In modern times, almost every business is tech-based. This means, that at some point, business owners and their IT teams must deep-dive into application development. At this stage, a common but rather perplexing question rears its head – should you use monolithic architecture or microservices architecture to build your applications?
For the uninitiated, the difference between the two is as follows – when an application is built on top of a single database, this single or “mono” database is the foundation of all functionalities in that application. Hence, this format is called ‘monolithic’ architecture to signify a single, uncategorized framework. As opposed, when an application uses multiple databases to cater to multiple functionalities, it is called ‘microservices’ architecture to point towards the spread-out nature of the many databases that form this type of application.
The route you decide to take affects the doors that may open or shut for you in the course of your application development process. As with any critical decision, having some guidance to maneuver this techno-landscape is helpful. At Saransh, our IT experts give 4 key pointers to keep in mind while you make this decision.
Ease of Management of the Application
Working with a single database means having to review/upgrade the entire setup, each time a modification needs to be made. In contrast, having multiple databases means having the ability to change one or more components of the application, while the other functionalities operating on independent databases remain unaffected.
With fast changing business needs, applications often require frequent and speedy updates. Considering this, as business owners or developers, you want an application that gives you flexibility in terms of maintenance and modification. While monolithic architecture as well as microservices architecture both have their uses, in terms of ease of management vis-à-vis maintenance and modification of the application, microservices architecture offers an upper hand.
Scaling
Scaling an application involves planning on scaling up or down, based on your business needs. At the beginning, a business may have limited operations and therefore may require limited functionalities. However, with time, this may change. Business is not static and, therefore, the tech that supports a business must also be able to shape-shift and adapt itself to the changing requirements.
With monolithic architecture, scaling up or down is difficult, since a change to any one component has a domino effect on all other functionalities. With microservices architecture, however, services can be scaled up or down more easily, based on business needs, without changing the entire application. This allows for smoother transitions and greater business agility.
Reliability
Monolithic architecture creates a single point of contact for all the application’s services, which means that it simultaneously also creates a single point of failure. If the server that hosts the database fails, the entire application is affected. Microservices architecture on the other hand being, in a way, a cluster of independent services in a unified field i.e the application, the failure of one component usually doesn’t affect allied functionalities since they are based on their own databases. This translates into guaranteed up-time of the application even as certain failed components are withdrawn to be amended and then redeployed.
Evolution
As business grows, the functions required to be performed by applications change and evolve. Since monolithic architecture resides on a singular database, it is difficult to adapt to new technologies since having to do this would require you to rework your entire application. More often than not, this is cumbersome to do. Microservices architecture on the other hand, by virtue of its loose coupling, is much better suited to adapting to newer technologies. This means having the ability to extend your application to those functionalities that weren’t originally contemplated and replacing those functionalities that are no longer needed without disturbing the other services. This translates into easy integration of new emerging tech and enhanced adaptability.
While it remains a personal business choice as to which route is better, globally businesses are opting for microservices architecture for the above stated reasons and experiencing increased productivity, as well as better business performance. Amongst these, especially those tech-based businesses that are looking to grow exponentially and build complex applications, find it easier to deal with a microservices architecture design, owing to the flexibility it offers in terms of development options.
If you have any questions or wish to know more about new business application development or upgrade, feel free to get in touch with our tech-experts at info@sarashinc.com