Businesses rely on the internet more and more each day. Websites help companies reach customers and contacts worldwide, connect partners, increase outreach and grow businesses. Most users want to be able to complete almost anything you can think of through a website versus in-person contact. Companies can benefit from having microservices to perform a variety of tasks.
What Are Microservices?
Microservices utilizes an application approach to provide many independent, individual web-scale services. These services are coupled together but independently used, making them easy to use and maintain. Each can be run on its own and can be combined with other programs. Stacking these programs allows for individual programs to complete different tasks, depending on what is needed. Users can quickly test each new microservice prior to launching to ensure high quality. New services can be added on at any time with little to no downtime to the system already running for the business.
IT Benefits
Specific setups, like the Kubernetes Architecture, can run containerized applications. Creating a platform setup expands ease of use and outreach. IT can benefit greatly, as the microservices do not interrupt the entire functionality of the whole platform. The ease of use and updating, ability to reuse and reduced IT costs are other benefits. Many companies enjoy that the small pieces work to create a comprehensive and large-scale page for their clients. A website with heavy customer interaction relies heavily on the software running smoothly and being easy to maintain and update.
Coding Benefits
The smaller applications can be created with whatever coding language your coder is most comfortable with, resulting in faster creation, fewer errors and lower cost. If there is an issue with a microservice, it can likely be fixed quickly. This short turnaround time for errors occurs because it is a small program in the language your coder is most familiar with. It also does not require extensive changes to the code of an entire program, like the traditional monolith platforms would require. Fixing bugs does not interfere with any other applications your page may be used in conjunction with the affected application.
Additional Benefits
Flexibility is another excellent reason to consider microservices for your business. Changes can be made to small parts rather than the entire platform. You can also try adding or modifying certain fields and testing them to see if they work for you. This gives you insight without as much risk while also keeping the rest of the webpage active. The flexibility to change pieces, update as needed, and test extensively draws in many companies, especially those with a large portion of their web presence dedicated to customer management. There is also the ability to use whichever tech pieces you want to, as opposed to having to stick with one vendor. You can essentially mix and match the best parts of each vendor to create a platform more customized and valuable for your business and its needs.
Potential Downsides
Every decision can be matched with a downside, especially technology. Initial start-up costs could be costly, especially accounting for the details and time required to set up the microservices. The added number of log files for microservices compared to the traditional monolith platform adds a level of complexity that some may see as unfavorable. As with any big decision, be sure to do your research and see what makes the most sense for your company. Choosing to implement a microservices platform early on in the process could negate some downsides.
Microservices benefit the companies and the customers when appropriately utilized. Integrating multiple small applications to expand ease of use, ability and user interface expands operations and increases development. Isolation of bugs, problem areas and testing without interrupting the entire webpage provides less downtime. This can lead to increased scalability and reliability while reducing costs and facilitating the growth of the business. Software that operates smoothly fits your company’s needs and your consumers’ demands is what every company with high user traffic needs. Microservices could provide all of that for your company.
