Microservice Architecture

Chapter 3. Designing Microservice Systems

So far we’ve learned that companies building applications in the microservices way do more than just implement small components. We now know that there isn’t a strict definition for what constitutes a microservice architecture. Instead, the focus is on building applications that balance speed and safety at scale, primarily through replaceability. Throughout the remaining chapters of this book we will dive deeper into the details of microservice adoption. But considering what you’ve learned about microservices systems so far, one thing should be clear—there are a lot of moving parts to consider. The hallmark of a microservice architecture might be smaller services, but following the microservices way will require you to think big. You’ll need to tune your culture, organization, architecture, interfaces, and services in just the right way to gain the balance of speed and safety at scale.

In this chapter we will lay the groundwork for thinking about your application in a way that helps you unlock the potential value of a microservices system. The concepts introduced are rooted in some pretty big domains: design, complexity, and systems thinking. But you don’t need to be an expert in any of those fields to be a good microservice designer. Instead, we will highlight a model-driven way of thinking about your application that encapsulates the essential parts of complexity and systems thinking. Finally, at the end of this chapter we will introduce ...