Moving to Microservices from a Monolithic Architecture
Microservices are getting a lot of attention these days. They are being used for application modernization and due to advancements in cloud technology, the number of microservices applications is growing rapidly.
To keep pace with this growth, enterprises are moving towards microservices from legacy monoliths. Monoliths are large, complex software applications that are built using one code base. On the contrary, microservices are small, independent services that can be deployed independently. These services communicate via APIs and can be scaled easily.
This blog post will walk you through the reasons for migrating to microservices architecture from a monolithic platform, as well as its many benefits.
Why Should you Migrate to Microservices from Monolithic?
It can be hard for users to be agile when using a monolithic architecture. Compared to that, there are several disadvantages of this approach. These include-
- Lack of creativity and flexibility
- Unscaleable components of the system
- Applying new technology presents challenges
- Updates/changes are more challenging
- Component interdependence
Unlike monolithic systems, the microservices architecture is evolving to address these problems. As the name suggests, microservices are smaller systems that break up an app into a set of independent services. This means they're faster to develop and deploy than monolithic architectures. Migrating from a monolithic app to microservices provides an opportunity for business optimization - you'll be able to enhance collaboration while streamlining processes.
Microservices simplify app management, which helps you deploy each service independently. They also make it easier to share data and collaborate. There are many reasons to consider migrating from monolithic architecture to microservices, such as-
Decentralized Data Management- In Monolithic architecture, all apps use a single database model. In contrast, in microservices architecture each service has its own database. This leads to decentralized data management and governance.
Microservices- When you want to scale up or down individual services, you can do so without scaling the entire app. This helps to preserve quality and maximize functionality.
Components- Microservices architecture can be broken into a few core services, which can be implemented individually. You can update and restart these services at any time without affecting other microservices.
Routing- Microservices are similar to UNIX in which they have a simpler routing process. However, the appeal here is in the requests, processing and response which all happens asynchronously.
Transformative- Microservices architecture has a progressive design. It's an ideal fit for transformative systems and projects, since adapting to new technologies is expected.
Recovery- In microservices architecture, the failure of one module won't affect the other modules. The design of microservices makes it easier to recover from failures in diverse services.
The above are just a few of the reasons you should consider a shift towards microservices.
When you Should Consider to Move from Monolithic to Microservices Architecture?
When should you make the switch to Microservices? You'll know it's time when your organization is growing and productivity starts to decline. Moving from monolithic architecture to microservices makes working on smaller projects easier, but it also means that larger projects will be more difficult without transitioning. The right time is also when communication between different team members is disrupted.
In addition you should think about moving to microservices, if frequent testing is required. A number of major players have already switched from monolithic architecture to Microservices, including Amazon, Uber, Netflix, eBay, and Google.
At CIGNEX we have the capability to automate the migration to microservices architecture. While upgrading applications, we break the monolith into small autonomous pieces and deploy them in a microservices based architecture. This entire process is automated and can help you increase productivity by 20%.
If exploring migration to microservices, you can request a free consultation at https://www.cignex.com/services/spring-boot-microservices
