security Groups** tab, each with its detach button. To see what each one allows, open it
in [TIR Security Groups](/tir/tir-security-group/).

To watch the traffic the Load Balancer handles, see [Monitor a Load
Balancer](/tir/tir-load-balancer/how-to/monitor-a-load-balancer/).