The terms monolithic and microservices are frequently used in the programming world. Microservices, which emerged only a few years ago, are now a rapidly growing trend. To understand microservices, we must first understand monolithic applications and what led to the recent shift from monolithic applications to microservices.
In this article, we will compare microservices to monolithic architecture, outline the advantages and disadvantages of both approaches, and determine which software architecture style is best for your business.
What is a monolithic architecture?
The monolithic approach is considered to be a default model for creating a software application. An application is referred to as monolithic if all of its functionalities are contained within a single codebase. As the application evolves, it becomes more tightly coupled and entangled, making it difficult to isolate services for purposes such as independent scaling or code maintainability.
A typical solution would include a client-side user interface, a server-side application, and a database. It is unified, and all functions are managed and served in a single location.
Take a monolithic SaaS application for online shopping as an illustration. It might include a web server, a load balancer, a service that serves up product images from a catalogue, an ordering platform, a payment option, and a delivery element.
Monolithic applications typically have a single large code base and lack modularity. Developers use the same code base when updating or changing something. As a result, they make changes to the entire stack at once. Up until they grow too big, monolithic apps can be extremely efficient, but scaling them becomes challenging. The entire platform must be compiled and tested in order to make a small modification to a single function, which goes against the agile development style that most engineers use nowadays.
Advantages of Monolithic Architecture -
1. Simple deployment - A single executable file or directory simplifies deployment.
2. Development - It is easier to develop an application when it is built with a single code base.
3. Performance - In a centralized code base and repository, one API can frequently perform the same function as multiple APIs with microservices.
4. Testing - Testing is simplified because a monolithic application is a single, centralized unit, allowing for faster end-to-end testing than a distributed application.
5. Networking and Security - In comparison to microservices architecture, network latency and security issues are relatively less.
6. Simple debugging - With all code in one place, it's easier to follow a request and identify a problem.
7. Developers need not learn different applications, they can keep their focus on one application.
Disadvantages of Monolithic Architecture -
1. Scalability – Individual components cannot be scaled.
2. Reliability - If there is an error in any module, it may affect the availability of the entire application.
3. Barrier to technology adoption - Adopting any new technology that is well suited for a specific functionality is extremely difficult because it affects the entire application, both in terms of time and cost.
4. Deployment - A minor modification to a monolithic application necessitates the redeployment of the entire monolith.
What are microservices?
In contrast to the monolithic approach, microservices architecture breaks an application down into a collection of smaller independent units. Every application process is handled separately by these units. So all the services have their own logic and the database as well as perform the specific functions. Each microservice can utilize the database type that is most suited to its needs, which is another benefit of having a distinct database for each microservice.
In short, the microservice architectural style is an approach to developing a single application as a suite of small services, each running in its own process and communicating with lightweight mechanisms, often an HTTP resource API. Updating, testing, deployment, and scaling occur within each service. Microservices make any complexity visible and more manageable by separating tasks into smaller processes that function independently of each other and contribute to the overall whole.
Advantages of Microservices -
1. Easy understanding
A microservice application is more manageable and easier to comprehend when it is broken up into smaller, simpler components. You simply focus on a particular service that is connected to a business objective you have.
2. Independent components
All the services can be deployed and updated independently, which gives more flexibility. One microservice's problem only affects the microservice; it does not affect the entire application. Additionally, compared to monolithic applications, microservice ones make it much simpler to introduce new functionality.
3. Better scalability
Each component of the microservices approach is scaled separately, which is an additional benefit. In comparison to monoliths, where the entire application must be scaled even when there is no need for it, the entire process is therefore more time- and cost-efficient. Additionally, each monolith has scalability restrictions, thus the more users you add, the more issues your monolith faces. As a result, many businesses have to redesign their monolithic architectures.
4. Agility
Encourage small teams that deploy regularly to use agile methods of operation.
5. Continuous deployment
Our release cycles are now more frequent and quicker. We used to provide updates once a week, but we may now do so up to two or three times every day.
6. Flexibility in technology
Teams have the ability to decide whatever tools they want to use thanks to microservice designs.
Disadvantages of microservices -
1. System distribution
Given that a microservices architecture is a complicated system made up of numerous modules and databases, each connection must be properly managed.
2. Extra complexity
Since a microservices architecture is a distributed system, The connections between all the modules and databases must be determined and set up. Additionally, each independent service that is included in such an application must be installed separately.
3. Debugging challenges
Because each microservice keeps its own set of logs, troubleshooting is more difficult. Additionally, a single business process may execute on several computers, which makes debugging even more challenging.
4. Lack of standardization
Without a unified platform, languages, logging conventions, and monitoring techniques may spread.
5. Exponential infrastructure costs
Each new microservice may have separate costs for a test environment, deployment playbooks, hosting resources, monitoring tools, and other things.
A microservices architecture is not a solution that works for everyone. A monolith provides substantial and long-lasting advantages that make it ideal for many use cases even though it is becoming less and less common. But when businesses expand and the demands placed on their systems grow, using a microservices design may be beneficial. When it comes to solutions that support numerous user journeys and workflows, microservices are excellent. However, it would be impossible to apply this paradigm without the necessary microservices knowledge.
With this, I'll wrap this post here.
I hope it was enjoyable for you to read.
Thank you for reading!
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