What Are Microservices? How Does It Relate To Your Business?
Microservices can alleviate your business to a whole new level, depending on how you use various resources and tools. To get a better understanding of how microservices can heavily influence your business, we first need to get an understanding of what they are.
The Traditional Models and Methods
Some of you might have heard of the term “monolithic” before. It is a method that deploys everything into one batch. An example of this would be your college term papers for the last four years.
Now, imagine that each paper you wrote was about different subjects. Now, imagine that every paper is segregated to one place. You could have written more than 40 papers, but, you can now find these papers in one place efficiently streamlined.
The only issue with this method is that technical issues are bound to arise. You have incurred such technical debt that sometimes getting to the papers becomes more challenging.
Some technical issues you might face under the traditional methods include:
1) The codebase is way too big for people to understand. Sometimes something can get too big and powerful.
2) Lack of understanding can lead to more technical mistakes.
3) The larger the framework, the more time it takes to get something accomplished.
4) Frameworks run into technical issues, which means it takes longer to get something deployed.
An Introduction
There is a stark contrast to the microservices model when compared to the traditional models we just looked at.
You will have the same interface, that much has not changed. Some of the functions within the databases are largely similar. The only difference is the “function” aspect works on a separate model.
What has changed with this model is that every function is broken into separate departments. What does that mean?
Here is a breakdown of some of the things you can expect:
1) Now you can simplify your workload through compartmentalization and keeping everything within a boundary.
You can read more about it in the introduction to microservices portion in the online documents.
2) You can work on individual aspects without needing to collaborate with other functions. In other words, you can streamline your workload without having to involve technical aspects that are not needed.
3) Every aspect can be implemented, deployed, and organized in a more timely manner. In layman’s terms, everything you do can be scaled up or down, depending on your needs at the time.
What Are Some Examples of This Discussion?
Everything leads by example. Talking points about microservices are no different. Now, this is something that is going to take some time to fully implement. They have made some great strides, but more work has to be done.
There are a lot of benefits to the microservices theory. The only problem is that, right now, everything is just ” theory.” There is still a lot of trial and error that needs to be processed.
According to experts, microservices is something that will go beyond “what looks good on paper”, but it will take more time to get people on board.
Microservices is a software development technique. Are you familiar with a service-oriented architectural style regarding the application and other system protocols? It is very similar to this application process, maybe a little more sophisticated.
The reason some say it has taken longer to implement has to do with the cultural side of things. It is one thing to explain everything in technical details to a group of tech geeks. It is another to have the whole group on board with the idea.
You have to have the right team to implement these new ideas. Sometimes that is easier said than done. Some insiders say that some groups are still trying to make the transition.
The Challenges Right Now and Maybe For The Foreseeable Future
The main drawback, according to many insiders, is the complexity of the situation. The coding requires everything to be broken down so you can understand everything easier. The problem with that is that it takes more complex orchestrations.
The bottom line is, this system is distributed. That comes with its issues too. Proper distribution takes time, adhering to the right protocol.
What are the other issues?
Two of the other issues focus on management and breakdown. What happens when something breaks down? It will require more updates, which take time. Traditional methods require maybe only a few updates if something goes wrong. You have to employ a lot more updates with the microservices.
The other issue involves testing. Everything has to be tested before it is released. Some of the testing requires a specific order for certain parts. That will also take time and manpower.
Some of your services are going to depend on something else. That means you will have to line up specific testing at the right time. Your staff is going to handle new situations.
It is the difference between book learning and applying what you have learned in a real-world situation. This is not a test. Your staff will need to be ready and trained for anything that could arise.
There are a lot of great benefits to using this system, but only time will tell how many people jump on board. Stay tuned for more details.
