Part II: Microservices: What, Why, and Why Not?

Part II discusses the different facets of microservice-based architectures to present the diverse possibilities offered by microservices. Advantages as well as disadvantages are addressed so that the reader can evaluate what can be gained by using microservices and which points require special attention and care during the implementation of microservice-based architectures.

Chapter 3, “What Are Microservices,” explains the term “microservice” in detail. The term is dissected from different perspectives, which is essential for an in-depth understanding of the microservice approach. Important issues are the size of a microservice, Conway’s Law as organizational influence, and domain-driven design particularly with respect to Bounded Context from a domain perspective. Furthermore, the chapter addresses the question of whether a microservice should contain a UI.

Chapter 4, “Reasons for Using Microservices,” focuses on the advantages of microservices, taking alternatingly technical, organizational, and business perspectives.

Chapter 5, “Challenges,” deals with the associated challenges in the areas of technology, architecture, infrastructure, and operation.

Chapter 6, “Microservices and SOA,” distinguishes microservices from service-oriented architecture (SOA). By making this distinction microservices are viewed from a new perspective, which helps to further clarify the microservices approach. Besides, microservices have been frequently compared to SOAs.