Microservices are architectural components; REST APIs are communication mechanisms. Microservices define what the system is made of, while REST APIs define how those parts talk to each other.
🧱 What Are Microservices?
- Microservices are a software architecture style where an application is broken into small, independent services.
- Each service is:
- Autonomous: Developed, deployed, and scaled independently.
- Domain-focused: Encapsulates a specific business capability (e.g., payment, inventory).
- Technology-agnostic: Can use different languages, databases, or frameworks.
- They communicate with each other via APIs, often RESTful ones.
Think of microservices as Lego blocks that together build a complex system. Each block does one thing well.
🌐 What Is a REST API?
- REST API (Representational State Transfer) is a protocol for communication between systems over HTTP.
- It defines:
- Standard operations: GET, POST, PUT, DELETE.
- Resource-based URLs:
/users/123,/orders/456. - Statelessness: Each request contains all the information needed.
- REST APIs are commonly used to expose microservices to other services or clients.
REST APIs are like the roads and traffic rules that let Lego blocks (microservices) interact smoothly.
🔍 Key Differences
| Feature | Microservices | REST API |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Architecture style | Communication protocol |
| Purpose | Structure the application | Enable interaction between components |
| Scope | Entire service or module | Interface to access resources |
| Technology | Can use any tech stack | Typically uses HTTP/JSON |
| Independence | Fully independent units | Depends on underlying service |
| Example | Payment service, Inventory service | /api/payments, /api/inventory |
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🧩 How They Work Together
In a microservices architecture:
- Each microservice exposes its functionality via a REST API.
- REST APIs allow services to communicate internally and externally.
- For example, a frontend app might call the
OrderServicevia its REST API to place an order.
If you're designing cloud-native systems or working with Spring Boot, understanding this distinction helps you choose the right patterns for scalability and modularity. Want to dive deeper into how Spring Boot implements REST APIs in microservices?
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