Should We Always Build Decoupled Systems? ??

With messaging services like Kafka, Pub/Sub, and RabbitMQ becoming so popular, should we always design decoupled systems where services connect through an intermediary? Should it be a rule of thumb for all architectures? ??♂?

While decoupling offers flexibility and scalability, it’s not always the best fit. Here are some basic guidelines to help you decide between coupling and decoupling:

• When Real-Time Responses are Crucial: ?? For scenarios like online reservations, bookings, or payment transactions, tightly coupled systems are often preferred. Direct communication ensures low latency and immediate feedback, which is vital for these use cases.
• When Services Need to Scale Independently: ?? Decoupled systems shine when individual components need to be scaled independently, such as in social media platforms. For instance, when a user posts content, the system can decouple the publishing from the notification process, allowing each service to handle its tasks asynchronously and at its own pace.
• When Fault Tolerance is Critical ??: Decoupled systems offer better fault tolerance. If one service goes down, others can continue working, thanks to message buffering.

In conclusion, while messaging services provide powerful capabilities, the decision to decouple or tightly couple services should be based on specific business needs, performance requirements, and operational considerations.

#systemdesign #kafka #pubsub #decoupledsystems