What is Microservices Architecture (Microservices)?
Microservices Architecture (sometimes called "Microservices") is an architectural style for developing applications. Microservices allow larger programs to be divided into smaller independent parts with specific responsibility areas; A microservices-based app could use multiple microservices internally to create its response.
Containers provide an effective microservices architecture solution, enabling developers to focus solely on developing services without worrying about dependencies and other considerations. They're widely used today when creating cloud native apps.
Microservice Architecture Characteristics
Microservice frameworks are a group of microservices designed to support specific business functions. These services are miniature applications that work together to support the primary application.
The following are the essential attributes for the design of microservices:
- Every microservice has only one responsibility. It is built to support a specific business function, such as emailing, raising alerts, or assigning tickets.
- Each microservice is its database and does not store data with any other service.
- Each service is developed, deployed, and maintained independently. Each microservice is, therefore, its codebase with its deployment environment.
- The microservices can be changed without affecting or updating others.
- Microservices all communicate via event-driven communications that follow a pattern of Publisher-Subscriber.
Microservices: When and how to use them
The best applications for microservices include those that require high scalability, are complex and are always evolving.
Microservices can be ideal for large-scale data processing applications, as you can separate complex functions and make them easier to develop.
Microservices: What they are and how they Work
A microservice is a collection of services that work together to run an application. The architecture uses APIs to transfer information from one service, like user queries or data streams.
The team that created the service determines how the software functions or what hardware is used. Communication between teams and the upgrading of services is a dynamic process.
Kubernetes is a tool that has advanced the microservices movement, but it's unnecessary. Cloud computing and the rise of networked computers have done two important things.
- The user no longer needs to be able to afford a powerful PC to perform all necessary tasks.
- The business ensures each user's application runs on a separate server.
Microservices are a good example of this. The user's computer may perform basic processing but is primarily responsible for making and receiving calls over the network to other computers.
It's reasonable that at least five computers have just been turned on whenever you open an app to support your experience. It's more likely that 10,000 additional computers will be actively processing data to improve the user experience, in the case of Facebook or Uber.
Although Microservices are often viewed as a logical progression of Service Oriented Architecture, some differences exist.
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Microservices Architecture Examples
Martin Fowler has pointed out that many companies now use microservices as part of their architecture. Netflix was one of the earliest and most famous adopters. Other well-known examples include:
- Buy eBay Tickets
- Amazon
- Paypal
- SoundCloud
- Gilt
- The Guardian
Each of these businesses has a microservice network.
SoundCloud might offer a microservice to help onboard users into its app. This microservice activates the account of the user on the backend. It might also be responsible for sending the user a welcoming email and providing a tutorial when they first log into the app.
Soundcloud could also offer a microservice that handles the uploading of a song by a user to its platform. Search functionality or recommended artists could be another.
Microservices are like the departments of a business, where different people have different roles. For example, the sales agents, the financiers, and the bank tellers all work for the same company.
Soundcloud's microservice design differs from a monolith because it does not use a single application for each part, which would be released each spring and then distributed as a CD. Each part (microservice), instead,
- Work independently to contribute to the whole
- Upgraded using the latest continuous integration and development (CI/CD).
Microservice Architecture or Monolithic Architecture?
In the days before Kubernetes, monolithic architectural patterns were used.
Monolithic architecture is when the application on the CD-ROM has the latest updates. It's released annually. Photoshop CS6 and Microsoft 2008 are examples.
This was the norm for building software. As technology has advanced, the architectural style also must evolve. In an age of Kubernetes and CI/CD workflows, the monolithic architecture encounters many limitations--companies need to push to microservices.
Monolithic Architecture:
- Slow changes are inevitable
- Costly changes
- It isn't easy to adjust to the changing product lines or specific products
The application could be faster to change due to monolithic structures. To change a single section of code, a new version of the software may need to be built and installed.
Developers must scale an entire application if they want to increase the performance of a certain function. This complicates changes and updates. Microservices can solve these challenges.
Microservice Architecture: Advantages
Improved Scalability
Each cloud microservice can be added, removed, updated, or scalable more easily because each runs independently. Developers can perform these tasks without affecting any other microservices in the system.
Each microservice can be scaled as required. If, for example, the demand for a microservice increases due to seasonal purchasing periods, more resources could be allocated efficiently. The microservice may be reduced if demand decreases as seasons change, so resources and computing power can be allocated to other areas.
Improvements in Fault Isolation
When developers encounter a problem with one component of a monolithic structure, all components will be affected. If one microservice fails, the likelihood of other components of an application failing is much lower with a microservice architecture. Each microservice operates independently. Businesses must be cautious, as large traffic may still overwhelm some applications.
The Programming Language is Independent of the Technology
Dev teams can choose any language they want for a microservice application. Microservices' architectures can be programmed in any language, so developers don't need to worry about learning a new language to finish their work. Cloud-based microservices give developers an additional advantage as they can access applications from any device connected to the internet, regardless of platform.
Simpler to Deploy
Microservices allow teams to deploy their applications without impacting other services. One of the advantages of microservices is that developers can add modules to the system without redesigning the entire structure. The microservice architecture allows businesses to add features quickly and efficiently.
Usefulness Across Business Areas
Some microservices may be shared across an organization. The same microservice can be applied to each website area with a different login option or payment method.
Faster Time-To-Market
This new microsurgery can be plugged into an architecture without fear of conflicting code or causing service disruptions affecting the entire website. The development teams working on microservices can start immediately after the other team finishes. Companies can quickly develop new features and update older components to exploit new technology.
Experimental Ability
Microservices make deciding whether or not you want to experiment much simpler. Each service can be independently launched. It's easier to pull back a feature if customers aren't happy with it or the benefits for the company need to be clarified. A microservices-based architecture allows customers to get a hold of a requested feature in just a few weeks rather than waiting months or years.
Data Security is Improved
When the parts of a computer system are broken down, the sensitive information is kept safe from being accessed by other parts. Developers can connect microservices using secure APIs. Secure APIs protect data by ensuring it's only accessible to authorized applications, users, and servers. When a company needs to handle sensitive information such as financial or health data, it is easier to comply with data security standards like the HIPAA in healthcare or GDPR.
Flexible Outsourcing
Outsourcing certain business functions may be required. Companies often use monolithic architectures to protect their intellectual property. Microservices allow businesses to create areas for their partners, who would not otherwise divulge core services.
Team Optimization
Consider the "two-pizza" rule when deciding the size of the teams assigned to each microservice. Amazon was the first to introduce microservices, and to this day, they still maintain a small development team that can be fed with just two pizzas. According to experts, this guideline improves work efficiency, helps businesses achieve their goals quicker, and makes managing teams easier. It also results in better quality products.
Engineers will find this Attractive
Microservices are attractive to engineers, while companies can find top talent for microservices development. Microservices are based on modern engineering techniques and developer tools. It is a great advantage to businesses that are looking for specialists.
Microservices: Their Disadvantages
There are many advantages to microservices for businesses, but some disadvantages should be considered before adopting them.
Microservices Have Higher Upfront Costs
Cloud microservices have pros and cons. They can be a good thing, like saving money in the long term, but they also come with some drawbacks, including the initial costs. A business must have sufficient infrastructure for hosting, with support in terms of security and maintenance. It will also need a team of skilled professionals to manage the services.
The Interface Control System Is Essential
Each microservice is equipped with its API. Any application that uses that service would be affected by a change to the API. This change will not be backward compatible. Microservices can harm large businesses that use them. They will need to manage hundreds or thousands of APIs.
Complexity In A Different Way
Microservices can make debugging more difficult. Every microservice has its logs. It is difficult to trace the cause of a code error.
Integrity Testing
Microservice architecture makes unit testing easier to manage. Integration testing does not. Developers cannot test an entire system on their machines because the architecture is distributed across microservices.
Microservices Vs. Service-Oriented Architecture
You're likely familiar with the debate between service-oriented architecture (SOA) and microservices if you are involved in cloud computing. Both architectures use cloud computing to support agile development. They both break down large monolithic elements into smaller, more manageable units.
SOA, on the other hand, is an enterprise-wide method of developing software components. The microservices build stand-alone applications which perform a particular function. This cloud native approach makes the application more agile, resilient, and scalable.
The difference is in scope. SOA refers to an enterprise-wide approach, whereas a microservices architectural design has a narrower application focus.
Microservices vs. Miniservices
Both microservices and miniservices are fine-grained alternatives for a monolithic architecture. They divide applications into smaller parts within specific contexts.
Miniservices fundamentally differ from microservices in allowing shared infrastructure and data storage. As a pragmatic alternative to microservices, miniservices have been gaining in popularity.
You must do thorough research before selecting the best architecture. Each of them has its benefits and limits. To avoid operational and budgetary problems, it is important to consider the skills and technologies required to maintain each framework.
Read More: Things You Need to Know About Cloud Native Applications
Miniservices Architecture
A framework was needed to address these issues. Monoliths can be difficult to scale due to their size, and microservices require more effort to maintain and orchestrate.
A miniservices architectural design is a solution to this problem. It's the perfect middle ground between the monolithic and microservices designs. This approach assumes that microservices can be implemented realistically.
Miniservices is a framework for implementing domain-bound services that have multiple responsibilities. It also has shared data storage. Miniservices, unlike microservices that decouple services from their implementation details, can share databases and libraries.
Features of a Miniservice Architecture
- Services that are related can use the same database. Modules that perform similar functions can share the same database. A mini service, for example, may have multiple functions, such as image processing or rendering images.
- The REST APIs are used to communicate between services.
- Similar services can use the same codebase, infrastructure, and deployment.
Miniservices: Benefits
Miniservices are derived from microservices and inherit their benefits, including fault tolerance, scalability, and robustness.
Other benefits of adopting miniservices are:
- Better performance: Miniservices improve application performance by reducing network traffic and the number of interconnections and services between domains.
- Reduced microservice maintenance costs: By sharing maintenance overhead, services that perform related functions can reduce the cost of maintaining microservices.
- Developer-friendly: Miniservices can be a good option for businesses that need more resources to hire smaller teams of developers to work on individual services.
Miniservices are limited
- A mini-service framework can make it difficult to perform end-to-end tests due to all the dependencies associated with one service. It also adds complexity to error handling and finding bugs.
Which is Better for you: Microservices or Serverless?
There are both advantages and disadvantages to serverless and microservices architectures. The decision on which architecture is best depends on your business's goals and the scope of its products.
If cost-effectiveness and rapid deployment to market are your top priorities, serverless technology is the way to go. If your company plans to develop a complex, large-scale application where the product is anticipated to evolve, microservices are a better option.
It is possible, however, to combine these two solutions into a single cloud native instance with the help of a team.
What does Serverless mean?
Serverless can be misleading, as it suggests no server exists.
Serverless means an organization cannot maintain or invest in physical hardware. Instead, You rely on an independent third party to maintain the physical infrastructure, including server, network, and storage.
This allows your company to develop apps without worrying about the infrastructure. Popular third-party platforms include:
- AWS Lambda
- Microsoft Azure Functions
- Google Cloud Platform Features
There are two perspectives to serverless:
- Function as a service (FaaS): A new model allows programmers to execute an application's code modules (functions) on-the-fly without worrying about backend infrastructure and system requirements.
- BaaS (Backend as a service): Model whereby the backend is handled independently (databases, storage, etc.). The backend of a software system can be handled separately and provided as a separate service. It involves outsourcing backend services for management and maintenance to third parties, allowing your company to concentrate on its core functions.
The Benefits of Serverless Environments
- Focus on quality development and faster deployment
- Spend less time and money on maintaining and upgrading infrastructure
- It is best suited to short, real-time processes with a high client load that will grow.
- Hire database and server specialists at lower costs
- Budget projections are made easier with multiple subscription pricing models
- Scalability quickly without compromising performance
- The vendor is responsible for managing computing resources and not you.
The Challenges of a Serverless System
- Engagement in long-term agreements with third parties managing the business.
- Transitioning from one vendor to another can take time due to changes in business logic or technological developments.
- A tenant deploying bad code next door may cause performance problems or bugs on a shared platform.
- It may be necessary to perform a "cold start" on applications or functions which have been inactive for an extended period. This requires additional time to set up resources.
Microservices Architecture: Best Practices
This article groups those best practices into categories representing the progress of the various phases of the Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC), starting when you consider microservices as part of your next project and ending with application deployment.
These tips include practices specific for new users, helping you successfully transition from a monolithic framework to one with microservices.
For Planning & Organizing
- Assess whether the microservices architectural model is right for you based on your requirements: Wait to adopt it just because the major players have adopted it. Analyze your requirements and see if you can divide them up into useful functions. You should do your research to make sure you can subdivide your application into microservices while maintaining its main features and functionality.
- Bring everyone along with you: Moving from a monolithic to a microservices architecture is a long and difficult process, but the effects are not confined to just the developers. The stakeholders should consider the amount of time, money, and expertise needed to make the necessary infrastructure changes. The change particularly affects engineering teams as they will be both implementers and users.
- Create teams to handle microservices. Since each microservice is an independent application, teams must be formed around them. Separate teams should be formed to handle different microservices. It is also important that these teams possess the skills and tools necessary to develop, deploy and manage specific services independently. These teams must be large enough and versatile to manage their operations without spending time on communication.
The Microservice
- Distinguish your microservices and your business functions from each other: This will prevent you from building too big or small microservices. If the first scenario occurs, you will not see any benefits of using microservices. This will result in an increase in operational costs, which is greater than any benefit gained.
- Create loosely coupled, cohesive services that cover only one context: Services with a loosely-coupled design depend on each other minimally. High cohesion is achieved by designing the service to follow the principle of single responsibility, i.e., it must perform one primary function well. Finally, you should design services that are domain-specific and contain internal details about the domain. The microservice will cover a context confined to a specific area, thus achieving Domain-Driven Design.
- APIs are used to exchange information between services: The two services should not communicate directly. Design an API Gateway that will handle authentication, requests, responses, and throttles for services. You can redirect the traffic to the new version of your service whenever you update the API gateway.
- Think about microservices architecture security flaws: Use the DevSecOps Model to build a secure microservices architecture as an industry best practice.Microservices are inherently more vulnerable to attacks due to the distributed nature of their architecture. DevSecOps provides a better solution for provisioning security than a monolithic architecture.
The Microservice
- Use a different version control strategy per service: Each service needs its own repository to make provisioning and access easier while keeping version control logs clear. It is also useful if any changes you make could break another service.
- The development environments of your services should be the same across all machines: Create virtual machines for the developers to adapt to the framework quickly and easily.
- Ensure that the endpoints of service you expose are backward compatible: Do not break anyone's caller. Use strict contract tests to prevent breaking changes in order to achieve this. It also allows for backward compatibility based on API calls in response to each user request. This allows your company to build applications that are ready for production faster.
For Data Storage & Management
- Use different data stores or databases for each microservice: Choose a database that meets the requirements of the microservice. Customize the storage and infrastructure to meet the specific data it contains, and only use that database for the microservice. It is one of the most important ways to achieve a microservices framework where services are maintained separately but work harmoniously through service mesh.
For Deploying & Hosting
- Separately deploy your microservices: This helps coordinate with multiple teams when regular maintenance or upgrades are undertaken. You want one service to take up manageable resources, affecting other services because it shares resources. It is highly recommended that each microservice be hosted on a separate infrastructure. This isolates the microservices from other components' faults, allowing fault tolerance and an outage to be avoided.
- Containerized microservices: Microservices and containers often go together. Containerized microservices allow you to deploy and manage individual services without having any impact on services that are hosted in other containers. In line with the objectives of the microservice architecture, containers also provide platform freedom and interoperability. Use strict contract tests to prevent breaking changes in order to achieve this.
- Automate your deployment by creating a different build for each microservice: Automating is key to achieving the DevOps Model. Automation tools such as Jenkins can automate DevOps processes by supporting Continuous Integration and Delivery (CI/CD).
Maintenance & Operations
- Implement a central logging and monitoring solution: Centralized logging systems ensure logs are sent to all microservices using a standard format. However, logs for each service can be saved separately. This model is more efficient than a monolithic one, allowing for faster handling of errors and analysis of root causes. Moreover, by spotting compromised resources early on, utilizing an advanced monitoring system helps preserve security while monitoring resource availability.
Microservice Architecture Transition
The microservices model helps manage applications more effectively. Still, it is complex to transition from a traditional architecture into a microservices one. Microservices implementation may vary depending on the use case, but these best practices remain universal.
All microservices should always aim to be loosely coupled and distributed while enabling automation and efficiency.
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The Conclusion
In the end, microservices are a part of DevOps and the overall shift that most organizations are moving towards. DevOps environments encourage collaboration between the development and operation teams to increase IT agility so businesses can also be agile.
Microservices technology is merely an application. Microservices are an overall concept where organizations adopt culture, knowledge, and structures to support business goals.
