Past, Present, and Future: Monolithic Architecture vs. Microservices Architecture
In 2009, Netflix faced significant growth challenges: its monolithic infrastructure could not meet the demands of its exponentially increasing users. Therefore, it decided to migrate its platform to a microservices architecture, becoming one of the first high-profile companies to do so successfully on the cloud.
Today, Netflix operates more than a thousand microservices that manage and support separate parts of the platform and is responsible for approximately 15% of global Internet traffic.
Basic Differences Between Both Architectures
Monolithic Architecture
A software development built in a single block: all components are interconnected and deployed as one entity. All processes run as a single service.
Consequence: if demand increases, the entire application must be scaled, which limits experimentation and makes it difficult to implement new ideas.
Microservices Architecture
The software consists of independent services, each with a single function, communicating through well-defined interfaces.
Advantage: each service can be updated, modified, or scaled independently according to demand.
Market Fact: According to Mordor Intelligence, the cloud microservices market will grow from USD 1.3 billion in 2023 to USD 3.72 billion in 2028, with a CAGR of 22.8%.
Capacity for Innovation
A microservices architecture facilitates launching new ideas in an agile manner: if one component fails, the rest of the system remains operational. This is critical in online casinos, where a failure implies both revenue and trust losses.
Agility in Processes
Microservices promote small, autonomous teams each owning a service, which shortens development cycles.
Example: If a problem arises with a game provider, a monolith would affect the entire system; with microservices, it is resolved quickly and in isolation.
Security Considerations
Smaller Attack Surface: a security breach does not compromise the entire system.
Specific Protocols: stricter controls can be applied to critical services (e.g., financial transactions).
Principle of Least Privilege: each service operates with the minimal necessary level, limiting the scope of a potential attacker.
Summary
Aspect | Monolithic | Microservices |
|---|---|---|
Deployment | A single unit | Independent services |
Scaling | Scales the entire system | Scales only the necessary service |
Innovation | Limited; high risk of failures | Agile; isolated failures |
Development Time | Long cycles | Short cycles |
Security | Greater impact of vulnerabilities | Smaller surface; least privilege |
Adopting microservices can boost innovation, agility, and security compared to a monolithic approach, better positioning your platform for the future.
