Choosing software architecture is one of the first steps in software development. It is the foundation that will define how all components of your project will interact with each other and how it will perform in the future. If you want to achieve unprecedented success in software development, then check out this article. It will uncover the most common types of software architecture and their key features and flaws so that you can pick the one that best suits your project.
Choose the pattern of your liking
- Monolithic architecture is a traditional approach to building software. The key feature is that all the software elements are in one indivisible unit. Monolithic architecture is pretty straightforward, making it the perfect option for small applications or launching a product quickly and with a small team.
Pros:
- Simplicity — Monolithic architecture is simple in everything, from development to testing and debugging, because the code is located in one place.
- Excellent performance — Monolithic architecture often outperforms other architectures because it consolidates all components into one process, reducing the need for network communications.
Cons:
- No code ownership — As the project grows, there is a need to divide the scope of work between different teams. Unfortunately, this cannot be done with a monolithic architecture.
- Lack of flexibility — Monolithic architecture is tied to specific technologies, preventing the use of better tools for the task.
- Serverless architecture, otherwise known as Function as a Service (FaaS), is an approach that allows developers to focus on creating high-quality, scalable code while cloud providers manage other operations. According to statistics, the serverless market is anticipated to expand at a compound annual growth rate of 22.59%, surpassing 34 billion USD by 2030. This architecture pattern is ideal for short-lived projects or those with an unpredictable server load.
Pros:
- No need for infrastructure management — Serverless architecture allows developers to save time and resources by not having to manage servers or worry about infrastructure. Instead, they can focus on writing and deploying functions.
- Automatic scaling — Serverless platforms automatically manage their resources. When traffic increases, more functions are deployed to handle the additional workload. When traffic decreases, the platform reduces its resources to save costs.
Cons:
- No control over infrastructure — Developers have limited access to other infrastructure elements. Customization and fine-tuning might be limited, posing an issue for applications with specific performance, security, or compliance needs.
- Issues with vendors — Serverless architecture can become overly dependent on one cloud provider, and switching to another provider or changing to a different architecture style can be difficult and require significant effort.
- Microservices architecture is completely opposite to the monolithic pattern. It divides applications into small, independent services, making it an excellent choice for large and complex applications.
Pros:
- Faster development and deployment — Using independently deployable services can significantly accelerate software application development and deployment cycles.
- Easy maintenance — Breaking up a complex system into individual services can make scaling and maintaining easier in the long run. This is because each individual service can be enhanced or substituted without impacting the overall system.
Cons:
- More resources needed — Managing numerous databases and transactions can be cumbersome and may require more computing power and storage capacity.
- Complex communication — With time, as the application grows, managing the interactions between different modules can become challenging. To ensure seamless interactions, developers may need to add extra code to prevent disruptions.
- Event-driven architecture (EDA) is a system design method that revolves around recording, transmitting, and processing events through a decoupled architecture. It is suitable for integrating applications and connecting IoT devices for data analytics.
Pros:
- Fault tolerance — If one of the services experiences a failure or goes offline, it does not impact the functioning of other services in the system. As a result, this architecture provides a high level of resilience, making it more reliable and less prone to disruptions.
- Cost-effectiveness — In an event-driven system, resources are only utilized when a specific event occurs. Therefore, the system does not consume resources unnecessarily, leading to significant cost savings.
Cons:
- Monitoring difficulties — When dealing with distributed, highly decoupled applications and systems, monitoring can be challenging. Since these services operate independently, it’s essential to have a proper design to understand how they interact.
- Debugging issues — Developers may need to spend significant time and resources to identify the root cause of a problem. It can lead to delays in the development process and may impact the overall performance and reliability of the system.
Wrapping up
When you choose the software architecture pattern, you set the foundation for the success of your project. Think carefully about what your project is really about and what requirements and needs you have, and based on this, make a decision. With the right architecture pattern, you will streamline all the processes in your team and deliver the best product.
