Transition From Monolith to Microservices Architecture

There is a lot of talk about the pros and cons of monoliths, and microservices, and when to use which. But what happens if your monolith has outgrown its original purpose? How do you know when it’s your time to transition from monolith to microservices?

This article is for those whose monolith has ceased to cope with solving problems and only aggravate all processes. This piece will also come in handy for those who are just getting acquainted with microservices and want to break their monolith architecture into microservices. 

To help you understand everything about monoliths to microservices we will share our experience about the Fintech App we moved from monolith to microservices architecture for our client.

Monolith To Microservices – Consider All Risks When Choosing An Approach

Global companies have been using microservices for a long time. For example, Amazon, Coca-Cola, Netflix, etc. These brands have benefited from this decision and attracted even more audiences. But the trend does not mean that the monolith is the story of the past.

At InvoZone we do not blindly chase newfangled trends instead we analyze the effectiveness of every technology and then implement it as per our client needs.

One of the Fintech products we built was based on Monolith architecture.

The Monolith approach is reminiscent of a Rubik’s cube: if you take one piece out of it, assemble a new shape, or add other components, the cube will no longer work fully. Each element forms a single functionality. If some part is missing, broken, or not in place, the colored field will not fold.

Why Did We Choose A Monolith to Develop the App?

You must be thinking about why we selected the monolith for fintech app development.

• Firstly, the client had a startup, and in a startup environment, it is possible to launch a project faster with the monolith. 
• Secondly, the MVP was required by the client and there were no specific requirements or defined features for the product. 
• Thirdly, efficient deployment of the app was required within less budget. 

For this project, Monolith was the ultimate answer!

Why Did We Shift From Monolith To Microservices Later?

With the successful implementation and a great user experience, the startup grew rapidly. Its number of users and client base increased.

 So here the monolith approach was not effective because our client was in need of 

👉 New features

👉New functionalities

👉Smooth functioning with efficiency

 Some of the disadvantages we considered of Monoliths to save our clients from future conundrums were

• Less scalability
• Does not follow SPR (Single responsibility principle)
• Large codebase
• Inability to adapt to new technologies
• High dependence between functionalities because of tight coupling

Our development team was searching for a solution to serve our client in a possible way. After much deliberation and meetings with clients, we decided to go for microservices. The reason we went for microservices was the wide number of benefits offered.

Benefits of Microservices

 The top benefits of microservices are given below

• Easy to remove, add or update cloud services
• The failure of one service is not contagious
• Allows simpler deployment
• Provides outsourcing flexibility
• Improved data security

Keeping in view the advantage we, fortunately, foresaw the risks in advance, so the transition to the new architecture was crucial.

Migrating Monolith To Microservices

The migration from monolith to microservices services seemed crucial at this time. So we decided to do this without any further ado.

Most of the functions were divided into small, independent groups and were implemented as microservices. Subsequent changes or new features were introduced within a group or separately as another microservice. This gave us freedom in the choice of technologies and languages. 

We used different programming languages ​​for microservices and different types of protocols for communication between them.

Our clients realized that they might want to sell different products in the future too. So Microservices implementation in this regard was the best possible solution. Because each microservice has its logic and functions- if one of the components stops working, this does not mean that the entire system will necessarily collapse. 

The good thing about microservices is that they can be deployed and tested independently of each other. 

What Microservices Gave To Our Project?

The migration of monolith to microservices gave the following advantages to our project. Plus we built a successful combination of programming languages. Also, made sure that one part of architecture strengthened the other.

• PHP and Golang interaction: They complement each other perfectly and sometimes overlap weaknesses. Compared to PHP, Golang can significantly improve performance. Parallelism, speed up the processing and execution of certain processes. At the same time, PHP has everything to quickly implement a convenient CRUD.
• Optimization of server load: Compared to PHP, Golang consumes a lot less memory. With the introduction of Golang into the project and the rewriting of individual parts in Go, the job for servers became easier.
• Diversity of the team: Moving to microservices is not only about changing the architecture of the code but also about the team itself. More workforce was required so backend developers and business analysts were also added and tailored to specific requirements.

All in all, we successfully transformed the app from a monolith application to a microservices-based product. 

One thing we noticed was that the team required more time to understand how microservices interact with each other. So instead of new developers, we brought experienced developers when migrating from a monolith application to a microservices-based application.

Monolith to Microservices: Which Is Better

This eventually depends upon the project. But the brief difference for you is below

Still confused about when to migrate from monolith to microservice… the next paragraph might help you.

When Should You Move to Microservices?

There is no one-size-fits-all answer and no final solution. In certain situations, it is more logical to start from a monolith. In the future, the system may reach such a scale that the transition to microservices is inevitable. From personal experience, there are a couple of scenarios in which you should think about switching to microservices:

• When in a monolithic project, the cost of a new functionality does not cover the expected benefit.
• When the project grows to such a lump new people in the team are lost. In microservices, you can take a separate component, determine what is happening in it, and work only with it. In large projects, the separation of duties will sooner or later lead to architectural delineations. Microservices make it easier to relive this moment.
• Always choose your application architecture carefully. The right option will make life easier for you, your team, and your clients. And in general, it will make the project more successful.

Looking to transition from a monolith to a microservices-based application? Don’t tax because we have got you covered. We successfully did it for many customers and know what works and whatnot.

Contact Us Today or email us at info@invozone.com

FAQs Section

How do I migrate from monolithic to microservice?

Migrating from a monolithic architecture to a microservices architecture involves several steps. First, analyze your existing system to identify distinct services. Then, decouple these services by separating their functionalities. Next, design and implement communication mechanisms between services, such as APIs. Finally, gradually refactor and deploy each service independently, ensuring proper testing and monitoring throughout the process.

What tool converts monoliths to microservices?

There is no single tool that can automatically convert a monolithic application into microservices. The process of migrating from a monolith to microservices typically involves careful planning, architectural design, and manual refactoring. While there are tools available to assist with certain aspects of the migration, such as containerization and service discovery, the overall process requires human expertise and decision-making.

What challenges did you face during converting monolith to microservice?

During the process of converting a monolith to microservices, some common challenges include:

• Decomposition: Identifying the appropriate boundaries and breaking down the monolith into cohesive microservices.
• Data Management: Handling data consistency and synchronization across distributed services.
• Communication: Establishing effective communication mechanisms between services, such as API design and message passing.
• Deployment and Scalability: Managing the deployment and scaling of multiple services in a distributed environment.
• Testing and Monitoring: Ensuring proper testing and monitoring strategies for each service and the overall system.
• Organizational Change: Adapting the development and operational processes to support a microservices architecture.
  

What are the advantages of moving from monolithic to microservices?

Moving from a monolithic architecture to microservices offers several advantages. It enables scalability and agility, as services can be developed, deployed, and scaled independently. Microservices promote modular development, allowing teams to work on different services concurrently. They also facilitate technology diversity, fault isolation, and easier maintenance, enhancing the overall flexibility and resilience of the system.