Introduction
Building a new e-commerce platform. Objective: Evaluate core architectural patterns to inform our initial strategic direction. Key architectural considerations for an e-commerce business.
What is the primary objective of evaluating architectural patterns for a new e-commerce platform?
Monolithic Architecture Overview
Definition and characteristics: A single, tightly coupled codebase where all components of an application (user interface, business logic, data access) are part of a unified whole. It runs as one service.
Describe a key characteristic of a monolithic architecture.
In a monolithic architecture, the user interface, business logic, and data access layers are typically part of a (3) codebase.
Monolithic Architecture: Pros
Simplicity of initial development and deployment for small teams. Easier debugging and testing in early stages. Less operational overhead initially.
One advantage of monolithic architecture, especially for small teams, is the simplicity of initial (4) and deployment.
Which of the following is considered a pro of monolithic architecture?
Monolithic Architecture: Cons
Scalability limitations (vertical scaling challenges). Single point of failure and impact of single bug. Longer build/deploy times as the application grows. Technology stack lock-in. Harder for large teams to work concurrently without conflicts.
A significant drawback of monolithic architecture is its (6) scalability, often requiring vertical scaling.
Explain why a single bug in a monolithic application can have a widespread impact.
Microservices Architecture Overview
Definition and characteristics: A collection of small, independent services, each running in its own process and communicating through lightweight mechanisms (e.g., HTTP/API). Each service is built around a business capability.
What is a defining characteristic of microservices architecture regarding its components?
Microservices typically communicate through (9) mechanisms like HTTP/API.
Microservices Architecture: Pros
Improved scalability (horizontal, independent service scaling). Enhanced fault isolation and resilience. Technology diversity (polyglot persistence/programming). Independent development and deployment cycles (faster time to market for individual features).
One major benefit of microservices is improved (10) scaling, allowing independent scaling of services.
Describe how microservices contribute to enhanced fault isolation.
Microservices Architecture: Cons
Increased operational complexity (deployment, monitoring, logging, service discovery). Distributed system challenges (data consistency, latency, network issues). Higher initial development and setup overhead. Debugging across services is more complex.
A key challenge with microservices architecture is the increased (12) complexity.
Explain one distributed system challenge associated with microservices.
Key Trade-offs: Development Speed
Monolith: Faster initial setup, quicker for small, simple apps. Microservices: Slower initial setup, faster for large, complex apps with independent teams and services.
For a small, simple application, which architecture typically offers faster initial development speed?
How does development speed compare between monolithic and microservices architectures for large, complex applications?
Key Trade-offs: Scalability
Monolith: Primarily vertical scaling; limits at a certain point. Microservices: Horizontal scaling; independent scaling of services based on demand.
What type of scaling is primarily associated with monolithic architectures?
How do microservices achieve better scalability compared to monoliths?
Key Trade-offs: Operational Complexity
Monolith: Simpler initial operations, deployment, and monitoring. Microservices: Significantly higher operational complexity, requiring robust CI/CD, monitoring, and orchestration tools.
Which architecture generally has simpler initial operational overhead?
List two tools or practices crucial for managing the operational complexity of microservices.
Key Trade-offs: Fault Tolerance
Monolith: Single point of failure; bug in one component can bring down the entire system. Microservices: Isolated failures; failure in one service typically doesn't affect others, requiring careful design (e.g., circuit breakers).
In a monolithic architecture, a bug in a single component can lead to a (20) point of failure.
Describe how microservices typically handle failures to ensure better fault tolerance.
Strategic Considerations for E-commerce
Team size and expertise. Projected growth and future features. Budget and time-to-market pressure. Criticality of uptime and performance. Recommendation (e.g., start with a modular monolith, evolve to microservices).
List three strategic considerations when choosing an architecture for a new e-commerce platform.
A common recommendation for new e-commerce platforms is to start with a (23) monolith and evolve towards microservices.