What are the differences between monolithic and microservices for mobile app backend integration?

If you are developing a mobile app, you need to decide how to integrate it with your backend services. The backend is the part of your app that handles data storage, business logic, authentication, and other functions that are not directly visible to the user. There are two main architectural styles for designing your backend: monolithic and microservices. In this article, you will learn what they are, how they differ, and what are the advantages and disadvantages of each one.

1 Monolithic architecture

A monolithic architecture is when all the components and features of an app are built as a single unit, such as having one server that runs the database, web server, API, and business logic. This type of architecture is simple to develop, test, and deploy, as it only requires dealing with one system. However, it can be difficult to scale since the whole system must be scaled if only one component needs more resources. Additionally, any change in one part of the code can affect the whole system and introduce bugs or performance issues. Furthermore, updates can be slow as the entire system must be redeployed every time a new feature or bug fix is added.

Add your perspective

Priyank Srivastava

Empowering Digital Transformation || COO - Primewayz || RentReadBuy
Report contribution
Choosing between monolithic and microservices for mobile app backend integration depends on factors like project complexity, scalability needs, and development team expertise. Each architecture has its merits, and the decision should align with the specific requirements of the mobile application. Example: - Monolithic: A banking app where all functions (account management, transactions, user profiles) are tightly integrated into a single codebase. - Microservices: A ride-sharing app where services like user authentication, ride requests, and payment processing are independent, communicating via APIs.

Like

2 Microservices architecture

A microservices architecture involves breaking down your backend into smaller, independent units, each performing a specific function or service. This means that your app communicates with multiple endpoints and relies on multiple codebases. Although complex to develop, test, and deploy, a microservices architecture has some benefits. It can be easy to scale, maintain, and update; for example, you can scale each service individually according to its needs and load, have each service isolated and with a clear responsibility and interface, and deploy each service independently without affecting the rest of the system.

Add your perspective

3 Choosing between monolithic and microservices

When it comes to choosing an architecture for your mobile app backend integration, there is no definite answer. It all depends on the size, complexity, and requirements of your app, the resources and skills of your development team, and the trade-offs between simplicity and flexibility. To help you decide, ask yourself these questions: how big is your app? How often do you update it? How diverse is your app? If your app is small and simple, a monolithic architecture might be sufficient and easier to manage. On the other hand, if your app is large and complex with frequent updates and changes, a microservices architecture might be more agile and responsive. Additionally, if your app has different features that require different technologies and frameworks, a microservices architecture might be more adaptable. Conversely, if your app has a uniform design and logic, a monolithic architecture might be more efficient.

Add your perspective

Adithya Narayanan

Senior Solutions Specialist at Deloitte | AWS certified
Report contribution
If you are considering a server-less platform such as Azure, AWS etc, it’s best to re design your application as multiple micro-services instead of a single monolithic application. This allows easy integration of cloud services with your application such as Storage buckets, services such as Elastic Beanstalk for deployment, cloud watch for monitoring CPU, memory usage etc. Creating multiple micro services and allowing them to register in Eureka server as and when needed reduces the overall load on the application and increases efficiency.

Like

4 Best practices for monolithic and microservices

No matter which architecture you decide upon, there are a few best practices to ensure a secure and successful mobile app backend integration. Primarily, use a RESTful API to exchange data via HTTP methods and JSON format. It is simple, stateless, and compatible with most platforms and languages. Additionally, authentication and authorization should be employed to protect your backend from unauthorized access. Authentication verifies the identity of your app users, while authorization grants or denies permissions to your app users based on their roles and scopes. Tools like OAuth, JWT, or Firebase can be used for authentication and authorization. Lastly, monitoring and logging should be used to track the performance and health of your backend. This includes collecting and analyzing metrics such as response time, error rate, availability, and resource usage. Logging records requests, responses, errors, and warnings that occur in your backend. Tools like Prometheus, Grafana, or ELK can be used for monitoring and logging.

Add your perspective

5 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

Add your perspective

What are the differences between monolithic and microservices for mobile app backend integration?

1

2

3

4

5

1 Monolithic architecture

2 Microservices architecture

3 Choosing between monolithic and microservices

4 Best practices for monolithic and microservices

5 Here’s what else to consider

Mobile Applications

Rate this article

Thanks for your feedback

More articles on Mobile Applications

More relevant reading

What are the differences between monolithic and microservices for mobile app backend integration?

1

2

3

4

5

1 Monolithic architecture

2 Microservices architecture

3 Choosing between monolithic and microservices

4 Best practices for monolithic and microservices

5 Here’s what else to consider

Mobile Applications

Rate this article

Thanks for your feedback

Explore Other Skills