Microservices is one of the important architectural software trends in 2023. As technology grows in popularity, more and more tools and technologies are emerging to serve microservices. An application is represented as a set of loosely coupled services in a microservices architecture. Each model is a self-contained business functionality with a simple interface. Such an independent development simplifies the maintenance of the application. Let's discuss in more detail how this architecture works and its features.

The definition of microservices architecture

A microservices architecture, often referred to simply as microservices or MSA, is a framework for creating a digital product that assumes software comprises small, independent services. Each such module is responsible for performing a separate task or achieving a goal; it uses a particular application programming interface (API) to contact other sets of services.
Such an architecture facilitates scaling and allows you to develop software and introduce additional functionality into existing programs quickly.

How do microservices work?

According to the requirements of microservice architecture, the digital product is divided into separate modules. Each service activates a specific procedure and most often manages its info base. Application elements can create notifications, log data, interact with the user interface, control client authorization, and perform other types of work successfully.
The concept of microservices provides software developers with a more decentralized approach to application development. Specialists can isolate application elements, make adjustments, deploy them as often as they like, and manage them independently. Suggest a digital product is not reporting correctly, experts can determine where the problem occurs, restart the service, change its operation and redeploy such a service if necessary, without interfering with the activities of other modules.

What is microservices architecture used for?

In simple words, microservices architecture makes it quick and easy to build applications. Significant potential for flexible deployment, combined with the active use of advanced technologies, allows you to shorten the development period. Let's analyze the current use cases for the microservices architecture:

• Information processing: digital products based on a microservices architecture can simultaneously process many requests and a large amount of data.
• Media content: well-known corporations, e.g., Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, deal with hundreds of thousands of API requests every minute. Various OTT systems that create significant media content repositories benefit from implementing an architecture.
• Money transactions and accounts: microservices are helpful for software that processes many financial transactions and generates invoices. The unsafe operation of such applications can lead to significant losses for the organization.

Nowadays, Amazon, Netflix, Uber, and Etsy are prime examples of large corporations that have taken apart their monolithic software and transformed it into a microservices architecture. Adopting this approach brought their agility and scaling advantages to a new level.

Importance of microservices architecture in web development

According to a study by Business Research, the global microservices market will increase from 4.44 billion in 2022 to 5.31 billion in 2023 and 10.86 billion in 2027; while the average annual growth rate will be 19.6%. Let's talk about why the demand for microservices is rising every year.

• They increase the pace of deployment: each application runs in its own containerized environment, so it can be moved anywhere without violating past conditions. It ensures the integrity of the project.
• They empower the developer: each part of a digital product operates in a separate container to be improved and fixed individually. When mistakes occur, the developer does not need to review the entire code but only examine the individual service.

Microservices are transforming the traditional IT culture of disparate development and use teams. Such an architectural structure enables better collaboration and communication within the group, which prepares restructured departments for expansion, scalability, and resiliency.

Pros and cons of microservice architecture

The many benefits of microservice architecture motivate organizations to move from a standard monolithic structure to such advanced solutions. Let's discuss the main advantages of such a development system.

1. Independent work of developers: the structure allows several groups of specialists to work in parallel. They can build, test, and deploy their code to speed up iteration.
2. Agility and speed: when companies create complex monolithic applications, they often find it difficult to modify or update them to meet user requirements. Experts can quickly test and change the code, making it more tailored to the target audience's needs by adding microservices.
3. Scalability: interacting with microservices facilitates software scalability since the architecture is based on small elements with different versions.
4. Improved data security: by breaking down the architecture of computer systems into smaller pieces, sensitive information is protected from intrusions from other fields. While all parts are connected, creators can use secure APIs to put them together.

Although microservices have many advantages, they also have disadvantages; you must remember them when implementing the architecture. It is primarily due to the initial investment. While the structure provides capital savings in the long run, deploying systems requires significant capital to form an optimal hosting infrastructure with security and maintenance assurance. Remember to create groups of qualified employees to control different services.

Challenges of microservices architecture

Developers should be careful when working with microservices; they may face some pitfalls that must be paid close attention to. A robust API platform will eliminate these issues so your microservices function correctly. Consider what challenges users most often face:

• System complexity: the microservices architecture includes a lot of volatile details. As mentioned above, many dependencies between different modules need to be successfully tested using non-standard approaches.
• Lack of centralized management: MSA provides for using different structures and languages. But there is a risk that you will have to deal with many technicians, making it difficult to maintain the system. We recommend implementing rules for the whole project to avoid technological confusion.

Modern API management platforms provide all the necessary management tools. These powerful platforms offer a wide range of functionality, from adding new APIs to investigating data analytics and resolving security issues, simplifying the complex nature of web products.

Which language is best for microservices?

The adoption of microservices occurs with different frameworks, versions, and tools. It means that since each service is developed and deployed separately, they are loosely coupled to each other and may belong to different teams, which means they may be written in different languages. Most often, professionals choose the following options:

Java

Java is ideal for microservice architecture due to its easy-to-read annotation syntax. The feature facilitates the development of Java microservices when using particular frameworks. It provides excellent value in readability, which is especially true when interacting with complex systems.

Golang

If you plan to improve an existing project, we recommend choosing Golang. The popularity of this programming language is due to its concurrency and support for APIs that are important for the architecture of microservices.

Python

Python actively supports integration with various technologies. Developing templates in Python is faster and more convenient when compared to other frameworks and languages. Python microservices are compatible with legacy languages such as ASP and PHP, which allows you to generate web service interfaces to interact with microservices.

Each of these options has its strengths and weaknesses. You can select any programming language to create a microservices architecture. However, choose a language that suits your project's goals to make the creation process as flexible and efficient as possible.

Microservices vs. monolithic architecture

In a monolithic architecture, all procedures are interconnected and function as a single system. It leads to the fact that if one part of the system is faced with a surge in demand, it is necessary to scale the architecture. Adding new features or improving old functionality becomes more difficult as the code base grows. Such complexity limits experimentation and prevents the implementation of cutting-edge concepts. If you prefer a monolithic architecture, be prepared for application availability issues, as many related processes increase the risk of failure of all functionality.
If we speak about microservices architecture, it relies on independent elements that activate each program process as a service. These services are connected through a unique interface with the addition of simple APIs. Services provide business opportunities, and each is responsible for one task. Each element can be deployed, scaled, and enhanced to meet the demand for a specific digital product functionality because they are activated independently.
Understanding the difference between microservices and service-oriented architecture (SOA) is also essential. SOA is a software development technique that fully uses reusable platform elements or services. Service-oriented architecture has an enterprise scope, while microservice architecture is based on the application scope.

Future trends in a microservices architecture

Modern companies are increasingly moving towards a microservices architecture, focusing on the needs of end users in various fields, e.g., commerce, medicine, IT, etc. The active implementation of such structures has led to the emergence of several popular trends that will continue to develop in the future:

• Adding service meshes to deal with microservices: a service mesh is a reconfigurable infrastructure layer for a microservices application. It guarantees controlled, observable, and secure communication between individual modules in the software environment. The service mesh speeds up the exchange of information and controls the operation of container services. Experts use such a layer to evaluate the connection between different parts of the application; with it, it is easier to transmit insights throughout the system. The popularity of the service mesh will increase as more and more specialists prefer microservice architecture.
• Serverless architecture: such a system does not require servers' responsibility, so experts no longer need to focus on their implementation, configuration, and maintenance. Under the rules of this structure, the cloud service provider monitors the dynamic allocation and provisioning of servers, which makes it the optimal solution for cloud processes. Combining serviceless architecture and microservices will create an ideal environment for development and continuous delivery.

Implementing a microservices architecture in an organization requires good technical skills and changes to the company's internal project management systems. All of these trends will shape how microservices work in the future.

Final words

A microservice architecture is best suited for large cloud applications developed by multiple teams of specialists, while a monolithic codebase is optimal for smaller software. Microservices have certain advantages and disadvantages; for example, they are easier to develop and maintain; however, managing individual components and preparing for failure involves a lot of effort.