In the past, most applications were built as monoliths, meaning all code was combined into one large block. Changing one part required altering everything, which was complex and time-consuming.
Microservices offer a different approach. They break applications into small, independent parts, each performing a specific task and able to operate independently of others. This article will help you learn more about aws microservices and how to use these technologies to improve your applications.
What are microservices on AWS
On Amazon Web Services (AWS), you can easily create and manage microservices. AWS offers a variety of tools and services, such as AWS Lambda for running code without managing servers or Amazon ECS for managing containers. Here are some advantages of microservices:
- you can update one service without affecting others.
- you can scale resources for a single service without modifying the entire application.
- if one service fails, the others continue to operate.
A simple example is an online store, where one microservice handles the product catalog, another manages order processing, and a third handles payments. If you need to add a new feature to the catalog, you can modify only the relevant microservice. Thus, microservices on AWS enable the creation of flexible and easily manageable applications.
Advantages of implementation
Implementing microservices on AWS brings numerous benefits to businesses. Companies can quickly roll out new features and improve their applications.
Scalability
In traditional monolithic applications, the entire application consists of a single block of code. If the load on one component increases, you have to scale the entire application, which can be difficult and expensive. With microservice architecture, each part of the application can be scaled independently. This means that if one part of the application requires more resources, you can increase its capacity without affecting the other parts.
Scalability of microservices allows for resource expansion only where needed and paying only for the resources used and only when needed.
Accelerated development and deployment
Microservices enable rapid development and deployment of applications. Developers can work on different services simultaneously without interfering with each other.
Using these tools allows developers to release updates and fixes faster, ensuring high quality and speed of development.
Resilience and fault Isolation
Microservices make the system more resilient to errors. How does it work? If one service fails, others continue to operate. This means that an error in one part does not affect the entire system.
For example, if you have a service responsible for processing payments and it fails, services handling user registration or displaying products will continue to work. This makes the system more reliable and reduces the risk of total failure.
Technological Flexibility
Microservices provide teams with the freedom to choose their technologies. Different programming languages and tools can be used for each microservice.
For example, one microservice might be written in Python if it is ideal for machine learning tasks. Another microservice might use Node.js for high performance in handling requests. Java can be used for performance-critical services.
Simplified maintenance and updates
When working with monolithic applications, any change can affect many different parts of the system. This is complex and risky. With microservices, you only change the service that needs updating. The other services continue to work unchanged.
Reusability of services in business
Another advantage of microservices is reusability. If a service is already implemented for one task, it can be used for other purposes as well. It is like building with blocks: you can take the same block and use it in different structures.
For example, if you have a user verification service, this same service can be used in other applications that require user verification. This saves time and resources by not having to develop a new service from scratch every time.
Challenges of implementing microservices on AWS
The path to implementing microservices can be challenging for organizations. Let’s consider the main potential challenges and issues.
Complexity of management
With many independent services, managing them becomes more complex. You need to monitor each service and ensure they work together seamlessly.
Ensuring security
Protecting data and managing access to microservices requires additional security measures. You need to ensure that each service is secure and has the appropriate access levels.
Organizing service interaction
Setting up and managing the interactions between microservices can be complex. You need to correctly configure APIs and connections between services, so they work in harmony.
Ensuring data consistency
Maintaining data consistency between microservices requires additional effort and tools. Each microservice may have its own database, and you need to ensure that data is synchronized.
However, with experienced professionals and carefully selected AWS offerings, the transition to microservices can be a smooth and simple process, according to Euristiq, a company that provides software development and consulting services.
Examples of microservice implementation on AWS
Euristiq provided an example of AWS microservice implementation. A major European airline approached them with a problem: its main website had an outdated architecture that hindered the company’s business operations. To address this issue, they determined that the optimal solution was to implement microservices through AWS.
“We restructured the website architecture and migrated it from Adobe Experience Manager to AWS Cloud. Using a micro-frontend architecture, we were able to deploy different parts of the application separately and quickly add third-party components. This allowed our clients to conduct data-driven experiments, such as A/B testing, helping them test services for ticket purchasing, accommodation booking, and car rentals,” said the professionals.
Thanks to the implementation of AWS microservice architecture and an updated UI/UX design, the firm achieved a threefold increase in website performance. This improvement was reflected in the airline’s conversion rates and revenue.
Another example is MovieStarPlanet, a well-known social game for children, which transitioned to microservice architecture using various AWS services. They used Amazon Neptune to manage graph databases, improving the game’s social features, such as recommendations and user interactions. This helped create personalized recommendations and increase user engagement.
Your Call Football, a mobile gaming platform, used microservice architecture on AWS to create interactive football games. They used AWS Lambda for image processing and real-time request management. This allowed them to easily scale the system depending on the load and quickly respond to changes in demand.
As these examples demonstrate, using microservices on AWS helps companies improve the scalability, flexibility, and performance of their systems, accelerate the release of new features, and enhance overall reliability.
