Node.js and microservices are a predestined perfect match because they share a common goal of building scalable applications. Together, they enable faster and more frequent deliveries in a DevOps culture.
Yet, building a microservices architecture with Node.js can be challenging without expertise. Thus, you must hire Node.js developers to design apps that handle significant traffic and provide a seamless user experience.
This article explores using Node.js and microservices to create high-performance and real-time applications.
4 Reasons Why Node.js and Microservices is a Perfect Combination
Node.js is an open-source JavaScript-based runtime environment. It allows developers to build real-time, data-intensive, and high-performance apps.
Microservices is a software architecture that breaks down large applications into small, separate services.
Both these technologies complement each other very well. To integrate them, you can hire Node.js developers who also understand the complexities of microservices.
Here are 4 reasons why they help in building scalable and resilient applications:
1. Efficient Handling of Asynchronous Operations
Node.js is perfect for microservices because it is event-driven and lightweight. It enables the development of compact elements that are easy to iterate and deploy.
Example: Suppose your e-commerce website receives many requests every second. With Node.js’s non-blocking I/O model, your server can handle many concurrent requests. This approach results in faster response times and better performance, even under heavy loads.
2. Flexibility
Microservices offer flexibility to develop and deploy each service independently. This feature allows quicker action times and reduces the risk of errors or issues.
Example: Suppose you want to add a new feature to your e-commerce application. With microservices, you can develop and deploy the new feature to the relevant service without affecting the other services.
3. Scalability
Using Node.js with microservices also offers benefits in terms of scalability and maintainability. These technologies allow developers to build modern, flexible apps that are easier to maintain and scale.
Example: A ride-sharing app built using Node.js microservices can handle millions of users and scale up during peak hours.
4. Defect Isolation
Microservices allow for fault isolation, which means that if one service fails, it does not affect the entire application.
Example: Suppose your e-commerce app has multiple services, such as payment, product, and shipping. If the payment service faces an issue, it will not affect the functioning of other components.
Best Practices for Designing Microservices Architecture Using Node.js
Your business must hire node.js developers as they can assist in implementing microservices and ensure the safety of your company’s products. Additionally, your developers can adopt the following practices to enhance productivity.
Break Down Your Application into Microservices
It is the key to optimizing your application’s development, deployment, and scalability. Identify the different app functionalities and break them down into small, independent services. Each microservice should have a well-defined API and focus on a specific business capability.
Leverage API Gateways
An API gateway directs client requests to the appropriate microservices, creating a single access point. This process simplifies the architecture and improves the whole performance.
Kong is an open-source, scalable API gateway that developers can customize to fit specific business needs. You can extend it through plugins to support various authentication and rate-limiting features.
Adopt a Lightweight Framework
A lightweight framework like Express.js or Seneca can offer several benefits to developers. Express.js makes designing APIs easy and supports various middleware to build scalable microservices.
Seneca is a toolkit for Node.js that uses a plugin architecture to construct microservices. It’s modular and enables the creation of combinable microservices to form complex apps.
Use a Service Registry
It is a central directory that tracks all the services running within your microservices architecture. It allows services to discover each other, making scaling and managing your application easier.
Consul provides a robust service discovery, health checking, and configuration management system. Etcd offers an available key-value store that you can use to keep critical configuration data.
Implement Circuit Breakers
When building a microservices architecture, you should foresee and handle failures. One helpful design pattern for this is to use the circuit breaker. It acts like a switch you can turn on or off when something goes wrong.
You can hire Node.js developers familiar with libraries like Hystrix or Resilience4j to use circuit breakers in your apps. It will ensure that your microservices architecture is resilient and can handle failures, improving system reliability.
Employ a Shared Data Store
Using a shared data store to execute an effective microservices architecture will be beneficial. It ensures consistency among various services and reflects data modifications across all applicable services. Your developers can use MongoDB or Cassandra to store and share data across multiple microservices.
Real-World Examples of Node.js Microservices in Action
Node.js is a versatile platform, as many prominent businesses leverage it to develop modular and quick applications. These examples prove how Node.js microservices build scalable and resilient apps.
1. Netflix
This streaming service is a famous enterprise application that experiences high traffic. It employs Node.js microservices to provide customized suggestions and manage user authentication.
For instance, the app sends the login info to an authentication microservice built using Node.js. This microservice then verifies the user’s credentials and grants access to their account.
2. Paypal
Node.js powers its payment processing microservices, which handle millions of daily transactions. When a user makes a payment, the microservice verifies and processes the transaction.
3. Medium
A content delivery microservice built with Node.js triggers when a user requests to view an article. It retrieves that content from the database and returns it to the user’s app.
4. Walmart
The company’s e-commerce product catalog and search engine rely on Node.js technology. This enables the management of heavy traffic and quick delivery of search results.
The search engine microservice directs a customer’s query when they search for a product. It scans the product catalog and returns relevant results to the customer’s application.
5. eBay
Its listing services demand agility to handle millions of products and users. Node.js allows eBay to manage high traffic and deliver fast search results. When a user lists an item for sale, the search microservice makes it available for other users to explore.
Wrapping Up
As businesses evolve, traditional monolithic applications can no longer suffice. Node.js microservices are a potent solution that enables developers to create robust and flexible apps.
So, don’t let the opportunity slip away. Hire Node.js developers and start building your scalable and resilient microservices today!
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