Category : Microservices | Sub Category : Microservices | By Prasad Bonam Last updated: 2023-11-01 10:49:35 Viewed : 242
The Twelve-Factor App methodology is a set of best practices for building modern, cloud-native, and scalable software-as-a-service (SaaS) applications. While not specifically designed for microservices, the principles outlined in the Twelve-Factor App methodology are often applied to the development of microservices due to their emphasis on modularity, scalability, and maintainability. Originally proposed by Adam Wiggins in 2011, the Twelve-Factor methodology is widely adopted in the context of cloud-based applications and microservices architecture.
The Twelve-Factor App methodology consists of the following key principles:
Codebase: Maintain a single codebase tracked in version control, and use it to build many deployments.
Dependencies: Explicitly declare and isolate dependencies, and avoid relying on system-wide libraries.
Config: Store configuration in the environment, separate from the code, to enable easy and dynamic configuration changes.
Backing Services: Treat backing services (such as databases, cache, or message brokers) as attached resources, accessed via a URL or credentials.
Build, Release, Run: Strictly separate build, release, and run stages to facilitate a smooth and consistent deployment process.
Processes: Execute the app as one or more stateless processes that can be easily started or stopped without losing data.
Port Binding: Export services via a port binding, enabling the app to be accessed via a uniform resource.
Concurrency: Scale out via the process model, allowing applications to be scaled horizontally.
Disposability: Maximize robustness with fast startup and graceful shutdown to handle varying loads and traffic spikes.
Dev/Prod Parity: Keep development, staging, and production environments as similar as possible to minimize discrepancies and reduce the risk of bugs.
Logs: Treat logs as event streams and ensure they are treated as event streams to provide visibility into the state of the application.
Admin Processes: Run admin/management tasks as one-off processes, separate from the main application process.
By adhering to the Twelve-Factor App methodology, developers can build resilient, scalable, and easily maintainable applications that can be deployed and managed effectively in various environments, including microservices architecture. These practices promote a clean separation of concerns, enable rapid development and deployment, and foster a robust and efficient development lifecycle.
The "12 Factor App" methodology is a set of best practices for building modern, cloud-native, and microservices-based applications. It was created by Heroku co-founder Adam Wiggins and focuses on guiding principles that help developers design and build applications that are scalable, maintainable, and easily deployable. These principles are particularly relevant in the context of microservices architecture. Here are the 12 factors:
Codebase: One codebase tracked in version control, and many deploys. Each microservice should have its own codebase stored in version control. This encourages independence and simplifies the deployment process.
Dependencies: Explicitly declare and isolate dependencies. Applications should declare their dependencies, both system-level and third-party libraries. This ensures consistency across deployments.
Config: Store configuration in the environment. Configuration settings such as database credentials, API keys, and environment-specific settings should be stored as environment variables. This allows for easy configuration changes without code modification.
Backing Services: Treat backing services as attached resources. Backing services (databases, caches, message queues) should be considered as attached resources. This means connecting to these services via environment variables or configuration, making it easy to switch between different service providers.
Build, Release, Run: Strictly separate the build and run stages. The build process should be distinct from the run process. This encourages reproducibility and simplifies deployment.
Processes: Execute the app as one or more stateless processes. Microservices should be stateless and share nothing. Any state should be stored in a stateful backing service, such as a database.
Port Binding: Export services via port binding. Microservices should be self-contained and export their services via port binding. This makes it easy to communicate with them over a network.
Concurrency: Scale out via the process model. Applications should be designed to be horizontally scalable. If more capacity is needed, more processes should be added.
Disposability: Maximize robustness with fast startup and graceful shutdown. Microservices should be designed to start and stop quickly. This enables quick scaling and recovery from failures.
Dev/Prod Parity: Keep development, staging, and production as similar as possible. Development, staging, and production environments should be as similar as possible to prevent "it works on my machine" issues.
Logs: Treat logs as event streams. Applications should write logs as event streams to standard output, making it easier to aggregate, search, and analyze log data.
Admin Processes: Run admin/management tasks as one-off processes. Administrative tasks, such as database migrations and data seeding, should be run as one-off processes separate from the main application.
The 12 Factor App methodology provides a clear set of guidelines that promote consistency, scalability, and maintainability in microservices applications. Adhering to these principles can simplify the development, deployment, and management of microservices, making it easier to build cloud-native and resilient applications.