Cloud computing, the IoT and an explosion of connected devices and applications have changed the way solutions and services are being delivered. And recent advances in virtualization as well as increased uptake of SDN and NFV technologies and solutions are shaping the technology sector as well as the way applications and software are developed and delivered.
This is steadily bringing about the advent of microservices, according to a recent blog post from Sonus Networks, which specializes in hardware and virtualized SBCs, gateways and a Cloud Exchange Networking Platform. The microservices phenomenon refers to a change in the style of application development with a focus on individual, independent components instead of a large software system. Each microservice component performs a function efficiently and autonomously and is also capable of being scaled independently.
One of the major benefits of this type of application development is that microservices may be based on a host of different development technologies, but can all interoperate seamlessly to achieve “web scale” levels of service that are critical for cloud migration and adoption. Microservices can also follow their own lifecycles to ensure they utilize the latest technology components and languages. Because of this, they may be rewritten or replace overtime without complete replacement of an entire application or service, making them extremely attractive from an OPEX and return on investment point of view.
Conversely, traditional “monolithic” software and applications must replicate all code subsystems every time a solution is scaled, regardless of which component is causing a problem or bottleneck. Updates for these types of solutions also typically involve the entire offering and are therefore, both expensive and time consuming. And while microservices are usually chained to allow for more reuse, a traditional software approach requires separate instances of source code to be compiled to a new application, making upgrades complicated and time consuming.
As the cloud continues to become a major part of the technology chain, a microservices-oriented approach to application and solution development is becoming an efficient and dependable way to protect scalability, efficiency and flexibility. An increasing number of connected devices coupled with changes in application architecture brought about by SDN and NFV will only further the migration from traditional development methodologies to microservices.
Edited by
Kyle Piscioniere
