Difference between monolithic and microservices architecture
In the world of software development, monolithic and microservices architecture have gained immense popularity. Both approaches have their own advantages and challenges. To decide which approach to adopt for the next project, it is essential to know what each has to offer. In this answer, we will explore the fundamental differences between monolithic and microservices architectures, and discuss the unique characteristics of both approaches.
Monolithic architecture
It is the traditional approach in building a software, where all functionalities reside in a single codebase. The components of the software, including the user interface, business logic, and database are tightly integrated and deployed as a single unit. This architecture is suitable for small projects as it simplifies the development process. However, as the project scales it poses challenges in its maintenance and management.
Microservices architecture
In microservices architecture, functionalities of a software are distributed into independent deployable services. As each service is independent, it has its own business logic and database. Every service follows the single responsibility principle which means that one service is solely responsible for one functionality. The services communicate with one another through well defined APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) and contribute towards the smooth working of the software. This architecture is suitable for large projects as it offers flexibility, agility, and scalability of the components.
Key differences
Development
Monolithic approach is easier to develop, as the developers do not need to learn about additional platforms.
Microservices approach requires skilled developers to identify microservices and their inter-communication.Scalability
Monolithic approach makes scalability a challenging task, as individual components are tightly coupled.
Microservices approach is easier to scale, as each service is independent and can be extended without affecting the other services.Reliability
Monolithic approach is less reliable, as a bug or failure in one component can cause the entire software to crash.
Microservices approach is more reliable. If an independent service crashes, it won't affect the working of other services.On-boarding Employees
Monolithic approach makes it a tiresome task for new developers, as they have to understand the whole codebase.
Microservices approach allows easy onboarding for developers, as they just need to understand the working of a single service.Debugging
Monolithic approach makes debugging easier, as finding a bug in a single codebase is easier.
Microservices approach is based on inter-communication of services. Each service has its own logging setup. Therefore, finding a bug among services is a difficult and complex task.Testing
Monolithic approach allows faster testing, as the code is in a single and centralized unit.
Microservices approach can slow down the testing process, as each service might have a different testing process depending on the technology used.Deployment
Monolithic approach makes deployment easier, but it takes more time to deploy a single large codebase. Any update in the code requires the complete rebuild and redeployment of the software
Microservices approach cause complexity in deployment, as each microservice has different deployment requirements. Besides that, the small codebase of a microservice results in faster deployment. An update in a service requires only the redeployment of that service without affecting the entire software.Technology
Monolithic approach affects the entire software if a new technology is adopted. This results in high time and cost consumption.
Microservices approach allows developers to choose the desired technology depending on the functionality of the service. If a new technology is adopted, it would only affect the service in which it is applying, leaving the rest of the software to function normally.
