Microservices introduced during the late 2000s, is still popular because of its visible advantages. Indeed, its demand also increased since most of the successful tech leaders have successfully migrated from monolithic architecture to microservices. Therefore, to follow suit, many businesses started using microservices as they found it ideal for business growth.
In a monolithic approach, you need to manage a huge codebase, adapt and implement new changes. Further, it is difficult to scale up. Therefore, the big question before you is- should you go with the old approach or should you go with microservices to achieve business success?
In this article, we will go through both the models to compare them and figure out the one which is suitable for you. Let’s dive deep!
Microservices vs. Monolithic
Monolithic model is a conventional method for creating applications. A monolithic model, the entire services are managed from one single location.
In any case, your development team needs to update something, they access the same code base in a monolithic model. Therefore, changes are made in the entire stack immediately.
Microservices architecture
We have already understood that a monolithic approach is one single unit, while microservices architecture splits into small separate units. All the services have independent databases, and they implement unique functions.
In microservices architecture, the entire functionality is broken down into separate deployable modules. These modules interact using APIs. Your development team can deploy, edit and scale services independently.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Monolithic Architecture
Here are some advantages of monolithic architecture:
- Easy debugging and testing feature
- Easy development
- Faster deployment
- Disadvantages of Monolithic Architecture
Disadvantages of Monolithic Architecture
We shall list out some of the disadvantages of monolithic architecture as well. Here we go!
- Hard to maintain because of large codebase
- Difficult to make code changes due to independent components
- Cannot adapt to new technologies
Now that we have gone through the merits and drawbacks of monolithic architecture, we will give a brief on the advantages and limitations of microservice architecture.
Advantages and Limitations of Microservice Architecture
- Features independent components
- Easy maintenance
- Improved Scalability
- Easy to adopt new technology
- Services can be isolated as it has independent components
Limitations of Microservices Model
Let’s understand a few limitations of the microservices model. Let’s go!
- Handle connections carefully
- Features Additional complexity
- Must deal with several cross-cutting issues
- Difficulty in implementing testing as multiple components is included
Figure Out Which Architecture is Ideal for Your Business: Monolithic or Microservices
You have some idea regarding monolithic and microservices architecture, but you have to dig deep to check which would become fit for your business. Worry not, you can go through the following aspects and compare them with your business needs before choosing a monolithic or microservices model.
If you think your developers do not possess the required expertise in microservices/monolithic model, make use of the services of successful software development services companies across anywhere in the word or businesses offering software development services in the UK with the right technical knowledge of each architecture once you decide between both the models.
When Should You Adopt Monolithic Architecture?
Here are some situations where you can go with monolithic architecture. Knowing when you can adopt a monolithic model helps you select between the two models.
When you want to develop simple, small solutions that do not require scalability or adaptability, it is always better to select a monolithic model.
If you look for faster deployment, monolithic architecture works. When you want to keep your legacy system or want to spend more initially on app development you can choose monolithic.
If you look to reduce software latency, a monolithic model is ideal. It is faster and since everything works as a single unified unit the data travels very fast and you can speed up the development.
Even though a monolith is in one codebase, it is possible to split it up into small sections provided your monolithic model is easy to understand and well-organized. Therefore, under such circumstances, you do not need to select microservices.
When should you select microservices architecture?
When you need to develop scalable applications and when you require additional capabilities, monolithic seems better. It is ideal for large applications with multiple modules.
When you have new releases very often, try the microservices model. Your developers can create and deploy new features separately in each service without any complexities.
If you want a multitude of technologies in one single software, the modules help you to select the most ideal technology for unique services.
Since microservices feature independent modules, in case there is a failure in one of the components it won’t affect the other components. Therefore, microservices models become very handy compared to monolithic architecture.
Final Remarks
While monolithic is suitable under certain conditions, the microservices become handy for some other cases. Therefore, before you select between the two, understand the situations where each model works the best for your business. When your business deals with developing simple software solutions, you can select the old-fashioned less popular monolithic. You can develop, deploy and test applications in a monolithic model more easily than in a microservices model.
Not every situation lets you select the more flexible and advanced microservices model. Microservices can support complex application building scenarios. It is ideal when your application development is complex with different functionalities. However, you should ensure proper expertise in microservices before using this model.
Author bio:
Silpa Sasidharan is a content writer and social media copywriting expert working at ThinkPalm Technologies who aspires to create marketing texts for topics spanning from technology to automation and digital business solutions.
