Microservices and it’s architecture
Microservice architecture, aka microservices, are a specific method of designing software systems to structure a single application as a collection of loosely coupled services. Applications tend to begin as a monolithic architecture (more on that below), and over time grow into a set of interconnected microservices.
The main idea behind microservices is that some types of applications are easier to build and maintain when they are broken down into many small pieces that work together. Though the architecture has increased complexity, microservices still offer many advantages over the monolithic structure.
The concept of micro stems from the existing monolithic infrastructure most companies came up using, especially if the company has been around for a decade or longer. Instead of a monolithic architecture, each component of a microservice architecture has:
Its own CPU
Its own runtime environment
Often, a dedicated team working on it, ensuring each service is distinct from one another
This architecture means each service can:
Run its own unique process
Communicate autonomously without having to rely on the other microservices or the application as a whole
This ability to be separated and recombined protects the entire system against decay and better facilitates agile processes, making it appealing to organizations—especially those still utilizing monolithic infrastructures.
What Is Microservice Architecture? Microservices Explained
March 8, 2021
6 minute read
Microservice architecture, aka microservices, are a specific method of designing software systems to structure a single application as a collection of loosely coupled services. Applications tend to begin as a monolithic architecture (more on that below), and over time grow into a set of interconnected microservices.
The main idea behind microservices is that some types of applications are easier to build and maintain when they are broken down into many small pieces that work together. Though the architecture has increased complexity, microservices still offer many advantages over the monolithic structure.
The concept of micro stems from the existing monolithic infrastructure most companies came up using, especially if the company has been around for a decade or longer. Instead of a monolithic architecture, each component of a microservice architecture has:
Its own CPU
Its own runtime environment
Often, a dedicated team working on it, ensuring each service is distinct from one another
This architecture means each service can:
Run its own unique process
Communicate autonomously without having to rely on the other microservices or the application as a whole
This ability to be separated and recombined protects the entire system against decay and better facilitates agile processes, making it appealing to organizations—especially those still utilizing monolithic infrastructures.
This article will cover:
Monolithic vs microservice architectures
How microservices works
Microservices are a set of services that act together to make a whole application operate. This architecture utilizes APIs to pass information, such as user queries or a data stream, from one service to another.
How the underlying software works, or which hardware the service is built upon, depends solely on the team who built the service. This makes both communicating between teams and upgrading services very dynamic—even reactive—allowing a software company or team to be more resilient in its development.
Kubernetes has helped advance the cause of microservices, though it not a necessary building block. The rise of cloud computing and networked computers has done two things:
Removed the responsibility from the user needing to have a powerful computer to run all the necessary operations.
Places the responsibility on the company to use individual servers to run its service each time a user runs the application.
In the case of microservices, the user’s machine may be responsible for basic processing, but it is mostly responsible for sending and receiving network calls to other computers.
Whenever you use an application, it’s reasonable to assume that there are five other computers, give or take, that just turned on in order to power your experience. In the case of something like Facebook or Uber, it may be more reasonable to expect another 10,000 computers are actively processing information to enhance the user experience.
Microservices are often considered a logical evolution of Service Oriented Architecture (SOA), but there are clear differences between the two.
Netflix is one of the earlier, most well-known adopters. Some other well-known examples are:
eBay
Amazon
PayPal
SoundCloud
Gilt
The Guardian
