What is Monolithic Architecture

Dashrath Hapani
Apr 01
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Article

Monolithic architecture is a traditional software design pattern where the entire application is built as a single unit.

Key Characteristics

Single Codebase
Tightly Coupled Components
Single Deployment Unit
Centralized Data Management

Example. E-Commerce Application

Consider a basic e-commerce system where users can browse products, add them to a cart, and place orders.

Monolithic Application Code Structure in .NET

// Controller Layer (ASP.NET MVC)
public class OrderController : Controller
{
    private readonly OrderService _orderService;

    public OrderController(OrderService orderService)
    {
        _orderService = orderService;
    }

    [HttpPost]
    public IActionResult PlaceOrder(Order order)
    {
        _orderService.ProcessOrder(order);
        return Ok("Order placed successfully!");
    }
}

// Service Layer (Business Logic)
public class OrderService
{
    private readonly OrderRepository _orderRepository;

    public OrderService(OrderRepository orderRepository)
    {
        _orderRepository = orderRepository;
    }

    public void ProcessOrder(Order order)
    {
        _orderRepository.SaveOrder(order);
    }
}

// Data Access Layer (Database Interaction)
public class OrderRepository
{
    private readonly ApplicationDbContext _context;

    public OrderRepository(ApplicationDbContext context)
    {
        _context = context;
    }

    public void SaveOrder(Order order)
    {
        _context.Orders.Add(order);
        _context.SaveChanges();
    }
}

Advantages

Easy to Develop
Single Deployment
Better Performance
Easier Debugging

Disadvantages

Difficult to Scale
Hard to Maintain
Slow Deployment
Technology Lock-in

Comparison: Monolithic vs Microservices

Feature	Monolithic Architecture	Microservices Architecture
Code Structure	Single codebase	Independent services
Scalability	Harder to scale	Easier, independent scaling
Deployment	Entire application redeployed	Individual services updated
Complexity	Simple for small apps	Higher due to distributed system
Technology Choice	Limited to one stack	Different services can use different stacks

Conclusion

Monolithic architecture is easy to start with and works well for small applications. However, as applications grow, scaling and maintaining a monolithic system becomes a challenge.