3. Designing the Application
In this chapter we will cover some considerations for architecting and designing an application using a microservice architectural style, as well as the paths to a microservices architecture. How do we go about defining the boundaries for the various services and how big should each service be? Before we dive into defining boundaries, let’s pause to consider whether or not this is the best approach for the project currently. Sometimes the path to a microservices architecture actually starts with something closer to a monolith.
Most of the successful microservices examples we have to draw experiences from today actually started out as monoliths that evolved into a microservices architecture. That doesn’t necessarily mean we can’t start a project with a microservices architectural approach, but it’s something we will need to carefully consider. If the team doesn’t have a lot of experience with this approach, that can cause additional risk. Microservices architecture has a cost that the project might not be ready to assume at the start. We will cover more of these considerations in detail along with some thoughts on defining service boundaries.
As the tools and technologies available in the market for building and managing microservices architecture mature, much of this will change. As the technologies become more advanced, the overhead and complexities in developing and managing a microservices application will be reduced.