Microservices architecture is a software development approach that breaks an application into a collection of small, independent services. Each service has its own functionality and can be developed, managed, and deployed separately. This approach enables companies to build systems that are more flexible, easily scalable, and capable of quickly adapting to business or technological changes.
Unlike monolithic architecture, which consolidates all functions into one large system, microservices allow developers to modify or improve a single service without disrupting the entire application. This architecture is becoming increasingly popular in the technology industry as it enhances innovation speed and operational efficiency.
What is Microservices Architecture?
Microservices is an architectural approach to application development that breaks down an application into small, independent components. Each component, or microservice, has a specific function, its own computing resources, and a dedicated team of developers focused on that component.
Microservices communicate with each other through an Application Programming Interface (API) to form a complete application. This approach differs from monolithic architecture, where all application functions and services are bound into a single codebase.
Microservices architecture offers high scalability, allowing each service or component of the application to be deployed, updated, repaired, and modified independently by developers without requiring changes to the entire system. This enhances application reliability, as a failure in one service does not directly impact others. Additionally, it enables developers to work in a distributed manner and focus on specific services without needing to understand the entire system.
What is Microservices Architecture Used For?
Microservices architecture offers several advantages over monolithic architecture, one of which is the ability to work in parallel and accelerate the application development cycle. Here are five key reasons why many companies choose microservices architecture for application development:
- Better scalability, allowing developers to allocate application resources more efficiently based on demand.
- Flexible development, enabling teams to use the best tools, technologies, and programming languages for different services, tailored to specific tasks.
- Faster development and testing, as applications are broken down into smaller services. Teams can focus on individual components without modifying or understanding the entire system, thus accelerating the release cycle.
- Fault isolation, ensuring that if an issue occurs in one service, other services can continue operating without disruption. This improves system stability and reliability, as failures in one component do not affect others.
- Simplified maintenance and continuous development, supporting DevOps and Continuous Delivery practices. This allows updates and fixes to be applied seamlessly without disrupting the entire system, making it easier to maintain and develop new features.
Key Benefits of Microservices Architecture
Microservices architecture is a great choice for companies looking to increase flexibility, scalability, and accelerate innovation in business application development. Here are some of the main advantages of microservices architecture for companies:
- Rapid adaptation to business needs: This leads to a faster application development and update cycle.
- High scalability: Quickly increase service capacity according to business needs without disrupting the entire application.
- Easy deployment: Applications built with a microservices architecture are lighter and simpler than monolithic applications.
- Flexibility in database selection: Choose various types of databases or storage that best suit the needs of each service within the same application.
- Encourages CI/CD adoption in DevOps: Developers can independently develop, test, and deploy services and applications, automating the delivery and management of microservices.
- Service specialization: Each service focuses on specific capabilities, allowing development teams to concentrate on solving particular problems.
- Independent components: These components work and communicate with each other through APIs.
- Business-focused design: Components are designed specifically for business needs, simplifying the development and management of new features.
- Minimized risk of application failure: Isolated failures prevent the entire application from being impacted.
- Straightforward routing: The communication process between services is simple and uncomplicated, making microservices more agile, flexible, and easy to manage and scale.
Example Usage of Microservices Architecture
Currently, several large companies, such as Amazon and Netflix, use microservices architecture. This approach, which allows services to perform specific functions, has proven to increase flexibility, scalability, and adaptability to changing business needs. Below are some examples of how global companies implement microservices architecture.
- Amazon transitioned from a monolithic architecture to microservices as the business grew and system complexity increased. Each microservice is responsible for a specific function, such as product search, inventory management, payment processing, and product recommendations, which are broken down into independent services. This allows Amazon to enhance the scalability and flexibility of system development and maintenance.
- Netflix utilizes microservices to handle billions of movie streaming requests from users every day. The implementation of microservices enables Netflix to separate functions such as user management, movie recommendations, video playback, account management, and video streaming into independent services. This approach enhances system agility and accelerates the development of new features.
- Uber employs microservices to manage features such as dynamic ride booking, fare calculation, location mapping, driver management, and user notifications, allowing drivers and passengers to connect in real time. Uber can scale each service independently, enabling it to respond quickly to market changes and user demands.
- Etsy implements microservices to manage product catalogs, transactions, and search features for handmade and vintage items. Each service, such as product search, seller management, transaction processing, and payment, operates within separate microservices, making it easier to update or fix issues without disrupting other services. This online marketplace utilizes various databases based on the specific needs of each service, including SQL for transactions and NoSQL for product catalogs.
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Microservices Architecture Solution Suite from CDT
Central Data Technology (CDT) offers a suite of microservices architecture solutions tailored to your specific business needs. Here are five recommended microservices architecture solutions:
Amazon Elastic Kubernetes Service
Amazon Elastic Kubernetes Service (Amazon EKS) is a managed Kubernetes service that enables companies to run containerized applications efficiently both in the AWS Cloud and on-premises environments. Amazon EKS automatically manages Kubernetes cluster infrastructure, including container scheduling, application availability, and dynamic resource scaling.
With built-in integration into AWS networking, security, and storage services, this solution delivers optimal performance, high reliability, and maximum availability for microservices-based systems. EKS Anywhere and EKS Hybrid Nodes features support Kubernetes deployments across various environments while maintaining the highest standards of security and scalability.
Akamai Kubernetes
Akamai offers a unique approach with edge deployment capabilities, allowing microservices to be deployed closer to end users, reducing latency, and improving user experience. With EdgeWorkers, Akamai enables developers to deploy code directly at the edge for real-time processing and service personalization.
The integrated API Gateway supports optimized API management, including traffic management, authentication, and access restrictions, strengthening the security of communication between microservices. With Kubernetes support through Linode Kubernetes Engine (LKE), Akamai simplifies container orchestration and management, enabling automatic scalability on demand.
Dynatrace Microservices Monitoring
Dynatrace takes an AI-driven approach to automatically monitor and analyze microservices performance. Powered by Davis® AI technology, the platform detects anomalies, quickly identifies root causes, and optimizes service performance.
With Smartscape Topology Mapping, Dynatrace provides real-time visualization of the entire microservices architecture and its dependencies, helping IT teams understand service relationships and the impact of system changes. OneAgent enables end-to-end data collection with minimal manual configuration, while OpenTelemetry integration offers flexibility in performance monitoring and analysis strategies.
F5 NGINX One
NGINX One delivers a comprehensive solution for managing microservices traffic by integrating load balancing, reverse proxy, API gateway, and Kubernetes ingress and egress controllers into a single platform. This unified approach simplifies microservices deployment, reduces operational complexity, and enhances application management efficiency.
With centralized global visibility, enterprises can manage multiple microservices with optimal availability, performance, and security while maintaining ease of operation.
Hitachi Vantara VSP One
Hitachi Vantara offers VSP One, a robust data storage solution that integrates ransomware protection, data encryption, and a 100% availability guarantee. The Single Data Plane feature ensures consistent data management across hybrid cloud and on-premises environments, facilitating seamless data mobility between microservices.
With High-Density Storage, the platform provides massive storage capacity capable of handling billions of objects, while ENERGY STAR-certified energy efficiency ensures high performance with optimized power consumption.
Get the Best Microservices Architecture Solutions Only at CDT
As an Authorized partner of AWS, Akamai, Dynatrace, and official distributor of F5 & Hitachi Vantara, Central Data Technology (CDT) offers comprehensive microservices architecture solutions tailored to your business needs. As a subsidiary of CTI Group, CDT is backed by a team of experienced, certified IT professionals who ensure a smooth implementation of microservices architecture—eliminating the risk of trial and error.
Now is the time to consult with CDT about your microservices architecture needs and choose the best solution for your business. Contact us now by clicking the link below to start your journey—from consultation to after-sales support—ensuring a seamless and effective implementation.
Author: Ervina Anggraini – Content Writer CTI Group
