What are microservices in Node.js and why are they needed? In short, they are services written in Node.js with each one having a responsibility. Microservices can have different programming languages for multiple services, but this is completely optional. In this article, we will be focusing on how to build microservices with Node.js.

What are microservices in Node.js and why are they needed? In short, they are services written in Node.js with each one having a responsibility. Microservices can have different programming languages for multiple services, but this is completely optional. In this article, we will be focusing on how to build microservices with Node.js.

A brief overview of microservices

Microservices are many small services responsible for one functionality or domain, for example, user services, authentication services, etc. Each microservice has characteristics, such as being loosely coupled and independently deployable. Despite these advantages, they do have a few downsides. These include having to monitor each service when they grow in number, and issues with debugging when services have defects.

Monolithic versus microservices in Node.js

Monolithic means that there is only one service but there may be many modules in it. It is different from microservices in terms of deployment. Monolithic will deploy all modules. Note that when the modules become huge, it can take more time to deploy. For example, if we release a new feature related to the User Module, we will need to pack all of the modules to deploy the service.

Here’s a figure to understand the monolithic deployment process better.

A major difference between both deployment processes is that with microservices, we can update the User Service as long as it’s not related to other services. We need to avoid breaking changes to achieve the process. For example, avoid removing an endpoint, any attributes from the response, etc.

Here’s a comparison between monolithic and microservices in Node.js.

A brief overview of microservices

Microservices are many small services responsible for one functionality or domain, for example, user services, authentication services, etc. Each microservice has characteristics, such as being loosely coupled and independently deployable. Despite these advantages, they do have a few downsides. These include having to monitor each service when they grow in number, and issues with debugging when services have defects.

Why microservices in Node.js?

Let’s explore why we need microservices in Node.js, and look at the benefits.

1. Flexible scalability: Since there is more flexible scalability, we can scale per service or critical services.

2. Frequent deployment: We can deploy each day, each week, and more frequently with no hassle.

3. Promotes agility: We can work with small teams to manage one service and release frequently.

4. Better reliability: We can deploy one service without worrying about breaking the entire service.

Framework for building microservices in Node.js

Here are a few popular and easy-to-learn tools to build microservices in Node.js:

Hapi: This framework is simple and scalable. It also has many features that will help develop microservices in Node.js. Feathers: A common use case for this framework is a real-time app and REST APIs. Express.js: Another popular framework that is customizable and easy to configure.

Microservices architecture in Node.js

This architecture is not specific to Node.js since it can be used for other systems or applications.

1. Database per service: We usually need this pattern because we separate each service for its responsibilities. We expect each service to only handle its databases.

2. Shared database: This is commonly used when first migrating from monolithic to microservices.

3. Service per team: Used by large organizations, this pattern is unique because each team will have responsibility for its services.

4. Messaging: This utilizes asynchronous messaging for communicating with another service.

We can combine these microservices based on needs and requirements. One can also choose to hire a Node.js developer to handle the task.

There are many patterns for microservices, but these are some of the more well-known and most-used architectures. Others can be explored here.