Did you know that in 2022, the software market generated over USD 600 billion in revenue? We believe that’s impressive. And it underscores that businesses are constantly investing in developing new software solutions for various purposes—to serve their customers better, improve their business operations, and manage their employees, the list goes on.
The chances are high that you are also searching for a reliable software development company to create a software solution for your business. You may have also encountered the microservices vs. monolithic architecture debate in your efforts. And you could be wondering what they are.
Don’t worry. In this post, we discuss all you need to know about monolithic and microservices architectures and how they are essential to your project.
What Is Monolithic Architecture?
Monolithic architecture is a traditional way of developing software. In this approach, the system works as an autonomous, single entity. Everything is connected, and no system element can work without each other.
Every single functionality of the unit is managed by and serviced in one place, making the system a massive monolith of interconnected units that cannot be without each other.
Although the system has diverse parts, such as business logic, a database, a client-side interface, etc., the entire system remains a single, conjoined unit.
Advantages of Monolithic Architecture
When creating your software solution, using monolithic architecture has a lot of advantages. Here are the top benefits that our software development team likes the most.
Easy implementation
When it comes to implementation, monolithic software architecture is much easier. With its unique and straightforward business logic, developers need not worry about how each component orchestrates connections and performance.
Better performance
As a monolithic software solution involves all the systems it needs to work on board, it delivers better performance. It is independent of APIs and their constant communication between components.
Easy to debug and test
Monolithic architecture software is easy to test and debug as a single system. You can confidently carry out automation testing in monolithic software without worrying about the diverse run-time environments and settings.
Simple deployment
You can quickly deploy the software made using a monolithic architecture, as it only needs a script to load the module and launch it. It is efficient and much faster.
Fewer cross-cutting issues
With monolithic software architecture, you can manage logins, memory, caching, etc., as there is only one application to take care of.
Disadvantages of Monolithic Architecture
Although the advantages of monolithic architecture software are plentiful, it is not free from its limitations.
Here are a few limitations that you need to keep in mind when choosing it.
- Due to its tightly combined processes, monolithic applications take time to scale. Businesses will find it hard to scale as codes become complex and challenging to manage.
- Monolithic applications are hard to update and change as changing one element affects all others. Therefore, making changes is time-consuming and needs careful coordination.
- When you want to scale your monolithic app, you must scale the entire system up. This is complex, time-consuming, and costly. You can never scale or change any one component of a monolithic app.
What Is Microservices Architecture?
In a microservices architecture, the entire business logic is broken down into more minor services that are single-purpose and self-sufficient. Unlike monolithic architecture, this is also lightweight. This transforms the whole system into a collection of smaller, independent modules that work independently but communicate with each other.
We can compare a microservices architecture app to a Lego construction. Each element can be taken apart and put together for the whole system to work.
However, for the system to work efficiently and effectively, they must communicate with each other, and this communication happens through separate APIs.
Advantages of Microservices Architecture
Microservices app has many advantages that make the architecture uniquely suitable for businesses that want to scale in the future and need flexibility.
Here are a few of the advantages that we love at AddWeb Solution.
Better autonomy
You can easily employ different modules to meet your business goals with a microservices app. They are independent of other modules; the features you add, changes you make, etc., will not affect other modules. This also makes it easier to test specific modules while letting others perform as usual.
Greater agility
Agility is another advantage of using microservices architecture when developing your software. It lets you choose any technologies and language you prefer to create the modules. And microservices apps also perform well anywhere—on-premises and on cloud devices, as you prefer.
Exceedingly scalable
You can scale your solution whenever you need it with a microservices app. As the modules are independent, you need to change the module you want to change. Other modules will remain active and functioning.
Highly reliable
This is another essential advantage of a microservices architecture that businesses love. As the modules perform and exist independently, a failure in one module does not affect the entire system. You can also repair the same without affecting the whole software.
Continuous delivery
Businesses that want to ensure continuous delivery via their microservices software can use this architecture successfully. This is possible as you can change and modify specific modules or elements of the system without disrupting the functionalities of the entire platform.
Disadvantages of Microservices Architecture
Although some of the advantages a microservices architecture offers are pure boons for businesses, they are not without drawbacks. The following are a few limitations of a microservices architecture that you must know before choosing it.
- It is challenging to design a distribution system, and you need to invest a lot of time and effort to establish the right connections within your app.
- When compared to monolithic architecture, you need to invest a lot of resources and time to build microservices architecture.
- The cross-cutting concerns are more with microservices apps as you need to manage the logging, caching, and memory management with each module.
- Deploying microservices apps takes a lot of time as you need to ensure the communication and connections between each module for the system to work seamlessly.
- Testing these modules and their connections will become more challenging as the number of services working in the system increases.
Related Article: Everything to Know About Laravel Microservices and Best Practices to Follow
Microservices vs Monolithic Architecture: A Comparison
Here is a comparison table for microservices architecture vs monolithic architecture.
When Should You Choose Monolithic Architecture?
Although you have understood monolithic architecture along with its advantages and disadvantages, you might be thinking about when you should opt for it.
Here are a few scenarios where monolithic architecture is the go-to option.
- You are planning to build a small business application.
- Monolithic architecture is the best option if you do not intend to grow your team.
- You are working on fully realizing your app’s capabilities and functions. This is the best option when building a minimum viable product for user feedback.
When Should You Choose Microservices Architecture?
Here are a few scenarios where microservices architecture is the best option for your application.
- When you are trying to build a large-scale business and application.
- If you have a lot of time and resources available to invest in a microservices app.
- When you plan to grow your team and business in the future.
- If you can deploy different languages and technologies for the app.
- When multiple teams work on diverse modules simultaneously for the app.
Related Article: Startup Secrets: Tips to Build a Tech Startups Venture with Remote CTO
How Can AddWeb Solution Help You with Software Development
Working with the right software development agency is as important as choosing the best architecture for your business. You will lose your hard-earned money and time if you don’t pay enough attention when selecting the right software development partner.
For more than 10 years, AddWeb Solution has been delighting our clients with top-notch services and customer support. And are you wondering how?
Here is how.
Our industry expertise
AddWeb Solution has made a name for itself in software and web development during the last decade. Our professional experience has endowed us with impeccable and invaluable insights, which we bring to every project for our client’s benefit.
Team of top developers
At AddWeb Solution, we have an experienced team of software developers. They have qualifications and years of experience to understand your needs and deliver inventive solutions. In addition, we also train them regularly to keep up with the industry dynamics.
Custom development services
Every business has a unique objective they are trying to meet. As we know this, we always provide tailor-made services that they need. Whether you are a small business or an international brand, we offer custom solutions matching your wants.
Uncompromised quality
At AddWeb Solution, quality is among the most important commitments we hold close to our hearts. Using multiple quality assurance systems and Agile methodology, we always ensure top-notch quality of our services.
Cost-effective packages
We believe in providing cost-effective software development services to our clients. Depending on their budgetary constraints, we tweak our projects for maximum value.
Amiable customer service
Our customer service team is available to help you with everything you need. Whether you need support before, during, or after the project, our team will provide timely help.
Conclusion
As users have many options, compromising even a bit in performance and value might lead you to lose them. Therefore, building software using exemplary architecture is paramount to delivering the best user experience. And it would be easier to choose the outstanding architecture suitable for your solution with the help of an experienced software development agency. This is where AddWeb Solution can help you.
For over a decade, AddWeb Solution has offered top-notch software development services to our clients from various industry sectors. We also work with businesses from all parts of the world. Thanks to our industry exposure, expertise, and software development insights, we can help you choose the best software architecture and complete the project on time.
