Microservices
This approach structures an application as a collection of loosely coupled services. Microservices often favor stateless architectures for scalability and resilience.
Microservices architecture is a method of developing software applications as a suite of small, independently deployable services. Each service in a microservices architecture is focused on a specific business capability, runs in its process, and communicates with other services through well-defined APIs. This approach stands in contrast to the traditional monolithic architecture, where all components of an application are tightly coupled and run as a single service.
Critical Characteristics of Microservices:
Modularity: The application is divided into smaller, manageable pieces (services), each responsible for a specific function or business capability.
Independence: Each microservice is independently deployable, scalable, and updatable. This allows for faster development cycles and easier maintenance.
Decentralized Control: Microservices promote decentralized data management and governance. Each service manages its data and logic.
Technology Diversity: Teams can choose the best technology stack for their microservice, leading to a heterogeneous technology environment.
Resilience: Failure in one microservice doesn't necessarily bring down the entire application, enhancing the system's overall resilience.
Scalability: Microservices can be scaled independently, allowing for more efficient resource utilization based on demand for specific application functions.
Data Ingestion Microservices: Collect and process data from multiple sources.
Data Storage: Stores processed weather data and other relevant information.
User Authentication Microservice: Manages user authentication and communicates with the User Database for validation.
User Database: Stores user account information and preferences.
API Gateway: Central entry point for API requests, routes requests to appropriate microservices, and handles user authentication.
User Interface Microservice: Handles the logic for the user interface, serving web and mobile applications.
Data Retrieval Microservice: Fetches weather data from the Data Storage and provides it to the frontends.
Web Frontend: The web interface for end-users, making requests through the API Gateway.
Mobile App Backend: Backend services for the mobile application, also making requests through the API Gateway.
Advantages:
Agility and Speed: Smaller codebases and independent deployment cycles lead to quicker development and faster time-to-market.
Scalability: It is easier to scale specific application parts that require more resources.
Resilience: Isolated services reduce the risk of system-wide failures.
Flexibility in Technology Choices: Microservices can use different programming languages, databases, and software environments.
Disadvantages:
Complexity: Managing a system of many different services can be complex, especially regarding network communication, data consistency, and service discovery.
Overhead: Each microservice might need its own database and transaction management, leading to duplication and increased resource usage.
Testing Challenges: Testing inter-service interactions can be more complex compared to a monolithic architecture.
Deployment Challenges: Requires robust DevOps practices, including continuous integration and continuous deployment (CI/CD) pipelines.
Last updated