What are microservices?

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What are microservices?

Microservices architecture is a method of developing software systems. In microservices architecture, large monolithic applications are broken down into smaller manageable independent services. Each service focuses on performing one task effectively and communicate via language agnostic protocols. Microservices helps software functionality delivered as discrete, lightweight services with a well-defined APIs. The point of a microservice isn't to be small, but instead implement meaningful business functionality, be developed by a small team, and provide minimal execution times with high deployment frequency.

Since microservices break down a monolithic application into a set of independently deployable services, it can make it simpler for developers to maintain their code, easily evolve the technology stack, and test. Netflix, eBay, Amazon, PayPal are examples of large-scale website that implement microservices. 
Microservices become a lot more complex to handle since the data is distributed across different services, and there are a lot more moving parts that have to be deployed, managed and monitored than a monolithic architecture.

Advantages of micro-services:

A few of the key advantages of micro-service architecture are,
  • it supports consumer choice, transparency, and enablement,
  • it extends the reach of business, and more importantly,
  • it improves business time to current market by providing technology agility.
  • Microservices are scalable, they can be used to split systems
  • it helps isolate unknowns
  • Important security patches can be deployed faster as it uses simpler code structures simpler than monolithic applications.
  • Microservices architecture is an electronic business asset specifically for service providers as it keeps the most competitive services, relevant, in demand and responsive to change.

What drives adoption of micro-services?

As microservices function on smaller and simpler solutions. The escalation in Cloud adoption is among the driving factors for the microservices architecture in the current market. The proliferation of connected devices like wearables, mobile phones, smart home appliances, tablets, drones, and physical fitness trackers is the key driving factor for the microservices architecture in the current market. Microservices architecture is a lot more responsive to market requirements as it is an approach to building, scaling, evolving, and deploying the individual services in the cycle. Yes. there are certain scenarios like possible communication failures, network latency. These scenarios need to be considered while adapting to microservices architecture. This is because microservices generally communicate using REST API (Representational State Transfer Application Program Interface). The rise of containers and their behavior is the natural fit for microservices. Containers are run as independent individual part of the larger software system. This is aligned with the microservices concept where every individual software services are also independent of the larger software system.

So next time you decide to design your applications, do consider to visit microservices and related best practices.

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Mandar Pise Opinions expressed by techsutram contributors are their own. More details
Mandar is a seasoned software professional for more than a decade. He is Cloud, AI, IoT, Blockchain and Fintech enthusiast. He writes to benefit others from his experiences. His overall goal is to help people learn about the Cloud, AI, IoT, Blockchain and Fintech and the effects they will have economically and socially in the future.

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