One of the advantages of cloud is its ability to scale. Using microservices is an important architecture that enables applications to take advantage of automatic scaling.

Microservices Defined

A microservice architecture relies on small software components that encapsulate well defined functionality. Microservices can be linked together via APIs to create applications; each microservice can be reused by multiple applications.

Benefits of Microservices

There are a number of benefits from using microservices:

1. Each service can be managed independently.

A new version of a service can be deployed while applications still access the older version. Many times, changes can be made without impacting applications that use the service.

2. Microservices easily scale.

Multiple instances of a service can run independently whenever needed.

3. Development responsibilities are granular.

A team can support the core microservices while other teams focus on larger application issues. Each microservice can be tested and deployed independently, allowing functionality to be delivered rapidly. Because functionality is encapsulated, code is much cleaner. Different elements of an application can be built using different technology without affecting the overall application.

4. Failures can be managed more simply.

The source of a failure is readily identifiable. Because the functionality is smaller, determining the problem and solution is easier. A well-designed system may be able to continue to function in a degraded manner without the service.

5. Security is granular.

Services independently control access to their resources. A security breach may be more limited in scope than one that gains access to a complete application.

Challenges of Microservices

There are some challenges that come with using microservices in addition to the benefits:

1. Code may belong to others.

Particularly in the cloud, microservices are developed by other teams, some of which may be outside your organization. There may be security risks from using code created by other developers. However, this is not greatly different from using any third-party library.

2. Testing may be difficult.

Although the small scope of each microservice means the use cases to be tested are limited, the large number of microservices may mean a greater overall amount of testing.

3. System architecture can become complex.

Systems that use a large number of microservices can be difficult to understand. There are more parts to manage and more interdependencies to be aware of.

Cloud offers developers many new paradigms that can help or hinder development projects, depending on how well the technology is understood and leveraged. Prescient Solutions cloud experts help Chicago and Schaumburg-area businesses leverage the full capability of Microsoft Azure, including microservices, to deliver effective IT solutions. Contact us to learn more about what it takes to build applications in Microsoft Azure.