Monolith vs Microservices: Which Is Better to Choose?

In recent times, microservices have become a global trend. There are several advantages offered by the microservices, such as better scalability, flexibility, agility, and more. The shift from a monolithic architecture to microservices (Google, Amazon, Netflix microservices architecture) was implemented by several tech leaders. The following example is considered by many businesses to choose the most effective way to grow.

Monolithic applications are the default approach for developing software. Despite this trend, monolithic applications are declining in popularity since they are notoriously difficult to build because of multiple problems such as handling a huge codebase, implementing new technology, scaling, and deploying. Thus, at some moment, you may need to start looking for application modernization services.

Should the monolithic approach be abandoned for modern times? Are there any advantages to switching from a monolithic application to one that is composed of microservices? What are the business benefits of developing a microservices application?

Here, we’ll consider a comparison of monolith vs microservices, point out the advantages and disadvantages of both approaches, and decide which software architecture approach is right for your business.

Read also: Microservices Decomposition Strategy in 2024

Monoliths vs Microservices Advantages and Disadvantages Overview

Large corporations have increasingly shifted their use of monoliths to microservices, as mentioned above. However, monolithic architecture does not always have disadvantages. Here are the fundamental differences between microservices architecture vs monolithic architecture. 

Strengths and weaknesses of Monoliths

Monoliths have the following advantages:

• Monoliths are easier for development. Monoliths have a lower level of complexity, so they are faster to develop. Apart from that, it is possible to start with a basic application and then add features as it develops.
• You can easily control monoliths. In part, this is due to a lower number of cross-cutting issues, such as logging or error detection. Having all of these cross-cutting concerns in one place allows them to be handled more easily.
• Testing monoliths is easy. Monolithic applications can be easily run and tested over and over again because they are composed of only one body.

Monoliths have the following cons:

• It is hard to comprehend monoliths. Scaling an application and adding more functions might seem like a good idea at first, but later it will become more complex to manage.
• The combination of monoliths and new technology is difficult. Monolithic architecture is a single unit, so introducing new technology will require rewriting the entire application.
• The nature of monoliths makes it difficult to change them. When you start making changes to a complex system, your app’s chances of going down increase. It may also take time for the development to be completed.

Monolithic applications can be hard to maintain, especially if they are poorly designed. Monolithic systems are known to have tightly coupled processes, therefore even a small change can cause several issues related to the codebase. A single change can result in an entire program not functioning.

Strengths and weaknesses of Microservice Architecture

Let’s review microservices pros and cons.

Microservice architecture has the following pros:

• Independent components. It is possible to deploy and update all the services independently, thus giving you more flexibility. Secondly, a bug in one microservice does not impact the entire application but only affects that service. In terms of monolithic vs microservices architecture, microservices applications are much easier to develop than monolithic applications.
• It is easier to understand. A microservice application can be easily understood and managed because it is broken down into smaller, simpler components. You focus only on a particular service that is related to your business goals.
• Scalability is improved. Among the advantages of the microservices approach is the ability to scale each element independently. This is more cost- and time-efficient than scaling monolithic applications, even when it is not needed. As you get more customers, your monolith will face more and more problems in terms of scalability. Therefore, many companies are forced to rebuild their monolithic architecture.

• Technology can be chosen with flexibility. Technology isn’t a limiting factor for engineering teams. Microservices can be built with a variety of technologies and frameworks.
• High levels of agility. When there is a fault in a microservice application, it affects only that specific service and not the entire application. Consequently, all changes and experiments are accomplished with fewer errors and reduced risks.

Microservices have the following cons:

• Complexity is added. In a microservices architecture, the modules and databases need to be connected within and between each other. Additionally, independent services within such an application must be deployed independently.
• Distribution of the system. In a microservices architecture, multiple databases and modules interact, so all connections must be managed carefully.
• Cross-cutting concerns. There are several cross-cutting concerns to be considered when designing a microservices application. Among them are configuration externalization, metrics, logging, and health checks.
• Testing. It is very difficult to test a microservices-based solution since there are so many independently deployable components.