7 Benefits of Adopting Microservices Architecture

Microservices are not new in software engineering, but they’ve become the preferred architecture for many applications—especially those dealing with significant data exchange and various functions. Microservices architecture involves breaking down large, monolithic applications into smaller services that will be developed, deployed, and scaled independently. The good part of this approach is that it offers better scalability, flexibility, and resilience. However, it also presents challenges like increased complexity and the need for effective team communication and coordination.

In this post, we’ll dive into the benefits and drawbacks of microservices architecture, look at some best practices for adoption, and compare microservices with a traditional monolithic architecture.

What Is a Microservices Architecture?

Microservices architecture is an approach to building software systems composed of small, independent services that communicate with each other through lightweight protocols. In other words, microservices are services broken into smaller bits focusing on a specific function.

These services can be developed, deployed, and scaled independently of other services. This approach allows businesses to break down large, complex applications into more manageable services, each of which can be developed and maintained by small, autonomous teams. Let’s see some of the benefits of using the microservices approach.

Benefits of Adopting Microservices Architecture

Here are seven benefits that can help you decide whether to adopt a microservices architecture.

One of the most significant benefits of microservices architecture is its polyglot architecture and technology independence

Polyglot Architecture and Technology Independence

For different applications, various technologies and languages are more appropriate. One of the most significant benefits of microservices architecture is its polyglot architecture and technology independence. You can develop each microservice using a different technology stack, allowing you to choose the best tool for the job. For example, you can develop one microservice using Java, while another could use Python. This approach enables organizations to leverage the strengths of different technologies and frameworks and easily integrate new technologies into their architecture without disrupting the entire system.

Easy Scaling and Efficient Resource Utilization

Another key benefit of microservices architecture is its ability to scale quickly and efficiently. As mentioned earlier, each microservice can scale independently, allowing organizations to allocate resources where they’re needed most. This ensures that each service can handle the required workload without impacting the performance of other services. This promotes efficient resource utilization, as resources are only allocated based on the needs of each service.

Easier Innovation and Feature Deployment

Microservices architecture enables more accessible innovation and feature deployment by promoting a DevOps culture. With DevOps, developers and operations teams work closely to streamline the development and deployment process. By breaking down the application into smaller services, teams can work on specific features without affecting the rest. This approach allows organizations to innovate faster and deploy new features more quickly, resulting in better customer experience.

Database Flexibility and Independence

A microservices architecture also provides greater database flexibility and independence. In a monolithic architecture, all services share the same database, leading to data coupling and making it challenging to scale individual services. With a microservices architecture, each service has its database, allowing for greater flexibility and scalability. This approach also makes it easier to use different databases for different services, depending on their specific needs.

Improved Resiliency and Fault Tolerance

Microservices architecture improves resilience and fault tolerance, as each service is designed to be independent. This means that if one service fails, it does not impact the performance of other services. Additionally, microservices architecture promotes the use of distributed systems, which can provide redundancy and failover capabilities to ensure that the application remains available even in the event of a failure.

Reuse of Lessons Learned

Microservices architecture enables organizations to reuse lessons learned from previous projects. Since each microservice is designed to be self-contained and independent, you can easily reuse it in future projects. This approach promotes code reuse and can help organizations save time and resources by not having to develop the same functionality from scratch for each project.

Easy Deployment and Rollback

Finally, microservices architecture enables easier deployment and rollback. Since each service is designed to be independent, it can be deployed and rolled back independently of other benefits. This approach makes it easier to deploy changes to the application and roll back to a previous version, if necessary, without impacting the entire system.

Drawbacks of Microservices

Using microservices involves some challenges, though. Let’s take a look.

Complexity and Difficulty in Debugging

Microservices architecture can add layers of complexity to an application, as it involves multiple services communicating with each other through APIs. This can make debugging more difficult, as issues may arise from interactions between services rather than within individual services.

Network and Service Call Failures

With a microservices architecture, a failure in one service can affect the performance of other services that depend on it. Additionally, network latency and service call failures can occur, leading to slower response times and reduced application availability.

In a microservices architecture, a single application can be composed of dozens or even hundreds of individual services, each with its own codebase and dependencies.

Difficulty in Fault Finding Due to Distributed Nature

In a microservices architecture, a single application can be composed of dozens or even hundreds of individual services, each with its own codebase and dependencies. This can make it challenging to track down the source of faults or failures, as you can distribute them across multiple services. Additionally, it can be challenging to reproduce issues in a development or testing environment due to the system’s complexity.

How Are Microservices Architectures Different From Monolith and Multi-tier Architectures?

Monolith and multi-tier are two different architectural approaches.

Compared with traditional monolithic architectures, which tightly integrate all components of an application into a single unit, microservices architecture provides greater flexibility, scalability, and resiliency. By breaking down applications into smaller services, businesses can scale individual services as needed and modify specific services without redeploying the entire application.

In a multi-tier architecture, applications are split into three or more layers. These layers are based on technical functions like presentation, logic, and data layers. There is a tight link between the layers, and any changes made to one layer can affect the entire application. For example, if you make a change to the database schema, you may need to update the application logic and user interface to reflect those changes.

On the other hand, microservices architecture divides the application into smaller, independent services that are loosely coupled and communicate with each other via APIs. Each microservice is responsible for a specific business capability. Additionally, they are designed to be independent and self-contained, which facilitates the development, deployment, and scaling of individual services.

Best Practices for Using Microservices

There are some best practices that can guide you when using microservices. Here are a few to keep in mind:

• Keep your microservices compact and concentrated on a single function or purpose.
• For microservices to communicate, use a recognized protocol such as REST.
• Adopt microservice orchestration and containerization by using technologies like Docker and Kubernetes to automate operations such as deployment, scaling, and monitoring.
• Implement event-driven designs and make communication between microservices easier by using Apache Kafka.
• Use a load balancer and a reverse proxy. To spread traffic among microservices and boost performance and dependability, use NGINX.
• To ensure the functionality and security of microservices, implement monitoring, logging, and security mechanisms.
• To quickly and confidently deploy microservices, use continuous delivery.

Conclusion

Implementing a microservices architecture can greatly enhance software development initiatives. Simply by breaking complicated programs into smaller, independently deployable services, developers can boost the scalability, resilience, and flexibility of those applications. To effectively utilize the capabilities of microservices, it’s crucial to adhere to best practices. For instance, software engineers should keep services small, use a standard communication protocol, containerize services, and put monitoring and security measures in place. By following these best practices, software engineers can produce systems that are more reliable and effective and that can adapt to shifting business requirements. Ultimately, this can improve user experience and boost business value.This post was written by Chinyere Ordor. Chinyere is a versatile writer and developer with expertise in RPA, backend development, and various other cutting-edge technology fields. With a passion for technology and innovation, Chinyere has written various articles on Node.js, test automation, etc. showcasing their deep understanding of the subject. When she’s not working, she’s found catching up with friends.