Choosing the right software architecture is crucial for any business wanting to thrive in an age of increasing competitiveness. Two of the most discussed architectures among the IT industry are Monolithic and Microservices. Each of them has its pros and cons. But which is the correct one for your business?
In this blog, we will break down these two architectures in detail, discuss their pros and cons, and help you make an informed decision by giving relatable examples.
What is Monolithic Architecture?
A Monolithic architecture is a traditional model for designing software applications. In this architecture, the entire software is built as a single unit or a codebase. All the components like the user interface (UI), business logic, and data access layer are tightly coupled and share the same resources.
In simple terms, think of a monolithic application as a single, large container where everything runs together. If any part of the application needs to be updated or changed, you have to work on the entire application, recompile it, and then deploy it.
Examples of Monolithic Architecture:
Take e-commerce websites, for instance. In a monolithic configuration, user registration, product management, shopping carts, processing of payments, as well as order processing for the customers will all integrate into a single application. Even if you want to only modify a small part of the system by changing the product catalog you will still be forced to deal with the entire system.
Pros of Monolithic Systems:
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Simplicity: It’s easier to develop, test, and deploy since everything is in one place.
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Faster development (initially): In the early stages, developing monolithic applications can be quicker because the entire application is built together.
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Easier to manage for small teams: For smaller projects or teams with limited resources, a monolithic architecture can be easier to manage since you don’t need to handle distributed components.
Cons of a Monolithic Architecture:
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Scalability issues: As the application grows, scaling a monolithic architecture becomes challenging because you have to scale the entire system, not just individual parts.
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Limited flexibility: Every time you want to make changes or add new features, you must redeploy the entire application, even for small updates.
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Risk of crashes: A failure in one part of the application can cause the entire system to crash, leading to downtime.
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Slower development over time: As the application grows, it becomes harder to manage, and making changes can slow down the development process.
What is Microservices Architecture?
Microservices architecture is a new age design where an application is no longer one large entity, but rather consists of smaller independent services that interconnect to form the whole application. Every one of these services or microservices has a certain role to play (like handling user login or managing payments, etc.) and can be instilled, enhanced and adjusted separately.
Each service in a microservices model as such can be executed in different programming languages and is able to communicate with services via APIs.
Example of Microservices Architecture:
Let’s return to the example of the e-commerce web application. In a microservices structure, the user login feature, the products catalog, the shopping basket, the mechanism of payment and order distribution components would all be implemented as distinct systems. If you want to alter the product catalog, it is sufficient to implement the changes in that service alone since the rest of the application remains untouched.
Pros of Microservices Architecture:
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Scalability: It allows each service to be scaled without the detrimental effects of the other and this is mostly applicable in large applications that have components which require different resources allocation levels.
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Speedy upgrades and deployments: Updates can be done on specific microservices without the need to deploy the whole service. As such, enhancing existing functionalities or correcting errors does not take a long time.
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Resilience: The breakdown of one microservice does not affect the operation of other microservices. For instance, a disruption in the payment system does not cease the operation of the rest of the e-commerce application.
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Versatility: For every microservice, various programming languages or technologies can be used which enables the development teams to optimize on the best custom tool per each service.
Cons of Microservices Architecture:
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Overhead of management: Operation of a number of these services at the same time brings overhead management especially with regards to the deployment, monitoring and services intercommunication.
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Higher up front development cost: There is more work required to lay down the microservices architecture compared to the monolithic applications.
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Communication overhead: Microservices need to communicate with each other, which adds an extra layer of complexity, especially if not managed properly.
Monolithic vs Microservices: Which One Should You Choose?
When to Opt for Monolithic Architecture:
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Less complex projects: Monolithic structure is a wise move when for example you are building a very simple application where the business is just starting. For small teams, its less complex, easier to build, and simpler to maintain.
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When speed is paramount: If there is a need to develop and implement the system in the shortest time possible, then the solution for monolithic applications helps one to go faster without the concerns of distributed systems.
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Development is in phases: For start-up businesses and those with vague limited software development teams, a monolithic approach is easier to run since it does not demand the intellectual resources required in handling microservices.
When to Opt for Microservices Architecture:
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Longer applications: If the enterprise has intentions of constructing a large scale business solution that is bound for expansion, then microservices are the best alternative. You can easily scale the vertical of your application without scaling others.
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Regular upgrades: In case the application is expected to be continuously upgraded or other features additions are to be required, then microservices will enable faster deployment without interference with the rest of the system.
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Flexible technology mix: Microservices are ideal when one is required to employ various technologies on different areas of an application.
Real-World Examples:
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Netflix: Unfortunately, Netflix started out as a monolithic application, which made it a bit challenging to use, and switched to microservices, where each component is responsible for a specific function because of the influx of users who wanted to use their streaming services seamlessly on different devices. Thanks to microservices, Netflix can release thousands of updates on a daily basis while ensuring that the end users’ activities remain uninterrupted.
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Amazon: An e-commerce system that is Amazon’s core platform also developed from monolithic to microservices architecture. By decomposing its application in terms of services, Amazon was able to grow at high speed and maintain a smooth shopping experience for millions of customers worldwide.
Final thoughts:
The choice of architecture, monolithic or microservices, comes down to how demanding the architecture needs to be for your business. Should the project be on a relatively shorter scale, or the resources be limited, monolithic architecture could be a good basic alternative. But, if the case demands business expansion within a short span of time, or flexibility and scalability are of greater importance, microservices architecture is highly preferable.
Every architecture has its advantages and disadvantages, but the essence is to analyze the project, and pick the most suitable approach that fits the desired business objective.
In the end, whatever the design you prefer, whether monolithic or microservices, quality of the end product that can scale and meet business requirements with ease of use to the end user should be the priority.
