A Definitive Guide to Properly Implementing Microservices in JAVA

Java is a well-known programming language for developing quality applications, games, etc. With the positive curve noted in Java Microservices architecture, building resilient, flexible, and scalable apps has become easier. We have found a perfect guide for implementing microservices in Java that can help you break a large application into smaller and individual services.

These small services can communicate with each other for fulfilling specific functions. Microservices can be beneficial in several ways like faster development, easy maintenance, good scalability, etc.

In this article, we will provide a definitive guide to Java microservices, exploring different prospects of Java microservices. Whether you are a seasoned developer or just getting started with microservices, this guide will help you navigate the complexities of this powerful architectural approach.

 

What is Java Microservices?

Java Microservices is a collection of software apps that are made using the Java programming language. These services together work and function to form bigger solutions.

Rather than having a monolithic application, one can have small and independent apps that run easily & can be created by different programming languages.

Independent and simpler programs can collectively form complicated apps which are executable easily. These microservices are grouped to deliver different functionalities of the giant monolithic application. Since, we’re discussing microservices – you should always prefer microservices best practices in the development process.

Microservices witnesses and captures the business scenario of our client, and it forms the solution to questions like: “Which problem do you want to solve?” These services are usually developed by a small engineering team, using different programming languages.

Each microservice is involved independently to develop an enterprise solution. These small services interact with other services and can have their unique names or URLs while being consistent even while any failure is experienced.

 

What Are the Benefits of Implementing Microservices in Java?

Java microservices offer a range of benefits that make them an attractive architectural choice for modern software development. Here are some of the key benefits:

• Flexibility: With microservices, each service is responsible for a specific function or feature, making it easier to update, modify, and replace individual services without affecting the rest of the application. This also makes it easier to experiment with new features and technologies.
• Scalability: Microservices are made to be independently scalable, meaning that you can add or remove resources to individual services as needed. This has efficient utilization of resources & helps to reassure that the application can handle spikes in demand.
• Faster time to market: Microservices allow for faster deployment and development of some new features & services. Because every single service is unrestrained, it can be deployed and developed separately, allowing for a faster release cycle.
• Improved maintainability: Microservices are easier to maintain and update because every single service has a clearly defined purpose and limited scope. This makes it easier to identify and fix bugs, update libraries, and make other changes without affecting the entire application.
• Resilience: Microservices are designed to be fault-tolerant, it means that services can now function even if any services fail. It can be achieved with the use of failover mechanisms, redundancy, and other resilience strategies.

Overall, Java microservices offer a powerful and flexible approach to building modern, scalable, and resilient applications.

 

Examples of Java Microservices Frameworks

There are several Java microservices frameworks available for developers to use. Here are some of the most popular ones:

• Micronaut: Micronaut is a relatively new Java microservices framework that focuses on performance and minimal memory footprint. It offers features such as AOT (Ahead of Time) compilation, annotation-based programming, and a reactive programming model.
• Spring Boot: Spring Boot is a widely-used Java microservices framework that offers a range of features for building and deploying microservices. It provides a lightweight framework for building standalone applications and web services, with features such as auto-configuration and embedded containers.
• Dropwizard: Dropwizard is a Java microservices framework that offers a range of features for building high-performance web services. It is built on top of popular libraries such as Jetty, Jersey, and Jackson, and offers features such as configuration management, health checks, and metrics.
• Quarkus: Quarkus is a Java microservices framework designed for cloud-native development. It gives various features for creating and deploying microservices, including fast startup times, efficient memory usage, and a reactive programming model.
• x: Vert.x is a polyglot microservices framework which helps several programming languages like Java, PHP, JS, etc. It gives a range of characteristics for developing reactive, event-driven applications, including a distributed event bus, non-blocking I/O, and a modular architecture.

These are a few instances of the many Java microservices frameworks available to developers. Each framework has its strengths & weaknesses, so it’s crucial to pick any one that best suits your specific needs and requirements.

 

Common problems with Microservices

While Java microservices have various advantages, they also come with a few disadvantages. Here are some of the key disadvantages of Java microservices:

• Distributed System: Java microservices are a distributed system by design. This means that communication between services must be handled carefully to ensure that data is consistent and reliable. It can also increase the complexity of testing and monitoring the application.
• Complexity: Java microservices architecture can be complex, particularly for developers who are new to this approach. Managing multiple services requires a more sophisticated infrastructure and a more complex deployment process, which can be challenging to set up and maintain.
• Testing: Testing Java microservices can be challenging, particularly when multiple services are involved. This service has to be independently tested, and then the app needs to be tested as a whole. This can be time-consuming and complex.
• Overhead: Java microservices architecture requires additional overhead in terms of communication between services, coordination, and management. This can result in additional latency and decreased performance, particularly if the services are not designed and implemented carefully.
• Infrastructure: Java microservices require a more sophisticated infrastructure than traditional monolithic applications. This can include containers, orchestration, and monitoring tools that can be costly and complex to manage.

Overall, while Java microservices offer many advantages, they also come with additional complexity and overhead. This means that this might not be the good choice for all applications and may require additional skills, tools, and resources to implement effectively.

 

2 Common Examples of Java Microservices

Microservices With Spring Boot

With Spring Boot, you can use Java apps with your apps after connecting them with embedded servers. It utilizes Tomcat so you shouldn’t worry about using Java EE containers.

After you see different Spring Boot projects, you will notice that in Spring Boot, there are almost all the infrastructures that any application requires. These infrastructures are suitable for any type of apps like configuration, security, and big data; there is one or the other Spring Boot for that project.

• Spring Boot projects have:
• Spring Framework: used for dependency injection, transaction management, data access, web apps, and messaging.
• Spring IO Platform: used for enterprise-grade and versioned apps.
• Spring Data: used for microservices related to common data access like map-reduce, relational, non-relational, etc.
• Spring Cloud: used for developing or deploying your microservices and building a distributed system
• Spring Security: used for authorization & authentication support
• Spring Batch: used for quality levels of batch operations
• Spring Mobile: used for developing mobile Web apps.
• Spring Social: used for connecting to social media APIs.
• Spring REST Docs: used for documenting RESTful services

Microservices with Jersey

Jersey framework (RESTful) is based on JAX-RS features and is an open-source framework. Jersey apps can extend already available JAX-RS features and add extra utilities that make RESTful services easier, and client development quicker and easier.

One of the best features of Jersey is that there is great documentation available for developers that has multiple examples for multiple questions. It has easy routing and is also good for faster development.

A sample code:

package org.glassfish.jersey.examples.helloworld;

import javax.ws.rs.GET;

import javax.ws.rs.Path;

import javax.ws.rs.Produces;

@Path(“helloworld”)

public class HelloWorldResource {

public static final String CLICHED_MESSAGE = “Welcome message- Hello World!”;

@GET

@Produces(“text/plain”)

public String getHello() {

return CLICHED_MESSAGE;

}

}

Jersey framework is easy to use along with companion libraries like Grizzly/Netty, and it also allows asynchronous connections. There is no need for servlet containers in the Jersey framework.

 

Concluding Words

In conclusion, implementing microservices in Java is a powerful technique that can bring noticeable benefits to software development. By breaking down a huge app into smaller, more manageable components, teams can increase their agility and flexibility, reduce complexity, and improve scalability.

With a wide-range of frameworks and tools available, including Spring Boot, Vert.x, and Quarks, it’s easier than ever to get started with microservices development in Java. Whether you’re building a new application from scratch or refactoring an existing one, following the best practices can help you create a robust, scalable microservices architecture that meets your business needs.