The Next Generation of Microservices • Phil Calçado • YOW! 2017

Service mesh architecture represents the next evolution of microservices, acting as an infrastructure layer that handles communication, security, and reliability between services

Key characteristics of modern microservices include:

• Highly distributed application architecture
• Services communicate through metadata-rich protocols like gRPC
• Use of sidecars/proxies to handle cross-cutting concerns
• Infrastructure handles many distributed systems challenges

Common technical challenges with microservices:

• Service discovery and load balancing
• Circuit breaking and failure handling
• Network reliability and security
• Cross-service communication
• Configuration management

Best practices for implementation:

• Keep business logic separate from infrastructure concerns
• Use metadata-rich protocols over basic JSON/HTTP
• Leverage service mesh for cross-cutting functionality
• Push complexity down to the platform layer
• Implement proper observability and monitoring

Migration considerations:

• Start with extracting well-defined services
• Consider using monorepo approach for code organization
• Plan for language/protocol compatibility
• Account for operational complexity
• Focus on core business logic in services

Architectural evolution from 2013 to 2017:

• Movement from library-based approaches to platform-level solutions
• Growth of container orchestration platforms like Kubernetes
• Standardization of service mesh patterns
• Better handling of distributed systems fallacies
• Improved tooling and infrastructure support