Are microservices a fad?
Microservices have become one of the most popular tech buzzwords, but are microservices a fad?
Today, microservices are gaining traction in companies of all sizes––from Netflix to Spotify. But what are microservices and what is the story behind this fad? To answer this question, let’s start by defining microservices, the concept is best demonstrated through the video below:
In short, microservices are a way to create applications that break down monoliths into, smaller, distinct services, that can be developed independently from each other and can be easily changed.
Companies that use microservices can see dramatic increases in productivity and agility. In addition, because microservices are not tied to a specific coding language, development teams can simply use the language tools they are most comfortable with.
The benefits of microservices are clear but, as its popularity continues to increase, more and more companies are focusing solely on the fad associated with adopting microservices. As a result, they are neglecting the importance of the microservices architecture they should choose, the cost of microservices and more.
We’ve previously discussed whether microservices architectures are “too cool to be useful.” The “coolness factor” of emerging technologies can be described through the graph below; and some might argue that microservices are in the “buzzword” stage
Emerging technologies like microservices start by turning heads in the community. As more and more people learn about the fad, they will think “hmm, interesting!” Then, as companies adopt the fad, they start overlooking their specific needs and how microservices should be implemented and in what context.
As a result, emerging technology fads like microservices become buzzwords. However, as time goes on, pragmatism begins to prevail and, consequently, the impact of microservices, the best architecture for each use case and the cost become the topics of discussion.
It may seem that microservices are still a fad and companies will want to adopt the architecture because they don’t want to miss out on the latest thing. But do not let the hype over microservices take away from the impact that a microservices architecture can have on your company. Microservices can provide real benefits as long as they are adopted in a way that makes sense for your organization.
Learn about microservices best practices and discover the top 6 microservices patterns to see which microservices architecture approach best fits your company.