APP Architecture - sudo-arshia/tips_and_tricks GitHub Wiki

Below is a simplified overview of the evolution of application architecture, starting from the monolithic and moving towards multitier, and ultimately microservices.

1. Monolithic Architecture:

In the early days of software development, monolithic architecture was the norm. In this architecture, all the application's components (user interface, business logic, and data access code) were bundled into a single program from a single platform.

Example: A simple web application where all the HTML, CSS, JavaScript, server-side scripts, and database queries are written and maintained as a single codebase.

2. Multitier Architecture:

As systems grew more complex, the monolithic architecture started showing its limitations, leading to the adoption of multitier (or n-tier) architecture. This architecture divides an application into three distinct tiers: presentation (user interface), application (business logic), and data storage and access. Each tier can be developed and maintained independently.

Example: An e-commerce website where the user interface is developed using JavaScript and CSS, the business logic is handled by a Java server, and the data is stored in a MySQL database.

3. Microservices Architecture:

With the advent of cloud computing and distributed systems, microservices architecture has become popular. In this architecture, an application is divided into small, loosely coupled, and independently deployable services. Each service is a separate codebase, which can be managed by a small development team.

Example: A streaming platform like Netflix, where different services handle user authentication, content recommendation, video streaming, etc.

Here's a comparison table to highlight the key differences:

Architecture	Monolithic	Multitier	Microservices
Complexity	Low	Medium	High
Scalability	Limited	Moderate	High
Development & Deployment	Single codebase, single team, single deployment	Divided into tiers, multiple teams, coordinated deployment	Divided into services, multiple teams, independent deployment
Performance	High (all components in the same process)	Moderate (inter-tier communication)	Can vary (network latency, but each service can be optimized individually)
Fault Isolation	Poor (failure in one component can bring down the entire application)	Moderate (failure in one tier can affect the application)	High (services are isolated, a failure in one service doesn't affect others)

Please note that the choice of architecture depends on the specific needs and constraints of your project. Each architecture has its strengths and weaknesses, and understanding these can help you make an informed decision.