Microservices Architecture: Benefits & Best Practices

Microservices architecture is an architectural model in software engineering that designs software systems as a set of loosely coupled, independently deployable processes that work together to deliver value. Microservices architecture is designed in such a way that each service is dedicated to addressing a specific business functionality; as a result, it is much simpler to expand, update, and implement distinct modules without affecting the rest of the network. This architectural style has changed the outlook of modern software development profoundly as it has shifted the focus of the teams to agility, faster cycle releases, and flexibility.

The growing trend of digitalisation of the organizations has seen the integration of the microservices replacing the monolithic frameworks. Several large companies such as Netflix, Amazon, and Google have leveraged microservices because they can create systems that scale well and are highly fault-tolerant while at the same time accommodating constant changes in the market.

Nected, a powerful platform for automating backend decision logic, is well-suited to leverage microservices architecture. With the possibilities of microservices application in the workflows and rules automation, Nected enables companies to build efficient and flexible work models based on the modular architecture.

Microservices Architecture: A Closer look

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Microservices as an architectural pattern provides a concept of building applications as a set of fine-grained, independently deployable components. Each service has its own logic and is intended to handle a certain operation or a business capability of an organization and interacts with other services using clear interfaces, such as APIs. It also enhances decentralization and system scalability since development teams can work on other services independently without threatening the overall system’s stability.

Different from the centrally designed monolithic architecture where all elements are closely combined into one whole, microservices provide a more decentralized concept. Since monolithic applications are developed as a single large application having numerous interconnected components, there is a high probability of developing a concrete non-flexible and complex application. In other words, their failure does not remain an isolated incident in the system, rather the complete application may go down. While monolithic applications are large programs that mostly work together, microservices are individual units that can work individually; hence, if one fails, it will not affect the others.

This flexibility and agility make microservices an ideal choice for platforms like Nected, where it is essential to design rules and workflows capable of adapting to this dynamic environment.

Benefits of Using Microservices Architecture

Microservices architecture offers a range of benefits that make it an attractive choice for businesses aiming for agile, scalable, and efficient systems:

1. Scalability: Each microservice can be scaled independently, enabling businesses to manage high-traffic components without impacting the entire system.
2. Flexibility in Technology: Teams can use different programming languages, frameworks, and tools best suited for each microservice, allowing greater flexibility in development.
3. Improved Fault Isolation: Since microservices operate independently, a failure in one service does not necessarily impact others, enhancing the system’s resilience and reliability.
4. Faster Development and Deployment: Smaller, modular services allow for parallel development, speeding up both development cycles and deployment processes. Teams can release updates or new features more frequently.
5. Easier Maintenance: Microservices are smaller and simpler to understand, making maintenance more straightforward and allowing teams to quickly make improvements or troubleshoot issues.
6. Enhanced Agility: The modular nature of microservices encourages iterative development and adaptability, enabling businesses to respond more quickly to market changes and customer needs.

Through microservices, Nected enables the definition and definition of flexible rules and operations by the users without the need for technical skills. It means that every rule or any component of the workflow can be created as a separate microservice so that there is no issue of updates and changes. This also enables a new functionality to be integrated easily into the system, be it a new rule added, change in the flow of work, or developing certain sections depending on the business requirements.

How to Connect Microservices in Nected

Nected helps manage the relationships between microservices to drive the automation of business-critical decision-making and processes. Through the decomposition of large complex systems into finer-grained sub-services, Nected offers a way to establish fluid interfaces between services, which in turn makes the upgrading, modifying, or scaling of individual sub-components of the processing flow considerably more manageable.

It is compatible with the flexible API and multiple communication protocols so that services will be able to communicate in an effective manner. Regardless of whether the microservices are built from scratch or borrowed, Nected properly integrates those composite components to make the system a unified whole for rule-based automation.

Read Also: Workflow Design: How to design a Great Workflow diagram?

Step-by-Step Guide on Connecting and Orchestrating Microservices with Nected

Define Your Microservices: The approach to adopting microservices should start with mapping out and defining microservices in regard to business processes. This implies that each microservice should be designed to undertake a given role in an application for example handling user data, payment processing or inventory. Each service should have a clean and well-defined API, so that it is easy for the services to communicate with one another.

Integrate Microservices into Nected: In Nected, click on the Integration tab on the left side of the screen to add your microservices. Enter the API endpoints, identifying each service associated with it. Implement acquisitions security, for instance, through authentication procedures such as application programming interface (API) keys.

Orchestrate Your Workflows: Organize the microservice cooperation’s logic using Nected’s built-in and very useful automation of the workflow. You can define what services should be executed next, under what condition any of the services should be invoked, and how the data should be passed from one service to another. For instance, when a user is done with an order you can set a rule that a payment validation microservice runs and after that inventory updates.

Configure Rules for Automation: Define policies in Nected’s decision engine regarding using and invoking specific microservices at particular instances. These rules of work flow help in checking that workflows are done automatically depending on the conditions set.

Test and Monitor Workflows: Take advantage of the testing capabilities that are already integrated into Nected to make sure that microservices work as intended within the process. Check whether data is flowing and test whether the services are linked to the rest of the network.

Microservices are easily incorporated into a broad range of workflows into Nected’s adaptable platform, allowing businesses to build automation strategies that are both sustainable and fully modular.

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Using Nected as a Microservices Solution

Nected’s low-code/no-code platform makes it easy to design, deploy, and manage microservices without requiring extensive coding knowledge. Here’s how Nected can support your microservices architecture:

• Simplified Workflow Design: With Nected, you can visually design workflows for each microservice, making it easier to align services with business logic.
• Built-In Integrations: Nected provides ready-to-use integrations with databases, APIs, and external services, allowing seamless communication between microservices and existing systems.
• Scalable and Flexible: Nected’s modular design allows you to build services that scale independently, so you can quickly respond to increasing demands without restructuring the entire system.
• Efficient Error Handling: Nected includes features like rule chaining and event handling, which simplify error handling and ensure system resilience.

By using Nected as a microservice, you can build agile, robust, and maintainable systems that allow your business to adapt and scale in line with changing requirements.

Read Also: What is Robotic Process Automation and how to implement it?

Best Practices for Implementing Microservices

To maximize the advantages of microservices, businesses should follow these best practices:

Design for Resilience: Use error handling, circuit breakers, and retry policies to ensure individual service failures don’t affect the entire system.

API Gateway Management: Implement an API gateway to handle routing, security, and rate limiting, simplifying communication between services and external applications.

Decentralized Data Management: Allow each microservice to manage its own data, reducing dependencies and enabling better data consistency across services.

Automated Testing and Monitoring: Implement automated testing to ensure services work independently and integrate smoothly. Use monitoring tools to track service performance, identify bottlenecks, and troubleshoot issues quickly.

‍Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD): A strong CI/CD pipeline helps in automating the deployment process, ensuring quick, reliable updates without downtime.

Event-Driven Communication: Use asynchronous communication, such as messaging queues or event streams, for services that rely on data from others. This approach minimizes delays and maintains system responsiveness.

Conclusion

Microservices architecture is revolutionizing the way businesses approach rule-based and workflow automation. By breaking down complex systems into independent, modular components, microservices enable faster development, easier updates, and greater flexibility in managing workflows. With Nected, businesses can leverage the power of microservices to create scalable, dynamic, and highly efficient workflows that adapt seamlessly to evolving business needs.

By integrating microservices within Nected’s powerful platform, companies can open doors to unparalleled innovation, agility, and control over their processes. Whether it's scaling your operations or automating complex decision-making, Nected provides the tools to turn your workflows into a well-orchestrated, high-performance engine.

Microservices Architecture FAQs

Q1. What is Microservices in API?

Microservices in API refer to a design approach where a larger application is divided into smaller, independent services, each responsible for a specific function. These microservices communicate with each other using APIs, often through REST or HTTP protocols, to share data and coordinate operations. Each microservice can be deployed, updated, and scaled independently, making it easier to manage and develop complex applications.

Q2. What is the Difference Between Microservices and Multi-Tier Architecture?

The primary difference is that microservices are fully independent, while multi-tier architecture is still a single application divided into layers that rely on each other. Microservices and multi-tier architecture are both architectural patterns but serve different purposes:

1. Microservices Architecture: It breaks down an application into small, self-contained services that operate independently, allowing for separate development, deployment, and scaling. Each microservice has its own database and logic, with API-based communication.
2. Multi-Tier Architecture: Also known as n-tier architecture, it divides an application into multiple layers or tiers (e.g., presentation, business logic, and data layer) to separate concerns but keeps it as a single, monolithic application. These layers are tightly coupled, making the system harder to scale and update compared to microservices.

Q3. How do microservices improve workflow automation?

Microservices improve workflow automation by allowing individual services to handle specific tasks independently, reducing bottlenecks and enabling faster updates without disrupting the entire system.

Q4. Can microservices be integrated with legacy systems?

Yes, microservices can be integrated with legacy systems through APIs, enabling gradual migration or coexistence with older monolithic architectures while leveraging modern scalability and flexibility.

Q5. What are the key benefits of microservices for large-scale applications?

Microservices offer scalability, flexibility, and independent deployment, making them ideal for large-scale applications that require frequent updates, fast performance, and easy maintenance.