Getting to know Microservice Architecture
Architecture types come into play when the need to choose the right kind of build arises for internet-based solutions. We explain why microservice architecture is worth it and the many ways this can benefit businesses.
Over the years, many experiments have been developed towards efficient approaches taking into consideration business demands and microservice architecture brings plenty of advantages. This architecture type focuses on structuring an application as a collection of services that are organized around business needs and capacities. In other words, it’s a method that allows services to be developed and maintained independently by small teams. However, the question needs to be asked. Why a microservice architecture and not a monolithic one?
The Monolithic approach
Many companies choose from the start of the monolithic approach and the reason is both simple and natural: it’s less costly, demands fewer professionals, and is faster. With such positives, why go any other way right? Well, not quite. For a business with a relatively simple platform that doesn’t have a pile of code, this approach can be beneficial. However, although it has advantages, the issues begin when the product is launched and, down the road, the complexity grows. Keep in mind that a monolithic architecture has its challenges, primarily for being inflexible. It’s a functional system but since its applications can’t be built using different technologies it becomes limited which in turn can have heavy costs when it comes to speed, growth, and overall keeping up with competitors. If the goal is scalability, it can turn out an enemy given that scaling applications can be difficult. Yes, it can handle changes but at the cost of reduced agility. Take into account that updates translate into system rebuilds. Lastly, it can become an unreliable method with a “Christmas lights” effect. In other words, if one feature of the system doesn’t work, then the entire system doesn’t work, puff no lights. In addition, for a constantly growing platform it can mean slow development, considering that in monolithic applications, every feature has to be built one after the other, taking precious time. Eventually, the platform grows to Everest like lines of code, if a problem occurs, finding the code that went wrong can be an extremely tiring and time-consuming process.
Why mono if you can micro
Deciding to migrate to the microservice architecture can have a major effect on business and team productivity. As we said earlier, a growing company means growing complexities, which is normal and expected. Breaking away from a mono architecture and embracing the microservice architecture is all about flexibility. Unlike the mono approach, microservices work independently and have the advantage of being written with different technologies. As in any business, scalability is crucial, and this is where microservice architecture scores big points. It allows each team to evaluate, determine, and choose the technologies that best fit each functionality. It has the big upside of allowing different components to scale at different rates while the monolithic architecture involves scaling the entire application. Adding the possibility to use different technologies, allows the team to answer each situation according to the business capabilities which ultimately translates into small, efficient, and cross-functional teams that work independently. In addition, when it comes to fault isolation if one microservice fails, the other will continue to work. This means experiencing a more structured and better security monitoring method. Since several parts of an application are isolated, if a security issue were to happen in a specific section, it wouldn’t affect other areas of the project. Plus, Agile processes are very connected to DevOps practices, which is more efficient, allowing faster development since smaller components being developed, means it’s easier to release faster cycles that bring new features to the market faster, an extremely important advantage for all businesses.
In sum, a microservice architecture is all about advantages. It allows a system to be divided into several smaller, individual and independent services, providing a more manageable system for engineers, increasing efficiency and deployment times. Each microservice can be implemented in a different programming language on a different platform, providing the perfect answer for each specific situation. Microservice architecture is a growing solution for businesses, as well as for an agile team that seeks to boost productivity, as well as a more complete, efficient, and desirable product.
