{"id":11674,"date":"2021-02-19T10:03:48","date_gmt":"2021-02-19T09:03:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.intellias.com\/?p=11674"},"modified":"2023-06-15T12:08:57","modified_gmt":"2023-06-15T10:08:57","slug":"the-decisive-role-of-microservices-in-modern-software-development","status":"publish","type":"blog","link":"https:\/\/intellias.com\/the-decisive-role-of-microservices-in-modern-software-development\/","title":{"rendered":"Microservices Architecture: A Guide to Sustainable Modernization"},"content":{"rendered":"

During the first two quarters of 2020, Netflix added nearly 26 million new subscribers and was ready to stream more content than ever (thanks to furloughs and lockdowns). So much so that the European Commission asked Netflix CEO Reed Hasting<\/a> to switch EU subscribers to standard definition (SD) streaming (instead of HD) to prevent European internet infrastructure from going down due to the increased load.<\/p>\n

How could Netflix accommodate such immense growth without flinching? Hint: thanks to a cloud-based microservices architecture.<\/p>\n

Between 2010 and 2016, the streaming platform took a strategic step to fully migrate its operations to the cloud and speed up microservices development. Today, Netflix relies on over 700 microservices<\/a> to power different aspects of its binge-watching service, from saving watched shows to billing your card. Each service is independently deployable and upgradable, meaning if Netflix wants to make a quick change or two, the entire platform and viewing experience won\u2019t be affected.<\/p>\n

While Netflix was one of the earliest proponents of microservices architecture advantages, it\u2019s no longer the exclusive connoisseur of this approach to modern software development. From Apple to Zoom, businesses across all verticals are retiring their legacy architectures in favor of microservices.<\/p>\n

A 2020 O’Reilly article titled \u201cMicroservices Adoption in 2020\u201d<\/a> shares that almost one-third (29%) of tech leaders have either migrated their systems to or implemented most of their systems using a microservices software architecture.<\/p>\n

That leaves us wondering: Why are over two-thirds of business leaders not yet sold on the advantages of microservices?<\/p>\n

Given that most industries have vaulted years ahead in terms of consumer and business digital penetration courtesy of the pandemic, issues of application performance and scalability have become even more pressing.<\/p>\n

So the question is this: Will your business be like the European Commission, asking users to please slow down as we can\u2019t keep up? Or would you rather take the Netflix approach and confidently work towards delivering unbeatable service to your customers?<\/p>\n

The answer is obvious, isn\u2019t it? Before we get into the details. let\u2019s start with a quick refresher of the key terms.<\/p>\n

Quick FAQs: What is a microservice?<\/h2>\n

A microservice is a bundle featuring a certain set of processes that run independently and can communicate with other services via lightweight protocols known as RESTful APIs.<\/p>\n

You can think of a microservice as a LEGO brick \u2014 it might be either independent or connected with other bricks to make a more complex structure.
\n\"Microservices<\/p>\n

How do microservices communicate with each other?<\/h3>\n

Depending on the purpose, microservices use either:<\/p>\n