When it comes to software development, application architecture plays a key role. One of the most discussed issues in this area is the choice between monolithic architecture and microservices. To understand their differences, let's imagine an office space. Monolith is an open space office where all employees work in one large room. Microservices are separate rooms where each team handles its task independently of the others. Let's look at how these approaches work and find out why many companies are switching to microservices today.

What is a monolith?

Monolithic architecture is a traditional approach to development in which the entire application is a single block of code. All components (such as the user interface, business logic, and database) are closely related to each other. It's like an open space office, where all employees are in one place, communicate directly and can quickly respond to changes.

Advantages of monolith:

Ease of development.

At the beginning of a project, monolith is easier to create and test, as there is no need to coordinate multiple services.

Centralized management.

All parts of the application are in one place, which makes debugging and deployment easier.

Low complexity of the infrastructure.

There is no need to maintain multiple servers or containers for different services.

Disadvantages of monolith:

The difficulty of scaling.

If one part of the application requires more resources, you will have to scale the entire application.

The risk of a "domino effect".

An error in one part can affect the operation of the entire application.

The complexity of support.

As the project grows, the code becomes cumbersome and difficult to read, which slows down development.

What are microservices?

Microservice architecture assumes that the application is divided into small, independent services, each of which is responsible for a specific functionality. These services interact with each other via the API, but they work independently. It's like an office with separate rooms, where each team is focused on their task and can work independently.

Advantages of microservices:

Flexibility of scaling.

Each service can be scaled separately, which allows you to optimize resource usage.

The autonomy of the teams.

Different teams can work on different services using their own technologies and methodologies.

Stability of the system.

A failure of one service does not necessarily cause the entire application to crash.

Ease of implementation of changes.

Updates can be released for one service without affecting the rest.

Disadvantages of microservices:

The complexity of development.

The need to coordinate multiple services increases the complexity of the project.

High infrastructure requirements.

Microservices support requires the use of containerization (for example, Docker), orchestration (for example, Kubernetes) and other modern technologies.

Delays in interaction.

Since services communicate over the network, this can lead to delays and performance issues.

Comparison with an open space office and separate rooms

Let's return to the office analogy.

Imagine that your company starts with a small team.

In this case, open space (monolith) is ideal: all employees are nearby, communicate easily and solve problems quickly. However, when a company grows, open space can become a noisy and chaotic place. Teams start interfering with each other, conflicts arise, and work efficiency decreases.Separate cabinets (microservices) solve this problem. Each team works in its own space, focusing on its task. This improves the organization, but requires additional efforts to coordinate between the teams. For example, if one department needs information from another, you will have to arrange a meeting or send a request. Similarly, in a microservice architecture, the interaction between services requires a clear organization and proper network management.

When to use monolith?

Monolithic architecture is suitable for:

Small projects with a limited budget.

Startups that want to quickly launch an MVP (minimum viable product).

Teams with little experience working with distributed systems.

When to use microservices?

Microservices are best suited for:

Large projects with multiple functions.

Teams that want to share responsibility between developers.

Applications that require high scalability and fault tolerance.

The choice between monolith and microservices depends on the goals of your project and current needs. Monolith is a great choice for small projects or startups where it is important to launch a product quickly. Microservices are becoming a necessity for large and complex applications where flexibility, scalability, and team independence are important.

As in the case of office space, there is no universal solution. Open space (monolith) is great for small teams, but it can become chaotic as the company grows. Separate offices (microservices) They provide autonomy, but require more coordination efforts. The main thing is to choose an approach that suits your goals and capabilities!