While designing a new product, the first thing that comes to mind is how to structure the code. As you may be aware, the monolithic vs. microservice debate is still raging. Microservices are believed to be the comparatively best technique for developing a software system, despite the fact that monolithic apps have been present for a long time.
According to O’Reilly, 61% of companies have implemented microservices over the past five years, with a 55% “complete success” rate. Also, data from Dzone shows that 73% of companies believe that microservices will become indispensable for building next-gen software applications.
Since the companies like Uber, Netflix, Amazon and Spotify switching to microservices, it’s no secret the pendulum is swinging in the direction of microservices architecture.
In this post, we will thoroughly compare these two methods so that you may select the one that is best suited to your needs.
What is Monolithic Architecture?
It is a traditional method of software development in which the total system function is based on a single application as a single, autonomous unit. A huge block of stone can be used as an analogy here (a.k.a monolith). This single block would represent a single platform in software development.
All functions are controlled and served in one place in a monolithic app. Of course, an app has an internal structure that includes a database, a client-side interface, and business logic, but it is still a hidden unit. Its components can communicate without using an API.
Advantages of monolithic applications
Monolithic architecture is simple to implement, however, microservices require significantly more effort. It’s easier to perform business logic without having to worry about component coordination.
Because they don’t use APIs to communicate between components, monolithic apps perform better than microservice apps.
Since these apps are a single unit, they are easier to debug and test because automated testing can be done without taking into account the varied run-time environments that microservices provide.
Its setup is straightforward, requiring only the execution of a script that loads your module and launches the program.
With one application in a single location, there are far fewer cross-cutting problems such as login, caching, management, memory, and so on.
Disadvantages of monolithic architecture
Tight coupling- Because monolithic apps are tightly coupled, their codebases tend to get convoluted as they scale, making it harder to isolate services for independent scaling and code support.
Low flexibility- Because one part is dependent on the others, any change has an impact on the entire network. As a result, changes take time and must be carefully coordinated. Aside from that, each minor update necessitates redeployment.
Scaling confines-Monolith apps can only scale as a whole. Scaling components individually is impossible.
What is microservice software architecture?
Business logic is split down into lightweight, single-purpose self-contained services in a microservice architecture. As a result, the infrastructure resembles collection modules. Each service in this style of architecture is in charge of achieving a specific business goal. As a result, the microservice architecture resembles a Lego structure that can be broken down into multiple components. APIs guarantee that the system’s components communicate with one another.
Advantages of microservices architecture
Autonomy- You have the freedom to form cross-functional, self-contained teams for each business aim. Other services will be unaffected by the features they deploy.
Agility- Microservices give you the flexibility to utilize a variety of languages and storage technologies for distinct functions. Microservices can also work on any device, both in the cloud and on-premise.
Scalability- Unlike monolithic architecture, you do not need to scale the entire system; instead, you only need to change one component of the system.
High reliability- Since microservices are autonomous, a failure or damage in one module has no effect on the others. Modules are reusable and can be reprofiled for other tasks
Continuous delivery is made simple. You can work on specific system elements without disrupting the entire system.
Disadvantages of microservices architecture
Designing distributed systems is difficult. The connections inside the distributed system require a significant amount of effort to design.
Microservice architecture demands more resources and takes longer to implement than monolithic architecture.
There are more cross-cutting problems with microservices, such as caching and logging, which must be addressed in each service.
Complex deployment- As the number of elements increases, so does the operational complexity. As a result, deployment becomes more difficult since developers must manage a large number of autonomous services and their interconnections.
The more complicated the structure, the more difficult it will be to test it, particularly the interactions between the services.
| Monolithic architecture | Microservice architecture | |
|---|---|---|
| Deployment | Deploy the entire system once, then make adjustments as needed. | It is possible to deploy and rollback each microservice separately. |
| Maintenance | NET, JAVA, PHP, or Ruby, Python/Django skills are needed | DevOps, Docker, Kubernetes, Lambda, etc skills are needed |
| Reliability | A single failure might bring the entire system down. | A failure of one service has no effect on the availability of other services. |
| Agility | New technologies and programming languages are impossible to implement. | Possibility of using multiple languages and technology for varied business requirements |
| Development | Teams are involved in the development process at the same time. | Different teams can work on different aspects of the solution. |
| Updates | Due to intrinsic dependencies within the architecture and other developers working at the same time, the updates may take some time. | Because of the autonomous nature of the services, quick updates are possible due to the minimalistic design of the modules. |
| Testing | Possibility of end-to-end testing | Each component needs to be tested separately. |
| Security | At the system level, secure data processing and transfer is made easier. | The use of an API gateway to communicate between services creates security concerns. |
| Scalability | Low, only vertical | High |
Conclusion
Make a decision based on your organizational structure when it comes to choosing between these two architecture solutions. Microservices are an excellent fit if you have multiple teams working on the same project. A team of three developers, on the other hand, is better suited to monolithic architecture.
The project’s agility and complexity are also important considerations. The microservice model fits nicely with a fast-paced project with complicated business logic.
If you still have questions or doubts visit stellardigital.in and get in touch with our team.
