Written by Team IndiBlogHub » Updated on: January 28th, 2025
Clarity is now considered a trend in designing software architecture. Choosing the right approach, however, depends on the project’s specifics and long-term goals.
Experienced developers often debate whether microservices are indeed the ultimate solution or if monolithic architecture still holds its ground. While monolithic architecture is often labeled cumbersome, it has been the foundation for countless software products and continues to be widely used today. On the other hand, microservices provide flexibility and scalability but come with their own challenges.
For businesses exploring these options, partnering with an experienced IT outsourcing company like SoftTeco can help navigate the complexities of architecture selection and implementation. So, what should you opt for when it comes to monolithic vs. microservices? Let’s take a closer look.
A monolithic architecture of a software product is exactly what it sounds like – it’s designed as a monolith, tightly connecting main components together. Think of it as cementing the bricks in the wall: once you do it, it would be really hard to make a change to a single brick without somehow changing the others around it. Note though that it’s not bad at all: a monolithic application is relatively easy to develop and deploy (if it’s not too big) because there is only one unit to work on.
A monolithic application has a single-tiered structure and encompasses all functions of an app. On the contrary, In a microservices architecture, these functions would be distributed across different microservices services.
A monolithic application may contain a different number of components, but the essential ones would be a database (most often, relational) or several databases, a server-side application, and a user interface aka the client-side application. All components of a monolithic app perform as a single unit and any changes made to one will also lead to changes in the other two. Monolithic architecture is also considered a traditional approach to software development and it is highly suitable for certain projects.
If you think that monolithic apps are a relic of the past, think again. Yes, they have certain issues (more on them below) but at the same time, monolithic applications have several benefits that are really hard to beat.
Now it’s time to talk about the reasons why many developers tend to switch from monolithic to microservices architecture. While all these cons are not really critical, for certain projects they might become a real pain point so it’s important to understand them.
As we already stated, monolithic apps have their right to exist and in some cases, they can even outperform microservices. Here are some of the most common use cases for monolithic architecture:
As you can see, all these use cases are united by several features: in all of them, the client does not have an overly complex and big app and an extensive team to manage it. The simplicity of monolithic applications is great for teams with a limited number of members and for small projects that need to be easily handled.
A microservices architecture means there are several independently functioning units and each unit can be seen as a separate service. In this way, every unit is responsible for a certain part of the application so if you need to work on a single part, others will function in the same way without any issues.
This type of architecture is sometimes called the rebranding of the existing SOA architecture (service-oriented architecture). This is not correct though. While microservices can be called an SOA-based approach to architecture design, SOA encompasses many more approaches (like CORBA) and is not limited by microservices only.
The communication in the microservices architecture usually happens via API, standard protocols, or by publishing messages to a broker and every unit has its own function. In this way, every component is also separately deployed and maintained and can be quickly updated upon request.
So what are the benefits that make developers around the world go crazy about microservices? All of them are actually related to the nature of this architecture so it won’t come as a surprise but still, let’s have a look at them.
While being awesome, scalable, and convenient, in some cases microservices architecture brings more harm than good. Let’s see what kind of challenges one may face when working with it.
Even though there is a misconception that microservices suit everyone, that’s not very true. There are certain use cases for this architecture type that allow microservices to shine at their most and bring the best value to a project.
If you think that microservices are the most suitable option for your project, we collected several best practices that can help you manage and deploy the microservices architecture in an easy manner. All these tips are aimed at creating a scalable and high-performing app with a focus on security and reliability.
One of the biggest mistakes that one can make when working with microservices is loading them with multiple responsibilities. In reality, every microservice should have only one responsibility in order to minimize the possible negative consequences of a service failure. In simple words, if something goes down in a microservice, the failure will be sort of isolated. But if a microservice has multiple responsibilities, it might drag the whole system down in case of a failure.
In some projects, all microservices are connected to a single database. This is considered an architectural mistake and can lead to conflicts such as coordination issues or data-model conflicts. Thus, it is recommended that every microservice has its own data persistence layer. In this way, microservices will be better isolated and damage will be minimized if the data set becomes unavailable for some reason.
If your company has hundreds of microservices to manage, you need an orchestration tool to handle them. Such tools are responsible for deployment and load balancing, as well as for provisioning, scaling, and communication management. Kubernetes by Microsoft is considered the leader in the field and is highly recommended by all its users. But if you want to look for an alternative, there are other options available too.
These days, it’s easy to forget that monolithic architecture exists on the contrary with microservices popularity. However, as we explained above, monolithic architecture remains strong and can provide you with robust and secure performance. The same goes for microservices: they can be extremely efficient and reliable if applied in the right environment.
Hence, when answering the question on what option to choose, always assess your project and consult the development team to see what would require less time and effort: monolith or microservices.
Irina, Head of Content at SoftTeco, has over 12 years of copywriting experience, with 8 years in the IT industry. She specializes in creating engaging content that aligns with readers' intent and demonstrates deep technical knowledge in software development. Her portfolio spans fintech, marketing, HR, and IT, with expertise in AI and cloud technologies.
At SoftTeco, Irina leads a team of copywriters, ensuring high-quality content both internally and externally. She has authored over 250 blog posts, significantly boosting organic traffic, and has shared her insights at in-house copywriting meetups.
Irina’s strengths include thorough research and fast results. She developed an IT copywriting course and has spoken at multiple industry events. She holds a degree in Advertising and Media Management from Humber College, Toronto, and a Bachelor’s degree from Switzerland.
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