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Consider how a house is built one brick at a time, allowing for a gradual process that assures a resilient structure in the end - That's precisely the function Microservices play in Software Development. Unlike traditional monolithic architectures, Microservices break applications into small, independent components, enabling teams to develop, deploy, and scale services autonomously. Consider this blog your best ally if you are a tech-savvy entrepreneur looking to fuel your operations. So read on, gain a deep insight into What are Microservices and learn how this concept continues to be a playground for innovation!
Table of Contents
1) What are Microservices?
2) Characteristics of Microservices
3) How do Microservices work?
4) When to Use Microservices
5) Design Patterns of Microservices
6) Benefits of Microservices
7) Challenges of using Microservices
8) Building and Deploying Microservices-Based Apps
9) Microservices Best Practices
10) Real-world Example of Microservices
11) Conclusion
What are Microservices?
Microservices are small, loosely coupled services performing specific business functions and are independently developed, deployed, and scaled. They use well-defined Application Programming Interface (APIs) and are managed by small, autonomous teams. This architectural approach does the following:
1) Improves scalability
2) Speeds up development
3) Reduces time-to-market for new features
This helps streamline modern Software Development and organisational efficiency.
This architecture enables decomposing a large monolithic application into smaller, manageable components or services, serving as the foundation of modern applications. Microservices can be built using various programming languages and frameworks, with each service functioning as an independent mini application.
Characteristics of Microservices
The two most essential characteristics of Microservices you must familiarise yourself with are:
1) Autonomous: In a Microservices architecture, each service operates independently, allowing it to be developed, deployed, managed, and scaled without impacting other services. Services maintain their own codebase and implementation, with all interactions occurring through well-defined APIs.
2) Specialised: Each service is purpose-built to address a specific set of capabilities or solve a particular problem. As a service grows in complexity over time, it can be further divided into smaller, more focused services to maintain simplicity and efficiency.
How do Microservices work?
Here's a breakdown of how Microservices work:
1) Applications are divided into self-contained services, each focused on a specific function to simplify maintenance and development.
2) It allows for specialised development by allowing each microservice to handle a specific business feature, such as product management or user authentication.
3) Services interact through APIs and facilitate standardised information exchange and integration.
4) Various technologies can be used for each service. This enables teams to pick the best tools for their needs.
5) Microservices can be updated independently, which reduces risks during changes and improves system resilience.
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When to Use Microservices
Container-based Microservices are not always the right application architecture to choose from. When making Software Engineering decisions, evaluate the following:
1) Application goals.
2) Anticipated challenges.
3) Long-term development needs.
Microservices are particularly well-suited for complex applications. Consider adopting Microservices in the following scenarios:
Frequent Updates
Since independent services enable Developers to modify the module instead of the application, Microservice architecture is ideal for applications requiring frequent updates.
High Scalability
Microservices are crucial for applications requiring high traffic capacity or quick scalability, especially when specific components need to scale independently rather than the entire application.
Hybrid Cloud
Suppose you plan on a hybrid Cloud architecture, where some services will run on-premises and others in the cloud. Microservices will help you manage the complexity of the application in this scenario.
Multiple Teams
Microservices enhance efficiency and agility in applications that are managed by multiple development teams. Each team can prioritise their own microservice, picking the technology stack that suits its needs without being constrained by the rest of the application.
Timeline Complexities
It can accommodate independent services with varying development rates. Even when a service experiences an unexpected delay, the project can continue without any big implications to the application development timeline.
Big Applications
Microservices are ideal if you plan on building a large and complex application, as they help you divide the application into manageable pieces. This makes the development, deployment and maintenance process smooth.
Decentralised Architecture
Decentralised architecture refers to a system design where control and data are distributed across multiple nodes rather than being held centrally. If you plan to build such an application, Microservices can be deployed in different locations, even among Cloud service providers.
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Design Patterns of Microservices
Microservices architecture employs numerous design patterns to address common challenges among distributed systems. Some key patterns include the following:
Service Registry Pattern
Much like a phone book, this pattern lists every active service and location. When a service begins, it registers with a service registry, allowing other services to query the registry to locate and communicate with it. This provides flexibility and eliminates the need to hardcode service locations.
Circuit Breaker Pattern
Much like a circuit breaker stops the flow of electricity when there’s an overload, this pattern shields your system from cascading failures. When a service fails repeatedly, the circuit breaker trips to block further requests. This approach reduces strain on failing services and improves system resilience.
Event Sourcing Pattern
This pattern records the changes as a sequence of events instead of storing just the current state of an application. Events capture changes, enabling services to rebuild the current state by replaying the event history. This approach offers a transparent audit trail and facilitates data recovery during errors.
Strangler Fig Pattern
Transitioning from a monolithic application to Microservices is challenging, but the strangler fig pattern enables it. New features are developed as Microservices while the old system remains in use. Over time, as more functionality is moved to Microservices, the old system is gradually “strangled” until it can be fully retired. This approach minimises risk and allows for a smoother migration.
API Composition Pattern
The API composition pattern makes data retrieval from multiple Microservices smooth and efficient. Such a dedicated composition service perfectly aggregates responses from various services and offers a single unified response to the client. This approach clearly minimises the need for multiple client requests and simplifies interactions with the system.
Saga Pattern
This pattern helps manage complex business processes across multiple services by breaking them into smaller steps, each managed by a different service. Instead of treating the process as a single transaction when a failure occurs, compensating actions are taken to undo previous steps. This approach ensures data consistency throughout the system, even during failures.
CQRS Design Pattern
CQRS divides the way data is handled into two parts:
a) Commands: Used to change data, such as creating or updating records.
b) Queries: Used to fetch data.
This separation enables each component to be optimised for its specific role. For example, the command side can prioritise enforcing business rules, while the query side is aligned towards efficient data retrieval. This approach is particularly beneficial for applications with more read and write operations.
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Benefits of Microservices
This powerful organisational approach to Software Development brings plenty of exciting benefits, from flexible scaling and reusable code to easy deployment and technological freedom. Let's explore them:
Flexibility in Scaling
Microservices allow each service to be scaled independently to accommodate the specific demands of the application feature it supports. This allows teams to accomplish the following:
a) Right-size infrastructure needs.
b) Accurately measure the cost of a feature.
c) Maintain availability if a service experiences a spike in demand.
Reusable Code
Breaking software into smaller, well-defined modules enables teams to reuse functions for various purposes. Since a service designed for one function can lay the foundation for other features, Developers can build new capabilities by leveraging existing code instead of starting from scratch.
High Resilience
In a monolithic architecture, the failure of one component can bring down the entire application. This is where Microservices shines by managing service failures gracefully. It degrades functionality rather than causing a complete application crash.
Smooth Deployment
Microservices make it easy to try out new ideas and roll back in case something doesn’t work, all thanks to its continuous integration and delivery. The low cost of failure does the following:
a) Encourages experimentation.
b) Simplifies code updates.
c) Speeds up the delivery of new features.
Technological Freedom
Microservices architectures enable each team to choose the optimal solution for each task because it avoids a "one-size-fits-all" approach. Teams can select the most suitable tools for their specific needs.
Challenges of using Microservices
Here are some of the key challenges of using Microservices
1) Bounded Context Challenge: Ensuring each microservice owns its data and avoids interference from other services can be complex.
2) Scaling Issues: Handling dynamic scaling for Microservices, including scaling up and down based on fluctuating loads, is challenging. This may lead to inefficient resource use if not managed effectively.
3) Monitoring Complexity: Traditional monitoring approaches are inadequate for Microservices due to their distributed nature. This makes tracing errors difficult across multiple services.
4) Fault Tolerance Risks: A single failure can cause widespread system disruption without proper fault-tolerant mechanisms.
5) Cyclic Dependency Problem: Cyclic dependencies can lead to functionality breakdowns and increased maintenance difficulties if not identified and resolved promptly.
6) DevOps Integration: Transitioning from SOA to Microservice Architecture and integrating it with a DevOps culture adds further complexity.
7) Scalability and Complexity Challenges: Adding more Microservices increases the number of moving parts, leading to heightened complexity. Traditional logging systems fail to handle Microservices' stateless and distributed nature, complicating failure management.
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Building and Deploying Microservices-Based Apps
Implementing a Microservices architecture needs meticulous planning. Specific technologies and practices commonly used in production environments help Developers build, maintain, and manage Microservices-based applications efficiently. The following table summarises them:
Microservices est Practices
Designing a microservice architecture requires thoughtful planning and alignment with best practices, including the following:
1) Domain-Driven Design (DDD): Focus on business domains and the application's behaviour to split applications into manageable components.
2) Small Services: For manageability, keep services focused on single responsibilities.
3) Service Boundaries: Clearly define each service's responsibility.
4) API Design: Use consistent, scalable, and secure APIs to facilitate communication.
5) Decentralised Data Management: Assign each service its datastore to support scalability and avoid inconsistencies.
6) CI/CD Pipelines: Streamline bug fixes and updates across multiple codebases.
7) Resilience: Use circuit breakers and avoid RPCs to prevent cascading failures.
8) Standards: Establish Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for coding conventions and protocols to ensure consistency.
Real-world Example of Microservices
Organisations have experienced significant positive changes by moving from monolithic applications to adopting Microservices. Here are some real-world examples:
1) Netflix: Following service outages during its transition to a movie-streaming platform in 2007, Netflix adopted a Microservices architecture. It significantly increased reliability and performance.
2) Amazon: Originally a monolithic application, Amazon transitioned to Microservices, dividing its platform into smaller components. This shift allowed for individual feature updates and improving functionality.
3) Uber: By moving from a monolithic structure to Microservices, Uber streamlined operations and boosted webpage views and search efficiency.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Microservices are the key to flexibility and efficiency in modern Software Development. They've transformed how you build and scale applications by breaking complex systems into smaller, independent services. Understanding What are Microservices helps Developers innovate faster and easily respond to changing demands.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is a Microservice an API?
A Microservice is related to API, but they are not the same thing. While a microservice is a component of an application, an API is a way to interact with that component. Microservices use APIs to communicate with each other as well as with external systems.
Is Kubernetes a Microservice?
No, Kubernetes is not a microservice. It supports the Microservices architecture by providing the necessary tools and services to run and manage Microservices effectively.
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