What Is Microservices Architecture: Benefits, Use Cases & Its Trends?

It’s been more than a decade since Microservices have entered the tech industry. Now, microservices architecture has become the latest love and highly preferred technology among the tech giants like Amazon, Netflix, Walmart, Coca Cola, etc. in modern software development. Microservices trends have simplified the overall software development approach of developers, where software can be divided into small suites and independent units that are responsible for performing their respective functions and communicating through APIs.

Despite all such flexibility, often the microservices architecture got wrong. So, let’s explore in detail to eliminate any misconception about what microservices are and what it has to offer to developers and software development companies.

What is a Microservices Architecture

Microservices follow a pattern, thus usually termed as Microservices Architecture – is an architectural style that structures an application as a group of services that are;

• loosely coupled
• owned by a small team
• highly maintainable and testable
• independently deployable
• organized around business capabilities

The microservices architecture supports frequent, rapid, and dependable delivery of complex and heavy applications. It also supports software development companies to upgrade and evolve their technology stack. Microservices has resolved the challenges of project scaling of a monolithic system by being as modular as possible. In simpler words, the microservices architecture helps to build an app as a part of small services, where each service runs in its own process and can be independently deployable. Microservices are often connected and interlinked with APIs and can avail similar tools and solutions that are developed in the RESTful API and web service ecosystem. Testing of these APIs allows you to validate the data flow thorough out your microservices application deployment.

Types of Microservices Architecture

Broadly, the microservices are divided into two types;

1. Stateless Microservices, and
2. Stateful Microservices

1. Stateless Microservices

A stateless microservices architecture is a type of Internet Protocol where the state/status of the previous transactions/operations is neither stored nor referenced in the very next transaction/operation. The request is raised by the sender and can be interpreted by the receiver, meanwhile, to perform this operation it doesn’t require the existence of any prior request for the execution of the current request. In this protocol, the client and server requests and responses are carried out in the current state. Example: Sending an SMS, where sender and receiver can send and receive the message respectively at it doesn’t require any previous permission or detail to perform the message sending operation.

2. Stateful Microservices

A stateful microservices architecture allows users to record, store and find existing information and processes over the internet. It keeps track of all the records/processes that are performed earlier and considers it as a reference point for the upcoming record/process. In stateful application, the current transaction is usually influenced by the previous transactions. Example: Good example of stateful architecture is FTP (File Transfer Protocol) and Telnet. Some of the common applications of stateful microservices are Online Banking Systems and email.

Benefits of Microservices Architecture

1. Promotes Scalability

Companies majorly prefer microservices because of their scalable nature. The services can be easily developed and released independently without hampering the ongoing processes and don’t demand any heavy coordination efforts in the organization.

2. Agility

The microservices development is relatively small and simple, thus in case of failure, only a specific service will get affected not the entire system. Therefore, organizations can prefer to experiment with their business logic, algorithms, and new operations.

3. Technological Freedom

Microservices architecture doesn’t rely on a “one size fits all” concept. The development team can avail the freedom of selecting the best tools to develop the solution for the specific problem. Hence, for each job or issue resolution, the development team can pick their tools.

4. Code Reusability

The small modules of software enable the development team to use the functions for multiple purposes. A service builds to serve a specific purpose can be used as the building block for another feature. This allows developers to reuse the existing codes and functionalities to develop new capabilities without writing code from scratch.

5. Simplified Debugging & Maintenance

Building individual microservices is relatively easier than coding for a monolithic architecture. This enhances the developer’s productivity, simplifies debugging of codes, as the modules and functions are reused to design the new feature, and enhances performance maintenance.

6. Resilience

If one microservices fail, then others will continue to work, as these services are not dependent on each other to perform functions or operations. The microservices can be deployed in different availability zones with cloud-enabled technologies, which ensures that users never experience an outage.

7. Increased Development Speed

The microservice architecture promotes agility and accelerates development speed. Since each microservice operates independently, development teams can work on different services simultaneously. This parallel development allows for faster release cycles, enabling organizations to quickly adapt to changing market demands and deliver new features or updates more efficiently.

8. Separate Components:

It breaks down a monolithic application into smaller, self-contained services. Each microservice handles a specific business capability or function. This separation of components enhances maintainability and scalability. Teams can focus on developing, deploying, and maintaining individual microservices without affecting the entire system.

9. Change Technology Stack with Ease:

Microservices offer a significant benefit in terms of the ability to utilize diverse technology stacks for individual services, without causing disruptions to the entire system. This empowers development teams to select the most appropriate programming languages, frameworks, and databases for each microservice, depending on their specific requirements.

10. Easy to Understand:

Breaking down a complex application into smaller, well-defined services makes it easier for developers to comprehend, manage, and maintain the codebase. Each microservice has a specific responsibility, and its codebase tends to be more focused and less intricate than that of a monolithic application. This clarity improves collaboration among development teams and facilitates easier onboarding of new team members.

Also Read: Offline App Architecture: Why You Should Build Offline-First App

How Big Companies Are Using Microservice Architecture for Their Advantage?

Due to improved agility, scalability, and maintainability for software systems, the popularity of microservices architecture has been on the rise within large corporations. This architectural approach involves the division of a monolithic application into smaller, autonomous services that interact with each other via clearly defined APIs.

Several big companies have successfully implemented microservices architecture. Let’s take an example of a few of them-

1. Netflix’s Scalable Entertainment Empire

Netflix, a pioneer in microservices, utilizes this app architecture to enhance scalability and flexibility. Each microservice handles a specific function, such as user authentication or content recommendation. This modular approach allows Netflix to swiftly adapt to changing demands, ensuring seamless streaming experiences for millions of users worldwide.

In 2009, Netflix moved from monolithic to microservices, adopting AWS in December 2011. By 2015, they had hundreds of microservices with an API gateway managing 2 billion daily requests.

In 2017, Netflix had over 700 microservices. Today, it earns $8 billion annually, streaming six billion hours weekly to 220 million subscribers in 190 countries.

This transition greatly enhanced Netflix’s agility, scalability, and system resilience, contributing to its continued growth.

2. Amazon’s E-Commerce Dominance

Amazon’s success in the e-commerce realm is fuelled by microservices. Its vast platform relies on numerous independent microservices, managing functions like inventory, payment, and order processing. This decentralized structure not only accelerates development but also enables Amazon to swiftly introduce new features and updates, crucial in the fast-paced e-commerce industry.

3. Uber’s Ride to Efficiency

Uber, a disruptor in the transportation industry, relies on microservices to compose its complex ecosystem.

Each microservice handles specific tasks, such as driver tracking, payment processing, and user ratings. This architecture empowers Uber to efficiently scale its platform, ensuring reliable and rapid services for users and drivers.

4. eBay’s Dynamic Marketplace

eBay, a stalwart in online marketplaces, leverages microservices to maintain a dynamic and responsive platform.

Microservices at eBay manage diverse functions like product listings, bidding, and user authentication.

This modular setup enables eBay to evolve swiftly, adapting to market trends and delivering a seamless experience to its vast user base.

What is Monolithic Architecture?

Usually, the software comprises multiple feature sets. Whereas, in monolithic architecture, all the features and modules of the software are closely packed reside in a single codebase, and are deployed as a single file. If the software goes through any updates or changes, then those updates can’t be implemented individually. The developers need to use the existing codebase and make the required updates and then re-deploy the updated code. In simple words, a Monolithic Architecture is like a huge container, where all the software components of the app are developed and tightly coupled, hence, the components depend on each other.

Monolithic Architecture Diagram

Monolithic Architecture Vs. Microservices Architecture

Best Languages for Microservices on 2023

1. For Migrating to Microservices

Select strangler application and anti-corruption layer. Then, manage the database as per services, shared database, API composition, Saga, CQRS, Domain Event, Event sourcing, Transactional Outbox, Transactional messaging, Transaction log tailing, and Polling publisher.

2. For Testing

Consumer-driven Contract Test, Service Component Test, Consumer-side Contract Test

3. For Deployment Patterns

Service Instance per Host, Multiple Service Instances per Host, Service Instance per Container, Service Instance per VM, Service Deployment platform, Serverless Deployment, Microservices Chassis, Service Template, Externalized Configuration

4. For Communication Style

Messaging, Remote Procedure Invocation, Domain-specific Protocol, Idempotent Consumer

5. External API

Backend for front-end, API Gateway

6. For Service Discovery

Server-side Discovery, Client-side Discovery, Service registry, Third-party Registration, Self-registration

7. Reliability

Circuit Breaker

8. Security

Access Token

9. For Observation

Log aggregation, Audio logging, Application metrics, Exception handling, Distributed tracing, Health check API, Log Deployments and Changes

10. UI Patterns

Client-side UI composition, Server-side page Fragment Composition

Business Benefits of Microservices Architecture

• Switching to microservices helps businesses work better. It makes things faster, more reliable, and easier to grow.
• Microservices make work easier by splitting tasks into small parts that a team can work on at the same time.
• Additionally, this architecture makes systems stronger by keeping problems separate, so that one issue doesn’t impact on the entire system.
• Lastly, microservices let each part grow on its own, which saves resources and makes everything run more smoothly.

What are the benefits, use cases, and trends in Microservices Architecture?

Microservices Architecture, embraced by tech giants like Amazon and Netflix, offers benefits such as scalability, agility, and technological freedom. It divides applications into loosely coupled, independently deployable services. This architecture accelerates development, ensures resilience, and enhances user experience. Trends for 2023 include Kubernetes adoption, AIOps integration, emphasis on DevOps, and heightened focus on containers and service mesh security. Explore the transformative power of Microservices with our comprehensive guide.

Top Microservices Trends in 2023

1. Kubernetes

Kubernetes is a container-as-a-service (CaaS) platform. It helps to automate the scaling, management and deployment of microservices. It ensures continuous deployment by providing load balancing and managing network traffic distribution, especially when traffic is high. Kubernetes serves multiple benefits to microservices architecture, therefore, nowadays, it is one of the popular containerization open-source platforms.

2. AIOps (Artificial Intelligence for IT Operations)

The adoption of AIOps in microservices architecture signifies the usage of AI and ML technology to develop tools that automate the processes fulfilled by the IT operations teams. It supports resolving complex system failure issues by automating them in varied manners. It also helps to automatically shut down any idea resource, which ultimately supports minimizing the cost and enables automated security monitoring. Hence, AIOps help to boost overall productivity.

3. DevOps

DevOps is a combination of development methodologies and operations. It comprises cultural practices in software development that seeks collaboration among departments of the organization to deliver software. DevOps ensures minimum complexity and easier interpretation of any solutions to problems. Thus, accurate implementation of DevOps microservices helps organizations to deliver the best quality product and automate their workflows through a streamlined and scalable development approach.

4. Containers and Service Mesh Security

The service mesh is a low latency, configurable infrastructure layer that follows service-to-service interaction in containerized application infrastructure. It also includes load balancing, service discovery, encryption, failure recovery, traceability, authentication, authorization, and observability. It supports security maintenance between cooperation in both containers and microservices.

Takeaway

There are many responsible reasons why businesses are upgrading their monolithic process with microservices architecture. It provides an excellent user interface and real-time access to the infrastructure and the entire software architecture details. It supports developers to boost creativity and save valuable time and money by increasing productivity.

Therefore, to experience better data management and scalable services, connect with our Microservice design specialized team.

We help you to build an application or migrate the existing monolithic business to microservices and provide much-needed support and required tools to enhance your processes. This will ultimately help you to gain new capabilities and build effective connections for the services your business requires for growth.