Building scalable microservices applications with Docker and Django

As the number of users of an online service grows, the volume of incoming requests increases accordingly. While a growing user base benefit service providers, it can also cause slower response times and, in some instances, load to system faults. To address these challenges, high-tech companies adopt microservices architecture - a popular software design for building modular, scalable, and reliable applications. Each microservice operates independently, with its own functionality and database. Recognizing the potential of microservices, I developed a simple containerized Microservice Template to demonstrate its principles in action.

Why Microservices?

Unlike monolithic architecture, where all features are exist within a single codebase, microservices architecture organizes each feature as an independent service. This approach enhances the system's resilience to faults. Key benefits include:

• Independent development and deployment: Teams can work on services without impacting others

• Flexibility in technology stack choice: Each service can be developed using the most suitable programming language and technology stack

• Fault isolation: The failure of one service does not compromise the functionality of the whole system

Features of Microservices Template

1. Pre-built services

The template includes two primary services: the main service and the authentication service. Both are containerized and can be launched using a single command. An API Gateway, implemented using NGINX, routes incoming requests to the appropriate service.

1.1 Authentication service

Authentication service handles user authentication and authorization. You can implement features like JSON Web-Token (JWT) authentication, role-based access control (RBAS), and profile management.

Endpoints:

• /accounts/v1/login/ - Obtain a JWT

• /accounts/v1/register/ - To register a new user

• /accounts/v1/logout - Invalidates the JWT token

1.2 Main service

This the core of your application, designed to implement business logic, CRUD operations, and custom features.
Endpoints:

• /main/v1/posts - Manage posts with full CRUD capabilities.

1.3 API Gateway

Acts as the central access point, routing requests to appropriate services, managing authentication, and providing load balancing.

2. Dockerized infrastructure

I used Docker to eliminate the common developer issue of “It works on my machine” and to enable developers to launch the application using a single command. I utilized Docker Compose to orchestrate all containers, including the necessary database services. I chose PostgreSQL as a database, but you can use a database of your choice.

How to use the template?

You can access GitHub repository using the following link:

https://github.com/dev-yusupov/django-docker-microservice-template

I wrote documentation and technical requirements before building the template. You can find in docs folder.

First you need to clone the template from repository and build the docker. Here are the commands:

1. Clone repository and build the docker container

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/dev-yusupov/django-docker-microservice-template.git

# Build and run the Docker containers
docker-compose up --build

You can map service endpoints by modifying the NGINX configuration file.

# Below is an example NGINX configuration for routing requests to the appropriate services.
server {
    listen 8000;

    # Route for the main service
    location /main/v1/ {
        proxy_pass http://main:9000/;
        proxy_set_header Host $host;
        proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Proto $scheme;
    }

    # Route for the authentication service
    location /accounts/v1/ {
        proxy_pass http://authentication:7000/;
        proxy_set_header Host $host;
        proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Proto $scheme;
    }
}

Whether you're building a portfolio project or a production-ready application, this Dockerized template provides a solid foundation for developing microservices-based applications. With features like an API Gateway, authentication service, and containerized infrastructure, it simplifies the development process and promotes scalability.

Explore the codebase, customize it to suit your needs, and experiment with adding new features. If you have questions or suggestions, feel free to reach out—I look forward to hearing your feedback!