Monolithic vs Microservice Architecture: Which To Use and When?

Summary

This video compares monolithic and microservice architectures, highlighting their key differences, pros, and cons. Monolithic applications are simple to develop, deploy, and scale, but can become cumbersome as they grow. Microservices, on the other hand, offer scalability, flexibility, and independent deployment, though they introduce complexity in infrastructure and communication. The video suggests using monoliths for small, new applications and microservices for large-scale projects or when scaling becomes necessary. It emphasizes that choosing the right architecture depends on the specific needs of the project and future growth considerations.

Takeaways

• 😀 Monolithic architecture is a single codebase where everything works together as one application, making it easier to develop, deploy, and debug, especially for small applications.
• 😀 Monoliths are quick to develop and test, especially when starting a new project, and they only require one repository and CI/CD pipeline.
• 😀 Scaling a monolith can be costly as you need to scale the entire application, even if only one part of it is receiving high traffic.
• 😀 A monolithic structure can get bloated as more features are added, making it harder to maintain and onboard new developers.
• 😀 With monoliths, small changes often require redeploying the entire application, making the release process slower and more complex.
• 😀 Microservices break down a large application into smaller, independent services that handle specific business functions, making them easier to scale and maintain.
• 😀 Microservices enable teams to independently develop and deploy different components without impacting other parts of the application.
• 😀 Communication between microservices can be done through APIs, message brokers, or service meshes, each with its benefits depending on the nature of the interaction.
• 😀 Microservices can improve scalability by allowing you to scale only the parts of your application that need it, which saves on infrastructure costs.
• 😀 Microservices allow for faster, more frequent releases by making it easier to test and deploy smaller changes to individual services without affecting the whole system.
• 😀 Microservices introduce complexities, such as managing multiple services, debugging across different components, and requiring robust infrastructure for communication and monitoring.

Q & A

What is the main difference between monolithic and microservice architectures?

The main difference is that monolithic architecture builds the entire application as a single unit, while microservice architecture splits the application into smaller, independent components that each handle a specific business function.

What are the advantages of monolithic architecture?

Monolithic architecture is easy to develop, deploy, and debug since the codebase is unified. It's faster to develop for small applications, and debugging is simpler as everything is in one place. Performance is also better due to the absence of inter-service latency.

What are the disadvantages of monolithic architecture?

Monolithic architectures can become bloated over time as the application grows. It becomes harder to scale, and releasing updates is slow because even small changes require redeploying the entire application. Onboarding new developers can also become difficult as the codebase grows larger.

Why would a team consider moving to microservices from a monolith?

Microservices help solve the scalability, release speed, and maintainability issues that often arise in large monolithic applications. They allow independent development and deployment of components, which can be scaled individually.

How do microservices communicate with each other?

Microservices can communicate via APIs for synchronous communication, message brokers for asynchronous tasks, or a service mesh, which manages communication, service discovery, and reliability.

What are the key advantages of microservices over monolithic architecture?

Microservices offer better maintainability, scalability, and reliability. They allow for independent updates, easier scaling of specific services, and the use of different technology stacks per service. Additionally, microservices enable faster deployment and can be tested individually.

What are the disadvantages of microservices?

Microservices can be harder to debug, especially in production, because the issue might be spread across multiple services. They also require more complex infrastructure, additional CI/CD pipelines, and good monitoring. The increased number of services can lead to higher operational overhead and potential higher initial infrastructure costs for small applications.

When should a project start with a monolithic architecture instead of microservices?

For new projects without immediate scaling concerns, especially in startup environments, starting with a monolithic architecture is recommended. It allows for faster development and getting the product to market without overcomplicating things with unnecessary scalability concerns.

When is it better to start with microservices?

Microservices are a better choice if the application is expected to handle a large number of requests from the start or if it is integrating into an existing, complex workflow. A semi-monolithic approach, with key components broken into services, can be a good starting point.

What approach should be taken to break down a monolith into microservices?

To break down a monolith, identify the components that would be best handled as independent services. Look at parts of the application that are experiencing scaling issues or that can operate asynchronously. Gradually refactor these components into separate services as needed.