Demystifying Monolithic Vs. Microservices Architecture

Demystifying Monolithic Vs. Microservices Architecture

• A monolithic architecture is an application with a single code repository for software modules, business logic, and data access. All services are deployed and managed in one place.
• Microservice architecture distributes systems as independent components with specific functions, computing resources, and databases. Each piece can be deployed and upgraded in isolation, using application programming interfaces (APIs) to exchange data.

Monolithic Architecture

Monolithic software is designed to be self-contained, wherein the program's components or functions are tightly coupled. In a monolithic architecture, each component and its associated components must all be present for code to be executed or compiled and for the software to run.

Monolithic applications are single-tiered, which means multiple components are combined into one large application. Consequently, they tend to have large codebases, which can be cumbersome to manage over time.

Pros of Monolithic Architecture

• Simplicity and Ease of Development: Because all components of the program are housed under a single codebase, monolithic architecture is often easier to develop. This ease of use can lessen the complexity of the development process, making it more accessible to developers of all skill levels.
• Simplified Deployment: The deployment process is often simple because the complete application is deployed as a single item.
• Lower Latency: Communication between components in a monolithic architecture occurs via in-memory calls, which can result in lower latency.
• Easier Testing: Testing can be simplified when all components are contained within the same codebase.
• Development Time and Cost: Reduced complexity can lead to shorter development cycles.

Cons of Monolithic Architecture

• Limited Scalability: Scaling the entire application as a single unit can lead to resource wastage, as some components may require more resources than others. Additionally, scaling a monolithic may require more powerful hardware, which can be costly.
• Complexity and Maintainability: As an application grows, the codebase can become large and complex, making it harder to understand, maintain, and extend. Adding new features or making changes to one part of the application can inadvertently affect other parts, leading to unintended consequences.
• Dependence on a Single Technology Stack: Monolithic architectures are often built using a single technology stack. While this can provide consistency, it also means that the entire application is tied to the strengths and limitations of that particular stack.
• Testing Challenges: End-to-end testing may require substantial resources and can be time-consuming, and isolating and testing individual components in isolation can be difficult due to tight coupling.

Use Cases

• Small to Medium-sized Web Applications: For simpler websites or smaller web apps, monolithic architecture is frequently preferred. The complexity that microservices add can be avoided by building and deploying these apps as a single cohesive unit.
• Internal Business Tools: Since these applications typically have constrained functionalities and user bases, a monolithic design may be sufficient for internal tools or administrative systems within an organization.
• Offline Desktop Applications: Monolithic architecture can be used to build desktop programs that work offline and don’t need intricate backend connectivity for simplicity and distribution.
• Less Complex APIs: To reduce development effort, some APIs that don’t need considerable scaling or independent component deployment may be created as monolithic services.

Microservice Architecture

Microservices Architecture is a software design strategy that structures an application as a collection of loosely connected and deployable services. An application is divided into smaller, manageable, and targeted services that can be built, deployed, and scaled independently in this architectural approach.

Microservices do not reduce complexity, but they do make it visible and manageable by breaking activities down into smaller processes that work independently of one another while contributing to the overall whole.

Pros of Microservices Architecture

• Decentralization: Each service runs as a separate entity, with its own database (if necessary) and logic. This enables teams to operate on several services concurrently without interfering with one another.
• Scalability: Because services are segregated, you can scale them individually based on their specific needs. This implies you can devote more resources to high-traffic services while ignoring others.
• Resilience: If one service fails, the entire application does not go down. The error is limited to that one service, allowing the remainder of the application to work normally.
• Flexibility and Agility: Since each service can be built, tested, and deployed individually, microservices allow for quicker development and deployment cycles. This flexibility is especially helpful in complicated, large-scale applications.
• Ease of Maintenance: Monolithic applications are more difficult to comprehend and maintain as they grow, whereas smaller, more specialized services are easier to use and understand.

Cons of Microservices Architecture

• Complexity: Comparatively speaking, monolithic designs are less difficult than microservices structures. Managing the whole system can be more difficult when multiple services interact and communicate.
• Inter-service Communication Overhead: Services frequently need to communicate with one another in a microservices architecture through message queues or APIs. When the services are placed on many servers or in various data centers, this can cause overhead and latency.
• Data Management: Typically, each microservice has its own data store or database. Data consistency and accessibility across services can be very difficult to maintain, especially in complex transactions involving many services.
• Testing Challenges: Dealing with many integration points while testing microservices makes it difficult and time-consuming to ensure thorough testing across all services.

Use Cases

• E-commerce Platforms: Large e-commerce websites frequently use microservices to perform a variety of tasks, including user identification, order processing, payment handling, and logistics for shipment. Teams can work on many system components at once by implementing each of these functions as a standalone microservice.
• Streaming Services: Microservices are used by streaming platforms for video, audio, and live content to provide a seamless user experience. It is possible to create different microservices for content delivery, recommendation engines, transcoding, user profiles, and content ingestion.
• Social Media Platforms: Complex features including user profiles, timelines, notifications, chat, and content sharing are available in social networking programs. To handle each of these operations separately, microservices can be used, which speeds up development and updates.
• Travel and Hospitality Platforms: Microservices can be used to handle booking procedures, inventory management, payment processing, loyalty programs, and customer assistance on travel booking websites or hotel reservation systems.

Why Should You Migrate to Microservices?

The cloud microservices market is predicted to grow from $1.33 billion in 2023 to $3.72 billion by 2028, with an average CAGR of 22.88%. It can be attributed to the increasing need for low-cost and secure IT operations and the acceptance of containers and DevOps tools.

But why move from monolithic to microservices? This transition offers some excellent business and technical benefits.

Business Flexibility

Microservices architecture emphasizes bounded context between its independent components, making your system easily modifiable. Adding, removing, and upgrading features based on your business needs takes much less effort. So, it’s easier to keep systems relevant and competitive.

Faster Deployment

Microservices code is more understandable since it’s restricted to a single data repository. Your teams will get the dependencies and know what to expect when modifying the codebase. It makes testing more consistent and coherent, saving you time and money on upgrading the system.

Productive Environment

Defined boundaries and minimal dependencies allow teams to implement, scale, and deploy multiple microservices simultaneously. It also implies your developers have more autonomy. For example, they can choose programming languages, frameworks, and APIs that are better suited for their goals, further improving their productivity.

Fault Tolerance

Modification in one module can break the entire monolithic application, but things are the other way around in loosely coupled architecture. Each microservice isolates its code errors and limits their impact on the whole system. It means that migrating from monolithic to microservices makes your system more tolerant of failures.

Scalability

Companies can scale microservices in isolation based on their needs without affecting the rest of the application. What does this mean? You can improve performance for specific software modules by scaling computing resources up or down.

Cost Savings

Microservices enable you to update or patch individual services without disrupting the entire application. Because services are smaller and more isolated, it’s easier to identify and fix issues. Also, you don’t need to scale the entire application during peak usage. This way, you optimize resource allocation, reduce downtime, and avoid unnecessary costs.

How to transition from a monolithic to a microservices architecture?

In my next LinkedIn article, I'll be sharing a detailed, step-by-step guide on migrating from a monolithic to a microservices architecture. Stay tuned!

About Priya Ekbote

EVP - Digital Services

With over 25 years of experience, this forward-thinking expert excels in leading software development teams, showcasing a proven knack for problem identification, analysis, and resolution to enhance customer satisfaction and cost control.

Serving as a liaison among stakeholders, she adeptly identifies and defines business needs, providing recommendations for solutions that propel the organization towards its goals. Driving Digital Transformation through highly valued change and innovation with proven versatility to bring fresh perspective, new ideas, and keen business intuition to spot growth opportunities.

She has directed Global Delivery Centre and Centre of Excellence (CoEs) to serve the global markets with cutting edge technologies and business transformation initiatives. Leveraging a developer's background, Priya has honed skills in programming logic, business analysis, and project and process management.

Her extensive international experience involves working with clients, showcasing a high level of expertise in managing geographically dispersed teams and projects across diverse cultures throughout her 18-year association with Aress.