Dive into the ultimate showdown between microservices vs monolithic architecture. Learn which architectural approach reigns supreme and why.
What is Monolithic Architecture?
The monolithic architecture is a traditional way of building applications, where applications are built as a single and indivisible unit. These structures work as a single unit from a client-side user interface to a server-side application to a database.
Monolithic applications use one large codebase, and developers change or update the same code every time to add new functionalities. It has three components: Client-side user interface, Server-side application, and Data interface.
All three parts work together as a single database, which is the major drawback of such architecture. That’s why today, companies prefer microservices. Unlike Monolithic Architecture, a microservices model is an advanced concept where each function acts independently.
Example for Monolithic Architecture:
Imagine an eCommerce application that does everything from authorizing customers, taking orders, checking products inventory, to certifying payment and shipping ordered products. Such an e-commerce store includes a different user interface for each function, having multiple back-end services.
Since there are numerous components involved in it, and they work together as a unit on other platforms like desktop, mobile, and tablet, it’s called monolithic architecture.
This application consists of an e-Store user interface for customers and some back-end services to check products inventory, authorize and charge payments, and shipping orders.
Pros of Monolithic Architecture:
- Usually, every application has cross-cutting concerns like logging, handling, caching, and performance monitoring. Since monolithic applications work as a single unit, users have to be concerned for only one application, which makes it easier to handle.
- With Monolithic applications, you can perform end-to-end testing efficiently, as you have to debug only one application. On the other hand, microservices are challenging to test with such approaches because they work as a different part of the same application.
- Monolithic applications are easier to deploy because they don’t have to deal with many deployments. It is a huge advantage for users that want to save time and resources.
- Most teams are equipped with the knowledge of building monolithic applications; hence, this approach of building applications could be helpful for many organizations.
Cons of the Monolithic Architecture:
- The monolithic applications are hard to scale, as they become a complex code system within one application. As a result, developers find it hard to understand the complicated procedure, and application management becomes a challenge.
- Each component of the monolithic application is tightly coupled, and making a minute change affects the whole system. Thus, the overall development process takes a longer time.
- If you want to scale an individual component of a monolithic application, you need to change the entire source code. It is not only a tedious process, but it also creates lots of issues for the developers.
- Suppose you want to implement a recent technological change to your application. In that case, that’s not possible with a monolithic application, as you have to rewrite the complete application from scratch, which is problematic and discourages organizations from making revolutionary changes.
What is Microservices Architecture?
Microservices applications are built as a suite of modular services, where each component is loosely coupled with other elements. Each module has a specific goal and provides a simple, well-defined business goal to communicate with other services. Plus, unlike monolithic applications, each microservice has its database to ensure loose coupling.
Microservices vs Monolithic Architecture
Here are the key points of difference between Microservices vs Monolithic Architecture.
| Basis of Comparison | Monolithic Architecture | Microservice Architecture |
| 1.Deployment | With monolith applications, you need to set your deployment once and make changes based on the outcomes. If anything fails during the deployment, you will have to stop the entire process. | Each microservice is deployed independently, and it can be optimized with the CI/CD pipelines. If something goes wrong, only a single microservice is affected instead of the complete application. |
| 2.Maintenance | Most developers know about the monolithic architecture; hence there’s no need to worry about managing the application. | While using microservice, teams need to rely on the DevOps approach, which requires developers to get familiar with various tools. Although it simplifies every process, only a few developers are accustomed to working with this approach. |
| 3.Reliability | During downtime or any failure, the monolithic architecture collapses completely. And even if you have an outstanding team to debug issues, it takes longer to get everything back in order. | With microservice, the complete application doesn’t collapse as such applications work as several independent units. |
| 4.Cost | The cost of the monolith application depends on its size. The charge is more petite for a smaller monolithic structure, and you need to pay more for a more considered design. The only problem is that you can’t scale it at your will. | The cost of microservice is flexible, as infrastructure can scale automatically based on the volume of users. You pay only for the resources you use. |
| 5.Releasing | Monolith application has a lot of internal dependencies; hence releasing frequent updates or features is a bit difficult. Plus, releasing new updates at shorter intervals can invite lots of issues. | Since they are smaller and can work independently, releasing new features is not a challenge for the teams. However, the team need-aware of DevOps and the latest tools to make it possible. |
Conclusion:
Monolithic architecture is an orthodox approach to building an application, and it has its advantages. But there are many issues involved with this approach, and a far-sighted organization wouldn’t want to deal with them.
Microservice architecture is a modern approach that addresses lots of troubles that you face with a monolithic architecture. To implement it correctly, you need an advanced team familiar with current software development approaches.
FAQ
Q1:When should a company consider transitioning from a monolithic architecture to microservices?
Transitioning from a monolithic architecture to microservices should be carefully evaluated based on the company’s specific needs and goals.
Companies should consider moving to microservices when they face challenges with scalability, experience bottlenecks in development, or require faster deployment of features.
Additionally, if there is a need for more flexibility and the ability to adopt new technologies independently, microservices can be a suitable choice.
Q2: What challenges are associated with adopting microservices architecture?
While microservices offer various benefits, there are also challenges to consider. Implementing microservices requires more sophisticated infrastructure and deployment strategies.
Communication between services must be carefully managed, and handling eventual consistency can be complex. Additionally, monitoring and debugging distributed systems can be more challenging compared to monolithic applications.
Q3: What are the benefits of using microservices over monolithic architecture?
There are several advantages to using microservices over monolithic architecture. Microservices offer better scalability since individual services can be scaled independently.
They also enable more efficient development, as different teams can work on separate services concurrently. Additionally, microservices promote easier maintenance and updates since changes to one service do not affect the entire application.
Q4:What’s the difference between microservices and monolithic architecture?
Microservices and monolithic architecture are two different software development approaches. In a monolithic architecture, the entire application is built as a single unit with tightly integrated components.
On the other hand, microservices architecture involves breaking down the application into smaller, independent services that can be developed, deployed, and maintained separately.