Microservices Architecture in Java: The Beginner’s Guide

What joins together a microservices architecture in Java and self-assembly IKEA furniture? Just like buyers replace IKEA wardrobe doors with new ones or take out and repaint the shelving to quickly refresh its look, programmers juggle with multiple constituents of a microservices-based solution to speed up each deployment. In other words, in both cases, we deal with easily manageable component structures that allow for cost-friendly, accelerated upgrades.

Microservices in a Nutshell

To be aware of the innovation behind the microservices approach, let's go into the nature of monolithic systems. Emerged in the 1950s, these self-contained software solutions still follow a single-tier architectural pattern, i.e., their components (UI, business logic, and data layer) are interdependent, share a database, and have limited scaling potential. Such systems are reminiscent of a cube jigsaw puzzle with interconnected pieces (i.e., to get a new picture, you need to turn each cube upside down).

In the red corner of the ring, we see microservices-based applications. They consist of separate small services that can be built with different technologies. Being connected to a certain extent, these individual microservices remain relatively isolated, i.e., when adding new features to one component, you don't affect the other services. This architectural style resembles a fun Lego game that allows you to easily replace blocks and retain or even enhance the overall construction.

A microservice architecture is grounded on the following principles:

1. One service is responsible for its own process or one particular function at a time (single responsibility);
2. A failure in one component can't seriously affect business functionality and performance of the entire solution (isolation);
3. Each component can be adjusted and launched individually (independent deployment);
4. All the constituents can be built with different tech stacks and have separate databases while forming a single unit via communication protocols (relative heterogeneity);
5. One configuration pattern can be applied to several modules (infrastructure automation).

Check this article to find more fascinating trivia about monolithic and microservices-based systems.

Major Components of a Microservices Architecture

Advantages

The global microservices market size is forecasted to surpass $8M by 2026. But what makes businesses invest more and more resources in this development pattern?

• Firstly, it goes hand in hand with continuous delivery and testing, enabling engineers to nip errors in the bud and implement real-time processing;
• Secondly, when you deal with individual components, error fixing becomes far less complicated and time-intensive, which contributes to more frequent deployments;
• The more services you add to a monolithic solution, the more risks you expose it to. At this point, the microservices approach with its multi-component nature becomes a real lifesaver, as it allows you to seamlessly extend the functionality without damaging other modules;
• Vast scalability potential (horizontal) is another unbeatable advantage of microservices;
• The microservices approach lays the groundwork for DevOps practices and fosters efficient collaboration among multiple teams working on the same project, which is also proved by IBM research.

Challenges

Decoupling into a microservice architecture is an excellent way to revamp a clumsy solution. At the same time, like any hippest tech trend, it has certain peculiarities to bear in mind.

For instance, when creating separate services for each part of a feature-rich app, you complicate its maintenance and create extra space for data consistency issues. Besides, without proper optimization of inter-service communication protocols, your system can face performance overhead and latency.

However, with a trusted monolithic-to-microservices migration partner, you can minimize these risks and give a new lease of life to your solution in a budget-friendly way.

Five Amazing Facts about Java

Introduced by James Gosling's team in 1995, the Java language (don't mix it up with JavaScript, which is a completely different story for another time) quickly gained approbation of architecture astronauts and weekend tech fans. Here is why:

1. The Java compiler makes the source code platform-independent, which gives you the power to create mobile and web applications capable to run on various operating systems;
2. Thanks to well-structured documentation and clear syntax, Java catches the fancy of junior specialists and remains the second most widely used programming language;
3. Being type-safe and object-oriented, Java can also boast a battle-tested security framework, cryptographic and public key infrastructure, and automatic garbage collection. Besides, the Java support team updates the JDK every two years to ensure its ultimate reliability;
4. With Java, you can exploit the previous-version data and interfaces in a new product version. i.e., reap the benefits of backward compatibility;
5. Java follows the WORA ("Write Once Run Anywhere") principle which is the language's drawcard. And here, you can check even more peculiarities of Java.

The Best of Both Worlds

Uniting Java and microservices in one solution is a reasonable contrivance, considering the opportunities they both unlock. To bring such a project to fruition, you can fall back on one of these frameworks:

• Swagger comes in handy when you need to elaborate, test, and document APIs in a hassle-free way or build effective communication between microservices;
• If you seek an open-source framework for RESTful web services that combines simplicity and functionality, go for Jersey;
• Devised by Oracle, Helidon has the MicroProfile specification at its core and remains a solid choice for creating scalable and cloud-native microservices;
• Select Spring Boot, the absolute champion in the Java microservices field, to enjoy Inversion of Control, Aspect-Oriented Programming, and boosted flexibility;
• By offering a unified reactive programming approach and a Kubernetes-native Java stack, Quarkus allows developers to put optimized performance on top of their digital products;
• Meet AxonIQ — a comprehensive framework enriched with tools for a message bus, event sourcing, and CQRS development;
• With Micronaut, you will elaborate lightweight microservices capable of handling heavy traffic, as well as lowering memory consumption and enhancing start times.

Before You Go

As you see, there are a lot of ways to combine the microservices approach and the Java language in a single project and multiply the benefits. And the great news is that this is not limited to from-scratch development. If you already have a monolithic Java-based system, it's still possible to decouple it into microservices and stay ahead of innovation. Just find a reliable Java development team, and you are all set!

Don’t have much time for talent search? Contact us, and we will quickly provide the lacking specialists or compile a fully-fledged team for your microservices project.