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Monolithic VS Microservices Architecture: What To Choose?

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Carol Smith

In the mobile app development world, monolithic architecture used to be the norm. However, ever since microservices architecture was introduced, there has been a debate on the efficacy of the two approaches. In this blog, we will discuss, what are these two approaches and what are the benefits.

 

Monolithic architecture

 

A monolithic application has a single-tiered structure and encompasses all functions of an app. 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.

 

The pros of monolithic architecture

 

●    The whole app acts as a single unit, it’s much easier to manage this area of the app’s functionality.

●    Easier testing due to the monolithic nature of the app.

●    Easier and faster development and deployment due to the simplicity of the architecture.

●    Easier database management since there is only one database. In this way, it becomes easier to handle the database and all related processes.

●    Relatively quick start of a new project due to the simplicity of the architecture.

●     It’s quite easy to start a monolithic application - the main issues may arise once it gets bigger and more complex.

 

The cons of monolithic architecture

 

●    Limited scalability due to the monolithic nature of the app.

●    The limited and complex implementation of changes.

●    Development speed starts going down as the app becomes more complex.

 

Who should use monolithic architecture?

 

As we already stated, monolithic apps have their right to exist and in some cases, they can even outperform microservices. When you have a relatively small and lightweight app and don’t plan to scale it much in the future, you can go for monolithic architecture.

 

Microservices architecture

 

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 and so if you need to work on a single part, others will function in the same way without any issues.

 

The pros of microservices architecture

 

●    Independent development and deployment of every unit.

●    Fast time-to-market

●    Various tech stacks and easy updating.

●    High reliability due to the isolation of units.

●    Separate scaling of app’s units.

●    Each component can be scaled according to your needs while others can remain the same.

 

The cons of microservices architecture

 

●    Complex system due to the multiple single units.

●    Harder testing due to the number of independent units.

●    Possible performance issues due to the communication bottlenecks.

●    Need for externalized configuration, metrics, logging.

 

Who should use microservices architecture?

 

Microservices architecture should be used when you have an evolving and complex application that will be scaled in the future, or your app handles high traffic on a regular basis.

 

To choose a suitable approach to your software development, you must get in touch with technology consultants who can, based on their rich expertise, recommend you a roadmap to successful software development.

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Carol Smith
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