A strong foundation builds a resilient structure that can withstand the tests of time and storms of change. Likewise, laying a solid software structure is the core and crux of building software applications or platforms. However, it is something that definitely can't be skipped as the software structure is no less than a ‘brain’, formulated for the purpose of planning and the commands from which is to be followed through the ins and outs of the concerned project. In simpler terms, it ideally bridges a gap between ideas and reality by converting them into functional and impactful digital solutions for businesses. Nevertheless, there is a lot more to the technicalities involved in building and implementing these structures, and that certainly varies from business to business, client to client and last but not least, a type of application or web page. For instance, whether it is for an e-commerce platform, whether b2b or b2c, an OTT platform, a healthcare application or a business website etc. As this article covers multiple aspects of understanding monolithic and cloud-based microservice architecture, the latter has gained significant popularity lately through the structural migration stories of companies that have witnessed the change they hoped for. Additionally, while the primary goals of a successful software architecture are to enable agility, scalability, and maintainability, it must be competent enough to confer technology flexibility and high reliability and one that aligns with the business goals and needs of its users. But,
Firstly, What is a monolithic and microservice structure in software building?
As we just discussed, you might have heard about projects and companies that initiated migrating their structure from being monoliths to adopting cloud-based microservice. But what exactly are these? So, while there is much more hype for the team microservice architecture lately after the wave of modernised digital solutions hit, we must first fix this notion of the ‘Monolith architectural structure.’ explaining that it is ‘no bad’ or rather inappropriate as it is being portrayed however, a traditional method in the application or software building which is being employed by developers over a good time now. Digging out the technical trait of this structure, a monolithic application is built as a single unified unit. At the same time, a microservices architecture is a collection of more minor, independently deployable services and which one would be suitable for you depends on several factors. In addition, the word “monolith” is often linked to something large and glacial, which is quite similar to the truth of a monolith architecture for software design as it is a singular, extensive computing network with one code base that couples all of the business concerns together. Although businesses can benefit from either a monolithic or microservices architecture, depending on some different factors; the advantage of developing a monolithic architecture is its fast development speed due to the simplicity of having an application based on one code base allowing easy deployment, development and debugging. This may sound as simpler as it should be. Still, these factors are also becoming responsible for its deployment on large-scale projects wanting to be developed with a more agile and flexible approach, beating the simplicity factor. Here is where the microservice structure becomes relevant to step in.
Cutting off tradition-based approach: About a radical shift to cloud-based microservice architecture by giant companies across the globe
Companies worldwide are breaking down their monolithic architecture into smaller independent service models by shifting their software structure to cloud-based microservice architecture to be more agile and for higher flexibility, scalability and speed. Its technical attribute is - a microservices architecture is an architectural method that relies on a series of independently deployable services having their own business logic and database with a specific goal, and updating, testing, deployment, and scaling occur within each service. Netflix, for example, moved to microservices and saw a 43% reduction in downtime. This is undoubtedly a remarkable impact as the company is the world’s leading internet television network, with over 183 million member subscribers spread across 190 countries, along with other companies like Amazon and Uber, trusting microservices to redefine their performance and scalability structure by taking it cloud-based.
Plus-Points of Cloud-based Microservices over Monolithic Structures
Scalability
A monolithic application puts all of its functionalities into a single process and scales by replicating the monoliths into multiple servers; therefore, it may lead to resource wastage in the process of scaling due to unified application software, whereas cloud platforms provide dynamic scaling, allowing you to allocate resources to specific microservices as needed, ensuring optimal performance as this structure allows to scale the application by distributing services across servers.
Agility
Microservices allow developers to work on different components independently. Cloud infrastructure supports this flexibility by providing tools and services for deploying, monitoring, and managing microservices. Moreover, monolith faces numerous hurdles in adapting such agility because of codebase size and complexity, deployment bottlenecks, and limited technology flexibility.
Resource Efficiency
Cloud platforms provide on-demand resources, so you only use and pay for what you need, which is particularly beneficial for applications with varying workloads.
Technology Diversity
Monolithic structure constraints technology diversity as the entire application is built using a single technology stack, limiting technological choices. On the other hand, microservices allow you to use different technologies for different services based on their requirements, thus, accommodating diverse technology stacks and providing compatibility and integration support.
Fault Tolerance capability
Cloud providers often have built-in redundancy and backup mechanisms that enhance the microservices architecture's overall fault tolerance. In contrast, due to its design, monolithic architecture encompasses certain inherent factors such as complexity in recovery, single point of failure, etc., affecting its capability to become as resilient and agile as microservices.
Continuous integration and deployment
Cloud platforms offer tools for automating CI/CD pipelines, which can be especially valuable in a microservices environment where frequent updates and deployments occur. By this, individual services can be continuously deployed, reducing deployment risks and enabling faster iterations without any need to test and redeploy the entire application.
Data consistency and Testability
Testing can be more challenging in a monolithic architecture as the entire application is tightly integrated, which also means changes in one module might have unintended consequences in another. Microservices can be more testable due to their modular nature. Each service can be tested independently, allowing for focused and targeted testing.
Time to unlearn for developers: This is a chance to drive a successful strategy for companies seeking evolution
So, with rightful implementation and strategies, a monolith structure can be suitable for certain applications offering solitary services and short-term requirements and goals, as the system is easy to deploy and maintain. However, developers will face more need to buck up adopting strategised approach with microservices, matching up with the pace at which it is going ahead to the future of more scalable and flexible digitalised solutions in software building. Moreover, there is a growing need for e-commerce and OTT platforms worldwide. Microservices structure and system enablement are rising upto the expectation mark of what businesses seek.
