Transitioning from a Monolithic App to an API
Based on my experience, it’s pretty standard that small projects with enough potential to grow will mess up without the proper amount of changes, adjustments and maintenance.
So, when a company or the software engineers team want to ensure the system will be able to grow alongside the requirements to keep all customers happy and engaged, usually a good practice is to split responsibilities. The most common way to achieve it is by ensuring that the software has the best possible Frontend to provide a delightful user experience while having a solid and robust backend to ensure data integrity while keeping a fantastic performance.
Why should you convert your Monolithic App into an API?
There are several reasons why an organization might choose to convert a monolithic app into an API-based microservices architecture:
- Scalability: A microservices architecture makes it easier to scale individual components of an application independently rather than having to scale the entire monolithic app. This can be more efficient and cost-effective.
- Flexibility: Microservices are self-contained, making it easier to change one service without affecting the entire application. This can be useful for organizations that need to be able to modify and deploy new features quickly.
- Reusability: APIs make sharing functionality and data easy for different parts of an application. This can reduce development time and improve the overall efficiency of an organization.
- Simplified deployment: With a microservices architecture, it’s easier to deploy and manage individual services than to deploy an entire monolithic app. This can make it easier to push out updates and fixes.
- Improved reliability: Because microservices are modular and each service can be independently scaled, it’s less likely that the entire application will go down if one service fails. This can improve the overall reliability of the application.
How do we convert a Monolithic App to an API?
Converting a monolithic app to an API-based architecture involves breaking down the monolithic codebase into smaller and self-contained services that communicate with each other through APIs. Here are the general steps you can follow to do this:
- Identify the different components of your monolithic app. These will be the building blocks for your microservices.
- Design the APIs for each microservice. This includes deciding on the input and output parameters and the operations (e.g., GET, POST, etc.) that the API will support.
- Implement the microservices using your chosen programming language. You can use a framework like Flask or Django to make this easier.
- Test the microservices to make sure they are working correctly.
- Deploy the microservices to your servers, preferably using a cloud platform like AWS or Google Cloud, given it’s usually cheaper than having your hardware and allows you to escalate quickly.
- Modify the monolithic app to call the microservices as needed instead of running all the logic in a single codebase.
- It’s also important to consider issues like scaling, security, and monitoring as you migrate to a microservices architecture.
But what are the risks of converting a Monolithic App to an API?
There are a few risks to consider when converting a monolithic app to an API-based architecture:
- Complexity: A microservices architecture is typically more complex than a monolithic one, as it involves building and maintaining multiple independent services. This can be more difficult to manage and requires different skills than a traditional monolithic app.
- Integration: If the microservices are not adequately designed, they may have difficulty communicating with each other and integrating into a cohesive whole. This can lead to problems like increased latency and reduced reliability.
- Deployment: Deploying and managing multiple microservices can be more challenging than deploying a single monolithic app. It’s essential to have a solid continuous integration and deployment strategy in place to ensure that updates to one service don’t break others.
- Testing: Testing a microservices architecture can be more complex than testing a monolithic app. You must ensure that each service is working correctly and that the interactions between services are functioning as expected.
- Maintenance: Maintaining a microservices architecture requires a different approach than maintaining a monolithic app. It’s essential to have processes for monitoring, logging, and debugging issues that may arise in the various services.
Resources
Images:
- https://nordicapis.com/should-you-start-with-a-monolith-or-microservices/
- https://www.vermontpublic.org/programs/2016-04-01/but-why-intro-for-adults
- https://www.inc.com/brent-gleeson/8-steps-for-helping-your-employees-accept-change.html
- https://resources.infosecinstitute.com/topic/risk-treatment-options-planning-prevention/
