Microservices Architecture has been among the trendiest buzzwords in Software Development for many years.
Even though it's not ideal for every project, it's still an efficient approach to Product Development Life Cycle.
Rather than MVPs or prototypes, microservices are especially convenient for large and scalable products.
As large apps involve tons of complex functionalities, separate service instances often make more practical dev.
You can build robust Microservices using languages like Python, Java or Ruby on Rails. Yet, TypeScript stands out for many reasons.
Let's explore why you should consider TS for your microservices journey instead of a monolithic approach.
What is a Microservice?
Small projects like prototypes or landing pages often involve a simple User Interface (UI) with little to no functionality.
But things get a bit more complex when a product requires multiple features.
Think about all the options that FinTech apps or eCommerce stores offer, which involve many critical services.
These kinds of products normally leverage the power of separate smaller applications and bring them together.
Developing a robust architecture with a reactive approach involves integrating these microservices into a single product!
Consider Microservices as independent and individual units or external services developed separately.
They are the building blocks that compose modern and effective applications.
As one major pitfall between microservices is managing communication, Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) are key.
Chances are that most of the web apps you interact with Microservices have a scalable Architecture.
A practical, real-world example would be a social media app that handles several edges.
Think of login, comments, notifications, posts, searches, database services, and other standard services.
Here, a shopping cart application may use the microservice ecosystem to manage transactional operations and service-shopping management.
Developers individually build these features (or single services) and connect them using Back-End API endpoints.
Each real-time scenario mentioned is a sample of a multitude of microservices working together.
TypeScript Tools for Microservices
TypeScript and Node for Microservices
Node.js is one of the most popular tools for building any functionality.
Some of the largest businesses in the world have chosen Node.js because it excels at communicating with services.
Being such a giant tool in the Software Development industry, it ensures top-notch performance and robust security.
Used with TypeScript, Node.js promotes circuit breaker patterns, load balancing for incoming requests and retry logic.
Moreover, Node.js' famous framework, Express.js, is one of MERN's most popular Web Development stacks.
Node.js has also brought us another great TypeScript framework called Nest.js.
As it happens, Nest.js offers native support for Microservices with tools like Pipes, Guards, Exceptions, Interceptors and Decorators.
Most importantly, Nest.js offers support for gRPC out-of-the-box.
TypeScript and gRPC for Microservices
Backed up by Google, gRPC is one of the most modern and fastest approaches for building Microservices.
gRPC is a "universal" RPC framework focused on high-performance microservices., with native support to many languages.
It uses bi-directional data streaming with HTTP/2 protocol and pre-defined contracts.
This allows it to boost the security and performance of platform services.
Both TypeScript and gRPC promote reusability and safety, and gRPC being a language-agnostic framework also helps.
As a result, you can build inter-micro service communication patterns with languages like Python or Java.
You can also create patterns of communication with your TypeScript apps.
TypeScript and Bun for Microservices
Bun is a blazing-fast, all-in-one JavaScript runtime that seamlessly supports TypeScript.
What's more, Bun.js is compatible with Node.js frameworks, including Express.js and Nest.js.
One great reason to consider Bun.js for a project involving Microservices is its top-notch Developer Experience (DX).
Bun has access to a debugger, a bundler, a test runner, and a package manager.
Plus, It can process HTTP client requests extremely fast and easily manage complex technical requirements of a Microservices environment.
As a result, it's perfect for projects with high throughput requiring low latency.
Bun.js treats TypeScript as a "first-class citizen, "meaning it allows you to start working with TS without configuration.
It will process TypeScript as Vanilla JavaScript, keeping all the advantages of TypeScript.
This blend helps ensuring the maintainability and performance of scalable applications.
Why Use TypeScript Microservices?
Backed up by Microsoft, TypeScript is a superset of the most popular language, JavaScript.
It can access all back end JavaScript libraries and frameworks, including Node and Bun.
Combining that with strong IDE support and type safety capabilities allows to build fault-tolerant Microservices!
Being such a strict language, TypeScript allows for easy scalability and refactoring.
Keeping your code well-organized is also great for maintaining independent services or Back-End units.
TypeScript is also the star of TypeScript Remote Procedure Calls (tRPC).
Building Microservices with TS opens the door to connecting the FE and BE using tRPC to handle subsequent requests!
On top of that, TypeScript shines because of its slick tooling, helping streamline the Product Development process.
Conclusion
TypeScript is an extension of the most popular programming language in the world.
It inherits all its essential advantages and tolerant capabilities during development.
It also shares common functionalities and a strong ecosystem to maintain core cross-cutting functionalities.
It's time to leverage its power for cutting-edge microservices!
