Microservices and APIs: What You Need to Know to Make Your Company Modular and Competitive

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In the digital age, businesses must move faster and adapt quicker than ever to remain competitive. As a result, companies are adopting new practices that enable them to maintain speed without sacrificing quality or efficiency. These practices include microservices and APIs. Both of these concepts leverage modularization to help businesses compete in today’s market. A microservice-based architecture is an application design methodology that structures an app as a suite of smaller services rather than one monolithic software program. An API or application programming interface is a set of routines, protocols, and tools for building software applications. An API allows developers to build on top of pre-existing code to extend functionality without having to completely rework the existing codebase.

What is a Microservice Architecture?

A microservice architecture is an application design methodology that structures an app as a suite of smaller services rather than one monolithic software program. Microservices can be developed and deployed independently, which makes it easy for businesses to apply continuous deployment practices and scale their operations as needed. Rather than building an app from a single codebase, a company that adopts a microservices architecture will break down their code into smaller modules called microservices. Each microservice will be responsible for one discrete function or subset of functionality. Companies often choose to use microservices to reap the benefits of microservices and APIs.

Why use Microservices?

With every microservice being developed to do one thing and one thing only, there are fewer points of failure. This means that if one part of the system encounters a problem, it will not bring down the entire system. Additionally, if the company wants to make changes to that specific area, they can do so without impacting the rest of the system. If your organization has a team of engineers that work on similar problems, it might be beneficial to create one or more microservices to house the similar code. This way, the engineers can more easily collaborate on the code because it is housed in a single location instead of being spread throughout an application.

Why use APIs with Microservices?

APIs make it easy for a company to build microservices. A company can create APIs for each microservice that they create. These APIs will allow other companies to take advantage of the functionality that the first company created. This can be great for companies that have specific functionality that they want to make available to other companies. For example, Facebook has a range of functionality that other companies may want to use. Rather than each company needing to hire engineers to build the same functionality from scratch, the companies can use the APIs provided by Facebook to easily add the functionality to their own applications.

Pros of a Microservice and API-Based Architecture

- Scalability - If a specific microservice encounters issues, other microservices will not be impacted. This is because each microservice is separate and only does one thing. It is easier to scale the system when microservices are used. If your company is going through rapid growth, microservices are a great option because they are easy to scale. - Easier Testability - Because each microservice does one thing, it is easier to test. You can either manually test the functionality or use automated tests that are easier to create. - Higher Quality System - Since the microservices are smaller, they are easier to maintain. This means that engineers can focus on just a few areas of the system and have less code to go through when making changes. - Openness - With an API-based architecture, you have the potential to open up your system and allow other companies to take advantage of your code. This can be a great way to grow your company and earn more revenue.

Cons of a Microservice and API-Based Architecture

- More Complex Development - Because you have to manage multiple smaller services, the development process becomes more complex. This can result in a longer development cycle that can delay the launch of your product. - More Disruptive Changes - Because each service is separate, each one can potentially be updated at any time. This can result in changes that are not expected and affect other microservices. - More Complex Operations - The operations team will likely have to manage more infrastructure and have more things to monitor. This can be especially challenging for smaller organizations that may not have the resources to effectively manage complex infrastructure. - More Expensive - Building and maintaining microservices can be more expensive because you have to have additional engineers and tooling.

Final Words

Microservices and APIs can help your company maintain speed while maintaining quality. The best way to make sure that your company utilizes these concepts is to have a clear definition of what each microservice does and what they should communicate with. This will help engineers create better code that is easier to maintain and less likely to break.

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