Choosing Between Microservices and Monolithic Architecture: A Comprehensive Guide

Introduction

The architecture an application is built upon is one of the key success factors for any product in the fast-paced digital environment. It affects not only the development and team structuring processes, but also the scalability, maintenance, and overall success of the application. Today we will focus on Microservices vs Monolithic Architecture. The Microservices architecture has been slowly replacing monolith architecture. However, it would be an oversimplification to say that every new application should be developed with microservices architecture. Therefore, it is absolutely critical to assess all the aspects of both architectural styles and understand when one should be used or not.

What are Microservices and Monolithic Architectures

What is Microservices Architecture?

Microservices Architecture is a design approach that allows structuring an application as a group of loosely coupled services, where each service can be independently built and deployed. Each service is designed specifically to implement one or several business functions and may interact over a network through the use of a lightweight protocol. This type of architecture is known for its flexibility and the ability to let the team develop, operate, and scale the functionality independently of the rest of the application.

What is Monolith Architecture?

In comparison, Monolithic Architecture is a traditional approach under which an application is developed as a single block that cannot be divided into smaller units using standard web technologies. Everything from database operations up to client-side logic works in the same memory space. Nevertheless, as simpler to develop and deploy Monolithic Architecture is, the more complex and bulky it becomes as the application develops.

Deciding between Microservices vs Monolithic Architecture

Go for Microservices Architecture if:

The scalability of every piece is a highly important matter
An application must be scaled continuously
Your team is large and can be split into multiple small teams that work independently
It is necessary to be able to use different technologies for different sections of your application
Continuous deployment and delivery cycle is a crucial component of your business

And vice versa, Monolithic Architecture if:

The application has not grown out of the medium or small-scale frame
Your team is not big either, or you do not anticipate extensive growth
Speed to market is more critical than developing a scalable app
You have a simple deployment process

Challenges Of Each Architecture

Microservices Architecture challenges

Some of the challenges in adopting microservices architecture are:

Complexity in managing multiple services, such as increased communication overhead, massive data consistency, and transaction management complications.
It also demands a highly sophisticated deployment infrastructure. Performance overhead issues primarily arise from network latency. Keep in mind that each call from one microservice to another is a network call.

Monolithic Architecture challenges

Here are some of the challenges of monolith architecture:

Monolithic applications find it hard to scale specific components of the application.
They also face difficulty in integrating new technologies or frameworks while the application continues evolving.
Equally important, monolithic applications have longer development and deployment cycles as the application becomes larger and more complex.

Monolith vs Microservices architecture. Source: Dev.to

Adoption Strategy: Moving from Monolith to Microservices

It’s not necessary to start building an application with microservices as our first choice. Many successful projects started with monoliths and transitioned to microservices after the application became sufficiently large. In fact, for most of the small and medium-scale applications, microservices architecture should not be the default choice.

Steps for transitioning from monolith to microservices

Let’s discuss how to transition from monolith to microservices:

Identification and separation of core functionalities in monolith application. The monolith should be divided into separate elements, with each core functionality treated as a separate service.
One by one, start splitting the monolith by extracting these services. During this process, make sure that each service becomes independently deployable.
Adopt a “strangler fig” pattern, where the team develops new features as microservices, and gradually replaces existing features.

One of the most known cases of moving a monolith to microservices is Amazon. In the start, Amazon’s monolithic design was resulting in slow deployment times and scalability issues. By gradual migration to microservices, they achieved unparalleled scalability, increased deployment frequency, and improved resilience, ultimately supporting their global e-commerce empire.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the choice between microservices and monolithic architecture is paramount for the future of your application. Microservices architecture is highly flexible and scalable but may come with complexities and challenges, especially if your team does not have enough experience with microservices. Monolithic architecture may be simple at first but is not a great choice for future scaling. For example, if you are only aiming for an MVP and do not plan to build the actual application on top of it, then using microservices would be an overkill here. So, It is critical to evaluate the unique project requirements, such as the size of the team, project scale, long-term goals, etc. Understanding the pros and cons of moving from monolithic to microservices is crucial for an architecture that keeps up with the constantly evolving digital world.

At Vizzon, we take immense pride in developing robust applications tailored to your business needs. Whether you’re considering the streamlined simplicity of a monolithic architecture or the advanced flexibility of a microservices design, our team of experts is here to guide you through. With a dedication to cutting-edge technology and a proven track record of success, we turn the complexity of software development into a competitive advantage for your business. Don’t let architectural decisions slow you down. Embrace innovation, scalability, and speed with Vizzon’s bespoke software solutions.

Start building the future of your application today. Book a consultation with our specialists and transform your vision into reality.