I am aware that in our present day world, it is a sin to talk about monolith and not to curse it. However, I am will neither hallelujah nor curse it. I will just try to explain it as an architectural design pattern and try to expose both positive and negative sides of it.
The Monolithic architecture stands as a testament to the earlier days of software development. A monolithic architecture is like a single, tightly packed unit where all the software components are bundled together. Think of it as a large factory where every product stage, from raw materials to the final product, is handled under one roof. This design pattern was especially popular when software applications weren’t as complex as they are today.
Its straightforward nature makes it a solid choice for simpler applications. Everything is in one place, making it easy to develop, test, and deploy. You don’t have to juggle multiple services or databases. This made it preferred for many software projects in the earlier days of development.
However, nothing is perfect. As software became more sophisticated, the Monolithic architecture began showing its limits. Making even a small tweak could mean you have to rebuild and redeploy the whole application. Imagine having to shut down the entire factory just to change one machine. Scaling specific parts becomes a challenge too. Plus, if something goes wrong, it could bring down the whole system.
Many developers moved away from this design due to its challenges. The need to quickly update features, maintain large code-bases, and ensure uptime has made many lean towards more modular architectures like Microservices or Event-Driven architectures.
Nevertheless, we cannot dismiss Monolithic entirely. There are cases where it’s not only useful but needed. For small teams working on less complex projects or applications where performance is a top concern, the Monolithic approach might be ideal. Everything is together, there are fewer moving parts, and with modern tools, many of its traditional problems can be reduced. Furthermore, in a Microservices architecture, we can consider each part a simple, self-containing, micro size Monolith within itself.
In short, nothing is absolutely good or absolutely bad. Every tool and technique in software development has a specific purpose. Understanding Monolithic and its place in the software design helps developers make informed decisions. While it might not be the go-to for every project in the market today, it has its merits, proving invaluable in specific scenarios.
Suleyman Cabir Ataman, PhD
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