Microservices is an architecture for developing software applications made of loosely coupled, independently deployable services. These services are small, modular, run their own processes, and communicate over the network using APIs. This contrasts with the longstanding monolithic application architecture, in which services are interdependent and share a unified codebase—making continued development more challenging.
How do microservices work?
An expansion of application deployment models and architectures—notably containers and APIs—has paved the way for microservices' popularity. Maintainability, flexibility, and scalability are key tenets of a microservices approach and architecture. Different teams oversee their own services and cater to specific business needs much more easily.
Functionally, microservices architectures have the following attributes:
Modularity – Applications are collections of small, focused services that serve a business function. Each can be independently developed, deployed, and scaled horizontally according to user activity.
Decentralized databases – Each service has its own database or storage mechanism, matched to its unique requirements. This boosts scalability, gives teams greater control over where their data lives, and further reduces inter-service dependency.
Language diversity – Since services are independent of each other, developers can write applications and APIs in their preferred programming languages. Development frameworks and various technologies are also in play. This lets teams who specialize in respective technologies work more effectively.
Isolation and fault tolerance – Because microservices can coexist while decoupled, one failure doesn't automatically bring down another service. Containerization adds another layer of protection.
Finally, microservices have become increasingly popular in a CI/CD, DevOps-driven world that favors early testing, shorter release pipelines, and selective coordination to help applications launch sooner.
Does HAProxy support microservices applications?
Yes! HAProxy can load balance any application in any environment—regardless of deployment model or backend technology. We support Kubernetes applications and those that run within containers, as many microservices currently do. Plus, HAProxy's Docker Official Image lets you rapidly deploy your load balancer in a container.
