Microservices are a hot topic right now. The advantages of this approach to software architecture are so great that almost every tech blog out there has an opinion on the topic.
But what is a microservices architecture anyway? Do you need it? And which types of applications work best with this design? In this blog post, we’ll explore the differences between microservices and other architectures, why you’d want to use microservices, and finally, we’ll outline the pros and cons of this design.
What is a Microservices Architecture?
A microservices architecture is a software architecture pattern in which you break your application up into small, independent services that are distributed across different physical and virtual machines. Each service is responsible for performing a single function and supporting user transactions. These services are deployed as separate units and integrated with an application at the business logic level only. So, a customer journey typically follows the following path:
Outbound Call: The customer triggers an inbound call to your customer service, for example, to book a hotel stay, buy a plane ticket, or request customer support. The customer service then dispatches call-related tasks to one or more microservices.
Inbound Call: The customer seamlessly receives the customer service response using an outbound call. A successful response usually means the customer is greeted with a friendly message and can then complete a transaction without having to re-trigger the outbound call. The customer service then updates the customer record and marks the inbound call as completed.
Outbound Call: The customer service synchronizes with the customer record to mark the original outbound call as completed and update the customer’s status.
Why HapPhi Chose Microservices?
Many large organizations have started to adopt microservices because they are viewed as a more scalable alternative to monolithic applications. With microservices, each application component is a service that can be independently scaled, updated, and replaced—and each service is responsible for providing distinct functionality.
This approach to application architecture has proven particularly suitable for companies that process large amounts of data, such as financial services and media, that require scalability, high availability, and the ability to rapidly deliver new functionality. Some of the main benefits of this approach include:
More logical groupings: You decompose an application into smaller, more logical groupings, which results in easier and more rapid identification and resolution of errors.
Easier to test: It becomes easier to test individual services because they only have to be tested against their associated behavior, without having to mock or test calls to other services. This, in turn, results in shorter test suites and improved accuracy.
Improved focus: The team working on a service gets the attention they deserve, and the service’s architecture structures attentional focus across the team.
Drawbacks of Microservices
Despite the advantages we’ve outlined, microservices have their disadvantages. Before we discuss these, it’s important to note that not every application needs to use this architecture. Some applications might be better suited to a more traditional, monolithic approach.
So, what are the disadvantages of microservices? We’ve identified the following three main drawbacks of this design:
Increased management overhead: You need to manage each service as an individual unit, with its own deployment, testing, and monitoring processes. This can result in a higher level of effort required to keep these services running.
More code: Code base increases, and each service has to be written from scratch.
Increased complexity: As with any architectural change, you risk introducing new issues or bugs that you might not have spotted during the transition to this new approach. All of these issues add complexity to your application that you need to manage.
Final Words
We’ve discussed the advantages and disadvantages of microservices, and we’ve outlined some of the key differences between this approach and a traditional, monolithic architecture. Now it’s time to look at some real-world examples of microservices in action. One of the first things we noticed when analyzing the pros and cons of microservices is that they are a useful fit in a variety of different types of applications.
Financial services: Applications that require high availability, scalability, and the ability to rapidly deliver new functionality are best suited to microservices.
Healthcare: Similar to financial services, healthcare applications require high availability and the ability to rapidly deliver new functionality. Scalability is also important, as these applications must be able to process large volumes of patient data.
Travel: Another industry that requires scalability, high availability, and the ability to rapidly deliver new functionality is travel. In this industry, a traditional, monolithic approach might be better suited, however, due to the heavy volume of data movements required.
HapPhi Chose Microservices?
So, should you use microservices? Well, that depends on your application and the challenges you face. If you have an application that requires scalability, high availability, and the ability to rapidly deliver new functionality, then microservices are a good bet.
Microservices Advantages
The benefits of microservices are numerous, and we’ve highlighted a few of the main ones here. Scalability, high availability, and rapid delivery of new functionality are just a few of the key advantages of this architecture pattern.
Improved logical groupings: You break up an application into smaller, more logical groupings, which results in easier and more rapid identification and resolution of errors.
Easier to test: It becomes easier to test individual services because they only have to be tested against their associated behavior, without having to mock or test calls to other services. This, in turn, results in shorter test suites and improved accuracy.
Improved focus: The team working on a service gets the attention they deserve, and the service’s architecture structures attentional focus across the team.
Drawbacks of Microservices
Like all architectural patterns, there are trade-offs when using microservices. The main drawbacks of this approach are increased management overhead, increased complexity, and increased risk of bugs.
Increased management overhead: You need to manage each service as an individual unit, with its own deployment, testing, and monitoring processes. This can result in a higher level of effort required to keep these services running.
Increased complexity: As with any architectural change, you risk introducing new issues or bugs that you might not have spotted during the transition to this new approach. All of these issues add complexity to your application that you need to manage.
Increased risk of bugs: As with any new technology, you run the risk of introducing new bugs or issues during the transition to microservices. This approach requires you to think differently and be prepared to experiment and roll back course as necessary.
Microservices Advantages
We’ve outlined some of the key advantages of using microservices, and here are a few of the major ones. Scalability, high availability, and rapid delivery of new functionality are just a few of the key advantages of this architecture pattern.
Improved logical groupings: You decompose an application into smaller, more logical groupings, which results in easier and more rapid identification and resolution of errors.
Easier to test: It becomes easier to test individual services because they only have to be tested against their associated behavior, without having to mock or test calls to other services. This, in turn, results in shorter test suites and improved accuracy.
Improved focus: The team working on a service gets the attention they deserve, and the service’s architecture structures attentional focus across the team.
HapPhi Chose Microservices?
So, should you use microservices? Well, that depends on your application and the challenges you face. If you have an application that requires scalability, high availability, and the ability to rapidly deliver new functionality, then microservices are a good bet.
Final Words
We’ve discussed the advantages of microservices and the main drawbacks of this approach. Now it’s time to look at some real-world examples of microservices in action. One of the first things we noticed when
