monolithic and microservices difference

Why does your equipment always "break down" at critical moments?

Imagine this scene: a production line is running at high speed, and the robotic arm repeats movements accurately. Suddenly, the controller of one link "stuck" and the entire process was forced to pause. What's the problem? Many times, the root cause is not that a single servo motor or steering gear is not good enough, but that the "brain" behind it - the control architecture - is chosen incorrectly.

This leads to a classic choice that gives many projects a headache: Should we use a "monolithic" system that integrates all functions, or should we use multiple small and flexible "microservices" teams that perform their own duties? This is not just a debate in the software world, it actually affects the response speed of the machine, the reliability of the system and the future upgrade path.

Monolithic system: all cabins of a large ship

To use an analogy, a monolithic architecture is like a large cruise ship with all functional cabins. Power, navigation, and living areas are all tightly integrated into a huge hull. Its benefits are obvious: initial construction is relatively straightforward, and communication between different parts is very fast because they are all "in the body".

But its challenges are equally huge. When you want to upgrade your navigation system, you may have to dock the entire ship and stop all operations. If a minor malfunction occurs in the power compartment, it can sometimes involve unrelated cabin areas. In an automation scenario that requires a high degree of flexibility and frequent adjustments, the turning speed of this "big ship" may make you wait anxiously.

Microservice architecture: a flexible special fleet

What about microservice architecture? It is more like a fleet composed of ships with multiple functions. The patrol boat is responsible for communications, the supply ship is responsible for power distribution, and the engineering ship is focused on execution. Each ship is small and specialized, operating together through clear protocols.

The beauty of this approach lies in its resilience and elasticity. If a ship needs repairs, it can be towed back to the dock alone, and the main mission of the entire fleet does not have to come to a complete standstill. If you need more reconnaissance capabilities, upgrade or replace that reconnaissance boat specifically, rather than rebuilding the entire fleet. In machine control, this means that motion control modules, condition monitoring modules, and communication modules can be independently developed, tested, deployed, and expanded. The update of a certain sensor does not need to touch the nerves of the entire core control program.

Seeing this, you may be thinking: I understand all the principles, but when it comes to my servo motor and mechanical projects, how should I choose?

There is really no one-size-fits-all answer, but there are several clear dimensions for thinking about it:

Q: Will my equipment need to handle rapidly changing tasks? If your application scenarios, process recipes or product models are frequently adjusted and the control system needs to be able to adapt quickly, then the modular microservice idea may make you more comfortable. You can change just a specific "crawl" or "locate" service without having to panic and rewrite the entire code.

Question: Are my requirements for the stability of the system "nothing can be missed"? High-reliability systems are afraid of "a little breakdown and complete paralysis." The isolation feature of microservices can contain failures within a small area, just like the sealed cabin of a fleet. Even if the core control service loses contact with an auxiliary service, it can often enter safe mode or perform basic functions instead of completely "crash".

Q: Do I want to be able to upgrade in the future as easily as building blocks? Technology is always improving. The visual recognition you use today may have a more efficient version next year. Using a loosely coupled microservice architecture, when you replace or upgrade one of the "building blocks" in the future, it will have minimal impact on the entire system and the cost will be lower. This gives your device a long life.

Choice is ultimately about solving problems better. existkpowerIn the field we are deeply involved in, we have witnessed too many projects reborn from the architecture. It’s not about simply saying “microservices must be good”, but understanding the language of each architecture, and then matching the most appropriate “way of thinking” to your specific needs—whether it’s precision assembly that requires extreme synchronization speed, or a flexible production line that allows asynchronous updates of some modules.

The changes it brings are specific: debugging time is shortened because problems are easier to locate; team collaboration is smoother because different groups can focus on different service modules; customers’ brows relax because they see that the equipment not only runs well today, but also has the ability to embrace tomorrow’s new technologies.

After all, technical architecture is like the skeleton of mechanical design. Once the bones are clear, the muscles (hardware) and nerves (controls) attached to them can perform their best. When you're choosing the "skeleton" of a control system for your next project, it's a good idea to look beyond individual component performance comparisons and look at the big picture from a higher perspective. Perhaps, the key to solving the problem is hidden in this overall configuration.

Established in 2005,kpowerhas been dedicated to a professional compact motion unit manufacturer, headquartered in Dongguan, Guangdong Province, China. Leveraging innovations in modular drive technology,kpowerintegrates high-performance motors, precision reducers, and multi-protocol control systems to provide efficient and customized smart drive system solutions. Kpower has delivered professional drive system solutions to over 500 enterprise clients globally with products covering various fields such as Smart Home Systems, Automatic Electronics, Robotics, Precision Agriculture, Drones, and Industrial Automation.