{"id":30621,"date":"2022-10-14T10:00:53","date_gmt":"2022-10-14T07:00:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vipestudio.com\/?p=30621"},"modified":"2022-10-20T15:45:08","modified_gmt":"2022-10-20T12:45:08","slug":"microservices-vs-apis-in-wordpress-development","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vipestudio.com\/en\/microservices-vs-apis-in-wordpress-development\/","title":{"rendered":"Microservices vs APIs in WordPress Development"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: left;\">In this day and age, it\u2019s like we are constantly surrounded by web terms \u2013 be it <strong>web development, programming languages, CMS, LMS, enterprise websites, frameworks<\/strong>, <strong>microservices vs APIs<\/strong>, you name it! In fact, things couldn\u2019t be any different \u2013 today, more than ever, our lives are persistently evolving around the web environment.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Our <a href=\"https:\/\/vipestudio.com\/en\/wordpress-solutions\/wordpress-development-for-enterprise\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Enterprise WordPress Agency for Development<\/a> is no different \u2013 we are blessed to be fully engaged in the web, making sure we dedicate our time and effort to establishing dazzling WordPress-based platforms and software.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">With time, experience and knowledge anyone can learn how to navigate through the world of the web. Luckily for everyone interested in the subject, nowadays there are plenty of resources that can easily educate us on any given topic, and <strong>microservices vs APIs<\/strong> make no exception.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">We\u2019ve often witnessed these two terms being used almost interchangeably, causing mass confusion among aspiring developers and newbie programmers. Are they both the same? Can a microservice be used instead of an API? Or are they more interconnected than we\u2019ve ever thought?<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">In today\u2019s article, our WordPress development agency is happy to introduce to our fellow readers a resourceful guide that closely examines microservices\u2019 and APIs\u2019 core, as well as focusing on the differences between the two. So, without any further ado, let\u2019s get going!<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-30624 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/vipestudio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/20945202-ai-300x300.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/vipestudio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/20945202-ai-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/vipestudio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/20945202-ai-1024x1024.png 1024w, https:\/\/vipestudio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/20945202-ai-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/vipestudio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/20945202-ai-768x768.png 768w, https:\/\/vipestudio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/20945202-ai-1536x1536.png 1536w, https:\/\/vipestudio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/20945202-ai-2048x2048.png 2048w, https:\/\/vipestudio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/20945202-ai-410x410.png 410w, https:\/\/vipestudio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/20945202-ai-381x381.png 381w, https:\/\/vipestudio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/20945202-ai-174x174.png 174w, https:\/\/vipestudio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/20945202-ai-75x75.png 75w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: left;\">In the Microservices vs APIs Match, Let\u2019s Get Familiar With the Essence First<\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Our Enterprise WordPress Agency for Development is a fan of structured learning! Before we dive into the major differences between microservices and APIs, we\u2019d like to begin right from the start. Let\u2019s investigate what exactly microservices and APIs are so that anyone can get a better understanding of their functionalities.<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: left;\">So What Is a Microservice? Let\u2019s Cover the Basics<\/h3>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-30628 \" src=\"https:\/\/vipestudio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/35227-ai-1.png\" alt=\"services in microservices\" width=\"433\" height=\"346\" srcset=\"https:\/\/vipestudio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/35227-ai-1.png 1000w, https:\/\/vipestudio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/35227-ai-1-300x240.png 300w, https:\/\/vipestudio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/35227-ai-1-768x614.png 768w, https:\/\/vipestudio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/35227-ai-1-513x410.png 513w, https:\/\/vipestudio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/35227-ai-1-476x381.png 476w, https:\/\/vipestudio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/35227-ai-1-218x174.png 218w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 433px) 100vw, 433px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Let\u2019s say a developer wants to create an application.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Back in the day, when we mainly used desktop computers only, applications were meant for running on these types of devices. Applications, in general, were simpler with fewer functionalities and less traffic in terms of customers\u2019 requests.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Thus, developers back then were preferably using the <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.techtarget.com\/whatis\/definition\/monolithic-architecture\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">monolith architecture<\/a> \u2013 a piece of software that was built in unity and was independent of any other applications or software<\/strong>. This traditional architectural approach dealt with creating one single code whose goal was to run all the commands based on the application.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Of course, there were numerous advantages when it came to the monolith architecture: it was easier to use in the very early stages of deployment, there was only one executable directory and developers found it easier to come across an issue of any sort since everything was monitored and deployed at once, to name a few.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">But with time, as web development was rapidly improving, certain changes had to be made due to the monolith\u2019s disadvantages: slower development in the late deployment stages, lack of scalability when it comes to individual components of the monolith, a single issue affecting the entire ecosystem, and lack of flexibility since the integration of new technologies were limited to the technologies already used in the monolith.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">These days we are using more complex applications distributed on multiple devices. Also, there is a greater number of client requests while using a single application \u2013 for example, we have booking options, placing orders, payment options, as well as different payment methods, etc.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">You get the picture. <a href=\"https:\/\/vipestudio.com\/en\/wp-development\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Our WordPress development agency<\/a> clearly understands the need of taking a step further when it came to monolith architecture \u2013 the development community needed a new distribution model that enables an easier and more flexible deployment approach to a big and complex application.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">And that\u2019s how the microservices model was made! In a nutshell, a <strong>microservice is an architectural approach that breaks down an application into smaller services, and every one of each can be independently deployed, integrated, and maintained<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Of course, WordPress developers (as well as all developers, that is) can easily see how this new architectural model can boost efficiency and usage when we work on a single application. As a matter of fact, if you want to jump straight into the topic of Microservices and WordPress collaborations, we strongly advise you to check out our article on the subject right here.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Microservices offer some great advantages, as opposed to the monolith approach. They allow developers to:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Build applications step-by-step, as well as improve, deploy, or debug a single service without affecting the entire microservice ecosystem.<\/li>\n<li>The developers can use the exact tools they desire since a microservice is not as rigid as the monolith.<\/li>\n<li>Services can be autonomously deployed at any given time without the need for pull requests that sometimes could take weeks, etc.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>This is essential when we are dealing with huge applications or software that hosts multiple client requests while being distributed on various types of devices. Microservices save time, allow developers to upgrade and debug a single service every other day if needed, enable embracing new technologies and are characterized by autonomy at the production level.<\/p>\n<p>With this being said, our WordPress development agency is certainly not stating that the monolith approach has nothing to offer \u2013 by no means! Surely, monolith architecture has its advantages, but it fails to deliver two crucial aspects of today\u2019s web development world \u2013 <strong>scalability and flexibility<\/strong>. This alone explains pretty well why the microservices approach is continuously growing in power and is transforming into the most preferred method of application deployment.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">All right, so far so good \u2013 after we\u2019ve covered the basics in terms of microservices, let\u2019s now focus our attention on the other aspect of today\u2019s article. The API.<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: left;\">What Is an API and How It Correlates to the Microservice Architecture<\/h3>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-30630 \" src=\"https:\/\/vipestudio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/7015994-ai-1024x788.png\" alt=\"what is an api\" width=\"442\" height=\"340\" srcset=\"https:\/\/vipestudio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/7015994-ai-1024x788.png 1024w, https:\/\/vipestudio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/7015994-ai-300x231.png 300w, https:\/\/vipestudio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/7015994-ai-768x591.png 768w, https:\/\/vipestudio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/7015994-ai-533x410.png 533w, https:\/\/vipestudio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/7015994-ai-495x381.png 495w, https:\/\/vipestudio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/7015994-ai-226x174.png 226w, https:\/\/vipestudio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/7015994-ai.png 1300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 442px) 100vw, 442px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/vipestudio.com\/en\/wordpress-solutions\/api-integration-for-wordpress\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">API<\/a> stands for Application Programming Interface. It is an integrated part of a web application (or software) and <strong>its main goal is to communicate with other applications<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">In today\u2019s web development climate APIs mainly serve as a bridge in B2B services. Our WordPress development agency is more than eager to show you what exactly this means with the help of a simple example.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Let\u2019s say a potential customer enters an <a href=\"https:\/\/vipestudio.com\/en\/woocommerce-development\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">online store<\/a>. After minutes (or even hours) of browsing and virtual shopping, they at last land their decision on a certain item. So far so good.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Now, it\u2019s time for the customer to actually purchase the item. After they\u2019ve added it to the shopping cart, they need to choose their preferred method of payment. The majority of online stores today offer payments via debit or credit cards. So let\u2019s say the customer chooses this exact method.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">By adding their card info, what happens is that the online store communicates directly with the customer\u2019s bank, obtaining the information needed. On the other hand, the bank also communicates with the store, and after that, it sends a notification to the customer who needs to verify the transaction.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Another great example is the very act of the customer placing their order. While doing so, the online store\u2019s API gathers the data from their action, sends it to the store\u2019s server, and then returns a response back to the customer (whether the order was successful or not).<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">This amazing request route goes slightly unnoticed since it all happens so quickly. Before we know it, we\u2019ve already paid for the desired item in less than a minute.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">APIs can also be used when a website owner wants to better understand visitor behavior on the platform. The API can follow the visitor\u2019s journey throughout the pages and determine where they stumble upon difficulties or obstacles of some sort. This great knowledge can showcase to the website developer which parts need improvement.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Our Enterprise WordPress Agency for Development is mesmerized by the effectiveness of API usage as much as you are \u2013 the online store\u2019s and the bank\u2019s software communicate directly with the API (which connects them), exchanging all the needed information, transaction amount, client request, authorization process, and payment finalization. The customer doesn\u2019t even have to leave the online store\u2019s page in order to visit the bank\u2019s website.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-30632 \" src=\"https:\/\/vipestudio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/2094_api_gateway-ai-2-1024x819.png\" alt=\"API communication\" width=\"471\" height=\"377\" srcset=\"https:\/\/vipestudio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/2094_api_gateway-ai-2-1024x819.png 1024w, https:\/\/vipestudio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/2094_api_gateway-ai-2-300x240.png 300w, https:\/\/vipestudio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/2094_api_gateway-ai-2-768x614.png 768w, https:\/\/vipestudio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/2094_api_gateway-ai-2-1536x1229.png 1536w, https:\/\/vipestudio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/2094_api_gateway-ai-2-2048x1638.png 2048w, https:\/\/vipestudio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/2094_api_gateway-ai-2-513x410.png 513w, https:\/\/vipestudio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/2094_api_gateway-ai-2-476x381.png 476w, https:\/\/vipestudio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/2094_api_gateway-ai-2-218x174.png 218w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 471px) 100vw, 471px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">But perhaps you\u2019ve heard about some other API-related terms. Let\u2019s dive into a very quick review:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"text-align: left;\"><strong>REST API<\/strong> \u2013 since the API is part of conceptual development, pretty much any developer (WordPress developers too!) can create their own API, based on the needs of an application in question. Of course, the majority of developers can use frameworks such as Representational State Transfer. APIs created using this framework are the most common and can be integrated to cooperate with multiple applications.<\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: left;\"><strong>External API<\/strong> \u2013 web APIs communicate with web servers and they can be used by pretty much everyone, even developers working on third-party applications.<\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: left;\"><strong>Internal API<\/strong> \u2013 internal APIs, on the other hand, are used for communication with a particular application, so they usually are restricted from open usage. Only authorized developers have full access. As a matter of fact, it\u2019s the internal APIs we\u2019d mainly focus our attention on in the next point.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Now that we\u2019ve covered the essentials when it comes to microservices vs APIs, it\u2019s about time we address the main matter in today\u2019s article: What things in common do microservices and APIs have?<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: left;\">Microservices vs. APIs: The Best Partners in Crime?<\/h2>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-30635 \" src=\"https:\/\/vipestudio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/19362653-ai-1-1024x683.png\" alt=\"microservices vs. apis\" width=\"463\" height=\"309\" srcset=\"https:\/\/vipestudio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/19362653-ai-1-1024x683.png 1024w, https:\/\/vipestudio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/19362653-ai-1-300x200.png 300w, https:\/\/vipestudio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/19362653-ai-1-768x512.png 768w, https:\/\/vipestudio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/19362653-ai-1-615x410.png 615w, https:\/\/vipestudio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/19362653-ai-1-572x381.png 572w, https:\/\/vipestudio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/19362653-ai-1-261x174.png 261w, https:\/\/vipestudio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/19362653-ai-1.png 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 463px) 100vw, 463px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">At the beginning of the article, our WordPress development agency mentioned that more often than not, microservices and APIs are used interchangeably by people who are not familiar with the entire concept. Now we hope we\u2019ve managed to unravel this myth \u2013 <strong>while microservices and APIs are indeed frequently used together, they do not represent the same thing.<\/strong> This doesn\u2019t mean, however, that they do not share plenty of similarities.<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: left;\">Let\u2019s Take a Glimpse at The Traits: Microservices vs APIs<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"text-align: left;\">Both microservices and APIs shape today\u2019s web development in terms of usage, scalability and flexibility<\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: left;\">They both improve an application\u2019s security since an issue with a single service won\u2019t lead to the whole microservice collapse<\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: left;\">They help with the reduction of obstacles, problems and web-related issues<\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: left;\">They accelerate development and deployment<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: left;\">And Now \u2013 Off to the Differences<\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">We already know that a microservice is often divided into several services so that developers can work independently on a single service without affecting the entire microservice ecosystem. But within the microservice, how can we assure services communicate with each other correctly? Yes, you got it: by using APIs.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">So imagine an application using an external API to communicate with another application. In terms of microservices, <strong>the services within the microservice use an internal API to communicate with each other.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">A quick disclaimer, though: microservices are not alike, meaning that a certain internal API integration can vastly differ from another internal API integration used for another microservice. For instance, one of the most popular internal API integration methods uses one public service which communicates with the developer (they deploy, maintain, debug, etc.), having all other services privately communicate with each other only using their own APIs. There could be many different API utilization when it comes to microservices.<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: left;\">Microservices vs APIs? There&#8217;s Literally No Place for Rivalry<\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">By far you are probably astonished by just how mesmerizing the web development world could be! Buckle up, that\u2019s only the beginning!<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Microservices and APIs indeed work together wonderfully \u2013 can you imagine what the future of the web would be if we couldn\u2019t strongly rely on these two?<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Our Enterprise WordPress Agency for Development is quick to share the great news \u2013 <strong>the microservices and their close connection to internal APIs won\u2019t be leaving the building any time soon<\/strong>. In fact, major companies and enterprises have already taken this web development approach!<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Certainly, the majority of giant enterprises have established a more complex application distribution and deployment, but the inner principle stays the same: We have an application, using the microservice architectural method, with the software being broken into services that communicate successfully with each other thanks to internal APIs.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">So if you\u2019re an aspiring developer who wants to be fully aware of what\u2019s new and hot in the web dev world, we strongly suggest you focus your attention on microservices. It\u2019s truly a revelation in the web world, further improving the overall collaboration between software, applications and developers.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">With that being said, our WordPress development agency can only congratulate everyone on the newly acquired knowledge and wish them fruitful and successful experiences using microservices and APIs. Till next time!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In this day and age, it\u2019s like we are constantly [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":30877,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[113],"tags":[307,2380,2381,2447,2382],"class_list":["post-30621","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-website-wordpress-development","tag-api","tag-microservices","tag-microservices-architecture","tag-microservices-vs-api","tag-wordpress-microservices"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vipestudio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30621","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vipestudio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vipestudio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vipestudio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vipestudio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30621"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/vipestudio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30621\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":30647,"href":"https:\/\/vipestudio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30621\/revisions\/30647"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vipestudio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/30877"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vipestudio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30621"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vipestudio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30621"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vipestudio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30621"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}