13- Microservices Vs Monolith Architecture

 

Microservices Vs Monolith Architecture

What is Monolithic Architecture?

A monolithic application, sometimes known as a "monolith," is made up of a single massive codebase that contains all of the program's components, such as the backend, frontend, and configuration.

OR

Monolithic architecture is created as a single massive system with a single code base.

 

Monoliths are usually seen as an older and more conventional method of designing applications, although many businesses still need to start using monolithic architecture. 

Monolithic programs are typically faster to create and deploy than applications based on microservices architecture, and they may be simpler to manage. On the other hand, Monolithic programs might suffer from a lack of scalability and the limitations of maintaining a single gigantic codebase as the program expands in size.

Image 1 -   Monolithic Architecture

What is Microservices Architecture?

Microservices architecture separates all system components into individual chunks that may be built, implemented, and scaled independently. Microservices, also known as microservice architecture, is a design strategy that constructs an application as a collection of tiny independent services based on a business domain.

 In a Microservice Architecture, each service is self-contained and delivers a single business feature. Microservices have become the go-to technique for developing applications in today's industry.

Image 2 -   Microservices Architecture

Monolithic vs Microservices Architecture

Monolithic architecture is created as a single massive system with a single code base. As the application evolves, it gets more entangled, making it impossible to isolate services for scaling and maintaining purposes. Because everything is tightly coupled and dependent on each other, changing technology, language, or framework is extremely tough.

 Microservices architecture is designed as a collection of small, self-contained modules based on business functionalities. Each project and service in a microservices application is code-independent of the others. As a result, it is simple to configure, deploy, and scale `based on demand.

Advantages of monolithic application

Easier to develop and deploy: 

Since all components of a monolith are centralized, they may be relatively straightforward to construct and deploy, resulting in a faster time to reach the market. Using the monolith architecture, even single developers or small teams can quickly design, test, and launch programmes.

Easier to test: 

Monoliths are sometimes simpler to test than microservices-based apps since there is only one code source to keep track of while testing and troubleshooting.

Fewer skills required: 

Most development teams today are competent in building a monolithic program, but constructing an application based on microservices requires particular skills and training.

Singular security management: 

While separating an application into distinct microservices has certain security advantages, utilizing a monolith ensures security is managed in one location rather than monitoring vulnerabilities throughout all microservices.

Disadvantages of monolithic application

Complex maintenance: 

As an application grows and adds features, a monolithic codebase may become enormous and complex. This makes the program difficult to maintain, especially as the number of developers working on the single codebase increases.

Difficulty in implementing changes: 

Changes to one component of the program may accidentally affect other parts of the codebase, needing greater work to identify problems.

Difficult to scale:

 Scaling monolithic applications is difficult because new processing resources must be provided all at once, a technique known as vertical scaling. This may be expensive, and there are always limitations on how much an application can expand vertically.

Technology constraints:

 Due to the interwoven dependencies in a monolith, adding or updating functionality may take a lot of work. Depending on the requirements of the application, the developers may be limited in what additional features they can include with a monolithic application.

Single point of failure:

 Since all parts of a program are inextricably connected, a problem anywhere in the code may bring the entire application down

Advantages of microservices

Microservices are self-contained: 

Because microservices are self-contained, they may be debugged, deployed, and maintained separately from other modules. As an application expands, this might be useful since changes in one component do not impact the others. A team devoted to that functionality may manage each microservice.

Simple to scale: 

An application may be horizontally scaled utilizing microservices, which means that each microservice can expand in size independently as needed. Horizontal scaling costs less than vertical scaling and allows an application to expand endlessly.

More adaptability:

 A microservices-based design allows teams to add new functionality and technologies as needed. The number of microservices required to build a system grows in proportion to the system's requirements.

Disdvantages of microservices

Complication:

 The constituent modules may be simple, but a comprehensive microservices-based system might be quite complicated. The way microservices are linked together adds a degree of complexity not present in monolithic programs.

Specialised skills are required: 

Creating a microservices architecture requires specialized expertise, and not all developers have that. Teams who construct microservices without the right training may run into a plethora of problems, resulting in a delayed time to release and higher expenditures to hire outside expertise.

Security and testing will be distributed: 

Each module will have its own set of security flaws and issues. While this can aid in preventing attacks, it also means that there are more possible vulnerabilities to monitor, and debugging each element can be time-consuming.

Conclusion

--> Monoliths are easier to develop, test, and deploy but are difficult to maintain, enhance, and scale.

--> Monoliths may suffer from a single point of failure.

--> Microservices require specialized skills and more resources to develop, but they are easier to debug, maintain, enhance, and scale.

--> Microservices do not suffer from a single point of failure.