Demystifying Monolithic Architecture: A Developer's Guide

/

As developers, we often work with various architectural patterns to build effective software solutions. Monolithic architecture, while popular for its simplicity, can present challenges as applications scale. In this developer's guide, we'll dive into identifying monolithic architecture, covering key aspects and the C4 model diagram. Let's explore this pattern together and expand our understanding.

What is Monolithic Architecture?

Two persons confused in front of a menhir
 

Understanding Monolithic Architecture using a C4 Model Diagram

As I've been working with various Digital Experience Platforms (DXPs), I've had the opportunity to analyze and understand a wide range of software architectures. In the section below, I'll share my insights on how to identify a monolithic architecture, drawing from my extensive experience with DXPs. To help illustrate these concepts, I'll present a C4 diagram model that captures the essence of a monolithic architecture within the realm of DXPs.

  1. Context Diagram: This high-level diagram shows the DXP as a single, self-contained system interacting with external actors, such as end-users, administrators, third-party services, and business systems.

Context Diagram: DXP

2. Container Diagram: The container diagram depicts the monolithic DXP as a unified application, encompassing components such as the UI, business logic, and data access layer. Typically, a DXP provides multiple software modules, each catering to specific aspects of its application. For instance, there may be a dedicated application for the Search Provider, another for tracking functionalities, and so on.

While these are distinct applications that can reside in separate Web Apps (in Azure), they are tightly interconnected. Changes to one module may impact the entire Digital Experience Platform, illustrating the intertwined nature of monolithic architectures.

Container Diagram: DXP

3. Component Diagram: The component diagram highlights the tightly coupled nature of the components within the monolithic DXP. Each component depends heavily on the others, and they are all contained within the same codebase.

Component Diagram: DXP
 

How to Identify a Monolithic Architecture?

When evaluating your application’s architecture, consider the following aspects to determine if it is monolithic:

  1. Single codebase: In a monolithic architecture, all components and modules are part of a single codebase. This means that the entire application is built, tested, and deployed as a single unit. If your application follows this pattern, it is likely monolithic.

  2. Tightly coupled components: Monolithic architectures often have tightly coupled components, meaning that changes in one component can significantly impact other components. This can make it difficult to modify, update or scale individual components without affecting the entire application.

  3. Limited modularity: In a monolithic application, modules and components are not designed to be easily interchangeable or reusable. This can make it difficult to swap out or replace components with alternative implementations, hindering adaptability and flexibility.

  4. Difficulties in scaling: Monolithic applications tend to scale vertically, which means adding more resources (CPU, memory, etc.) to the existing infrastructure. This can be observed when the code base grows bigger as well as its complexity, which oftentimes, results in an application that needs more resources, and a higher tier to run efficiently. This can be costly and may not provide the desired performance improvements. If you find that scaling your application is becoming challenging, it could be due to a monolithic architecture.

  5. Long build and deployment times: As a monolithic application grows, build and deployment times can become increasingly longer. This can slow down the development process and make it difficult to implement continuous integration and continuous deployment (CI/CD) practices.

  6. Limited technology choices: Monolithic architectures often rely on a single technology stack, which can limit your options when it comes to selecting new tools or frameworks. If your application is constrained by its technology stack, it might be an indicator of a monolithic architecture.

Identifying a monolithic architecture is an essential step in understanding the challenges and limitations associated with this design pattern. By recognizing the key considerations and analyzing the architecture through a C4 diagram model, you can make more informed decisions when working with DXPs or other software systems.

Remember that the goal of this article is not to shame monolithic architectures but to help you identify this type of architecture so you can make informed decisions for your projects. Monolithic architectures can be a suitable choice for smaller projects or applications with limited scope. However, understanding the potential drawbacks will help you evaluate whether a monolithic approach is right for your specific needs.