In today’s digital world, people want more value from technology services. Thanks to the cloud and smartphones, software plays a huge role in our daily lives, if you wish to call a ride or order food, pay utility bills, or get an entertainment fix.
Software design and deployment have evolved to meet the demands of users, unlike conventional monolithic architectures that struggle to support rapid scaling and experimentation, prompting the need for more flexible solutions.
This is where microservices and containers are the go-to models (based on modern approaches) for web and mobile apps.
This article will walk you through how organizations adopt containers and microservices to enhance scalability, optimize resource utilization, improve customer experience, and boost their digital transformation journey.
What Are Microservices Exactly?
Microservices architecture is a modern way of building software systems that differs from traditional monolithic models.
Instead of constructing one large application, microservices break it into smaller modules. These modules are designed to be independently deployed, scaled, and shut down.
Each module has a specific job and can communicate and connect with others through simple APIs.
Many companies worldwide, including big names like Netflix, Twitter, PayPal, and Amazon, have embraced microservices as their go-to architecture, and the number is growing.
Don’t believe us, believe the stats:
- According to a report from Fortune Business Insights, the global cloud microservices market is expected to reach USD 6.04 billion by 2030, with a strong annual growth rate of 21.6% projected for the period from 2023 to 2030
- Businesses see rapid benefits from microservices. 33% of companies report they experienced microservices architecture benefits within two to six months, while 34% experienced them within a six to one-year period of implementation
This sudden shift to microservices architecture has enabled companies to expand their digital offerings without compromising the customer experience.
In contrast, traditional monolithic systems – though modular to some extent – are hard to manage, struggle to scale efficiently, and often have slower response times.
Microservice architecture helps you break these sluggish old models to create agile and powerful systems.
What Are Containers?
Microservices can work fine on Virtual Machines (VMs), but there’s a better way: containerization.
Believe it or not, containers are a more compact and efficient option than VMs. They enable microservices architecture to run faster by providing separate execution environments on a single operating system.
Think of containers as lightweight envelopes that make software truly portable.
Container adoption in enterprises is real and growing exponentially – much quicker than expected.
- According to a Gartner report, more than 70% of organizations worldwide will have over two containerized apps in production by 2023 – a significant increase from less than 20% in 2019
- One IBM report suggests that companies that use containers improved application quality by 59% and reduced defects while also cutting application downtime and costs by 57%
Containers operate on top of the kernel, so they’re lightweight and employ less memory, benefiting the entire operating system (OS).
You can easily create and terminate containers automatically as needed for each microservices. It gives businesses scalable options.
Also, one container’s contents won’t interfere with another’s, ensuring software versatility and security in isolated packages.
Microservices And Containers Go Hand-In-Hand
When you merge the flexibility of microservices architecture and the efficiency of containers, it allows developers to break software programs into smaller, functional pieces and run independently of the underlying hardware.
Both containers and microservices are modular, making them ideal for driving digital transformation.
Microservices and containers can transform three key aspects of organizations: customer experience, business models, and business operations.
Here are a few benefits they offer when companies use them together:
Increased Speed
As microservice architecture is lightweight and self-contained, its execution is faster.
Combining microservices in Java with containers, they help enhance speed as the OS runs continuously, reducing the time needed to start up.
Higher Scalability
Each component of the system can be scaled easily to enhance functionality. Plus, repairs and updates are also streamlined for efficiency.
Optimal Resource Usage
Since containers are small and compact, they’re perfect for running light microservice modules. This means more ‘processing power’ from hardware and cost savings by not using unnecessary space.
Enhanced Customer Experience
Microservice architecture is independent. It means if a module goes offline, it won’t affect other modules.
In addition, problems with one module won’t hamper the entire system’s efficiency and could be resolved seamlessly.
Customers will not be able to notice these issues as most other services stay intact.
Key Takeaways
As more and more businesses move toward cloud computing, containers, and microservices architecture can help enterprises achieve their set goals.
With these tools, organizations can swiftly experience the advantages of digital transformation, such as faster application delivery and portability.
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