Ever contemplated, why businesses are adopting the concept of application modernization and why shifting from monolithic to microservices architecture?
Well, monolithic architecture has been an integral part of the software but the software development industry has reinvented something new. And that newer approach is microservices. Microservices divide the software components based on the services and manage them as individual functional sub-parts of software, making them more reliable and maintainable.
The newer software design innovation, microservices has embarked on its way to completely replace the traditional approach to software development. But before that, it makes sense to understand the monolithic architecture, we are ridiculing here.
What is it and doesn’t it have any pros, as it has been foundational for software operation before microservices surfaced on the top?
So, here we are, disclosing the pros and cons of both the software architectural designs and comparing a monolithic application vs. microservices applications
What Are the Advantages and Disadvantages of Monolithic Applications?
Despite being a traditional and outdated approach to developing software, the monolithic architectural style helps maintain simplicity and high resource efficiency during the software development process.
Benefits of Monolithic Architecture
Let’s roll out some of the benefits of monolithic architecture.
Simplified Deployment
Since the entire application is contained within a single codebase, deployment of a monolithic application is still much simpler than deploying microservices applications. For small projects and teams where updates and maintenance are not much needed, monolithic applications developed by software consulting services are effective choices.
Easier Debugging and Testing
The availability of a single codebase in one place assists developers in identifying bugs and code errors more quickly and resolving the issues without any dependencies or complexities. These conundrums may arise due to the separate components and code segments distributed across the application.
Single Technology Use
A monolithic application uses the same technology stack throughout the entire application, limiting the need to hire expert developers with specialized expertise in various technologies. Often software engineering services providers use a single tech stack for a simple application to be more productive as it saves their costs in recruiting experts and technology-specific professionals.
Easier Code Refactoring
A monolithic application allows faster and hassle-free code refactoring and becomes a simple practice as code can be restructured from anywhere globally without worrying about version compatibility and API changes.
Faster Development
Monolithic architecture helps faster building of applications as the codebase is written in one place which is an effortless process to accomplish. This allows developers to work on different features without worrying about communicating with different application components and services.
Nonetheless, with its diminished use in the latest software development industry, this approach has several advantages for light projects and is still applied by several top application software development services. Shifting from monolithic to microservices architecture does have advantages, but when the codebase is light and easy to manage such as for a lightweight mobile application development, monolithic architecture can serve the intent very well.
Cons of Monolithic Applications—Places Where Monolithic Architecture Fails
- Scalability Challenges
- Limited Technology Flexibility
- Development Bottlenecks
- Difficulty in Deployment
- Harder to Maintain
- Longer Development Cycles
- Less Agility and Flexibility
- Resource Utilization Issues
- Risk of Single Points of Failure
- Difficulty in Technology Migration
Microservices— The Software Architecture on the Rise
If you question, whether should I start with microservices or monolith, then the answer is hands down, microservices. Moreover, in the future times, switching from monolithic to microservices will help businesses greatly in application modernization while staying parallel with the dynamic landscape of digital innovation.
Before making the big decision and advocating for microservices, let’s first understand a little closely through an informative lens.
Microservices architecture comprises small, loosely coupled, and independently deployable services where each service represents a specific business capability and communicates with each other after the integration of well-defined APIs (Application Programming Interfaces).
Now the benefit it provides over the monolithic architecture is that it segregates the service components that uncomplicate the process of developing a service and deploying it independently.
Pros and Cons of Microservices— Why and Why Not?
After learning about the fundamental role of monolithic architecture, let’s have a look at the microservices benefits and gain more insights into the monolithic vs microservices architecture.
Benefits of Microservices
Let’s unfold the advantages of shifting from monolithic to microservices architecture.
Scalability
Microservices help in independent scaling for effective resource utilization. Scalability helps in adjusting the infrastructure and performance of an application based on business needs. The scalability reason influences the use of microservices in AI software development for more agile performance.
Flexibility
A microservice application allows developers to work on separate modules and components of an application to improve the overall comfort of the application.
Technology Diversity
With microservices, an organization can develop and build application components with different technologies like programming languages, frameworks, and libraries. It assists in overcoming the limitations of using one tech stack.
Continuous Deployment
With every service representing a specific business capability, a microservice fosters continuous deployment of features and functionalities with minimum disruptions.
Enhanced Agility
A microservices architecture enables an organization to easily integrate a required technology by preventing major service failures.
Improved Fault Tolerance
A defect in a particular service may easily be resolved by addressing the issue in that service, without disturbing other services and components. It helps in maintaining applications
Cons of Microservices
- Increased Complexity
- Inter-Service Communication Overhead
- Data Consistency Challenges
- Infrastructure Overhead
- Learning Curve
- Potential for Service Proliferation
- Deployment Challenges
- Testing Complexity
- Consistency in Development Standards
- Resource Intensive
- Security Challenges
- Initial Development Overhead
The Bottom Line!
As the business demands are rising and demand faster updates and quicker technological integration, adapting microservices is a practical solution. On top of that, microservices are important for businesses that strive to stay at the forefront of advancement and satisfy their customers without putting in additional effort. Moreover, losing opportunities to partner with the latest technologies will be nothing but a big blow to your business’s progressive growth.