Explore

MicroServices applications in Python

(Main Lab workbook)

LINKED Worksheets:

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https://coda.io/@peter-sigurdson/python-django⁠

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Learning Outcomes:

The basics of Python programming including OO

Designing, developing, and deploying microservices. Being able to articulate the comparisons and contrasts of SOA with Code Oriented MONOLITHIC MVC

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Continuing our venture to use Flask to front-end a Python application

Understanding Microservices and SOA

First, it's crucial to clarify the distinction between Microservices and Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA).

While both architectural design patterns aim to break down applications into services, SOA has an enterprise scope, focusing on integrating various services to support business processes.

In contrast, microservices architecture has an application scope, emphasizing building small, independent services that perform specific tasks and communicate through lightweight APIs or message brokers

3⁠

. These are what ENDPOINTS are which we tested with POSTMAN.

This foundational knowledge will help students understand the context and application of microservices in real-world scenarios.

Core Topics:

1. Introduction to Microservices

Definition and Principles: Start with the basics of what microservices are, their characteristics, and how they differ from monolithic architectures

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Benefits and Challenges: Discuss the flexibility, scalability, and modularity of microservices, alongside the challenges such as monitoring and cost

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2. Python for Microservices

Python Frameworks: Introduce Flask for creating microservices

Using Django for more complex applications

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Development Tools: Learning essential tools like Docker for containerization, which is crucial for deploying microservices

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3. Designing a Microservice in Python

Service Design: How to design a microservice. Think about microservices as the business requirements container for your PRODUCT. The focus of your product is to fulfil the needs of its users: Needs are articulated as the product’s

Responsibilities Data management Communication with other services

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API Development: The delivery of an SOA application is a set of of RESTful APIs with Flask, which will serve as the communication interface for the microservices

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4. Deployment and Scaling

Containerization with Docker: In the course project, you will use Docker to containerize microservices for deployment

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Scaling Microservices: Discuss strategies for scaling microservices, including the use of orchestration tools like Kubernetes (not directly mentioned in the sources but relevant for microservices deployment and scaling).

5. Practical Project

Term Project: Encourage students to apply what they've learned by developing a small microservices-based application. This could involve building a simple e-commerce application with separate services for product catalog, orders, and payment processing, as suggested

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Teaching microservices applications in Python requires a balance between theoretical knowledge and practical application.

By covering the core topics outlined above and employing effective teaching strategies, you can equip your students with the skills and understanding they need to design, develop, and deploy microservices applications using Python.

The benefits of using microservices in Python, as highlighted by the sources, include:

1. **Scalability**: Microservices architecture allows individual services to be scaled independently, which leads to more efficient resource allocation and management. This is particularly beneficial in Python, where the dynamic nature of the language can be leveraged to quickly adapt and scale services as needed[3].

2. **Object-Oriented Programming (OOP)**: Python's foundation in object-oriented programming enables developers to treat elements as objects and organize them into reusable entities. This facilitates the quick writing of application code, plugging in boilerplate functions, and testing programs before converting them to script. The OOP paradigm is well-suited for microservices architecture, where services are often designed as independent, modular entities[2].

3. **Built-in Features for Application Prototyping**: Python offers a wide array of built-in features that help isolate key application processes and integrate dynamic elements. These features are particularly useful for microservices development, where the ability to prototype and test services rapidly is crucial[2].

4. **Support for REST and Other Protocols**: Any language used for creating microservices should support REST, which primarily relies on HTTP requests to post, read, and delete data. Python not only supports REST but also other protocols essential for microservices communication, such as Remote Procedure Call (RPC), gRPC, and GraphQL. This makes Python a versatile choice for developing microservices that require diverse communication methods[2].

5. **Container Support**: Python provides strong support for containers, including built-in container data types (lists, tuples, sets) and those available through the standard library. This support is crucial for packaging dependencies and running microservices in isolated environments for testing, ensuring that services can be deployed, scaled, and managed effectively[2].

6. **Community and Library Support**: Python's standard library is complemented by thousands of third-party libraries for writing REST services. Additionally, there is substantial support available from the Python community of users, which can be invaluable for developers working on microservices projects. This extensive ecosystem makes it easier to find solutions and implement features in microservices applications[2].

In summary, the benefits of using microservices in Python include scalability, the advantages of object-oriented programming, built-in features for rapid prototyping, comprehensive support for communication protocols, strong container support, and a rich ecosystem of libraries and community support. These factors make Python a viable and attractive option for developing microservices applications.

Citations: [1] https://ppl-ai-file-upload.s3.amazonaws.com/web/direct-files/6136/24cd5538-0f48-48c9-a4d0-0f618ec374e1/2023-2024_csd-4523.pdf [2] https://www.techtarget.com/searchapparchitecture/tip/How-viable-is-it-to-create-microservices-in-Python [3] https://10clouds.com/blog/web/microservices-with-python-laying-groundwork/ [4] https://www.techimply.com/blog/benefits-of-microservices-architecture-with-python [5] https://www.codesee.io/learning-center/microservices-with-python [6] https://www.theserverside.com/answer/What-are-some-benefits-of-a-microservices-architecture [7] https://kinsta.com/blog/python-microservices/ [8] https://stackify.com/6-key-benefits-of-microservices-architecture/ [9] https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/discover-power-python-microservices-transforming-application-shibu-kt

Designing microservices in Python involves a combination of architectural strategies, design patterns, and best practices that ensure the development of scalable, maintainable, and efficient applications. Based on the provided sources, here are some key best practices for designing microservices in Python:

### 1. Define Clear Service Boundaries

- **Service Autonomy**: Each microservice should have a clearly defined scope and responsibility. This involves identifying and implementing distinct functionalities that can operate independently, ensuring that services are loosely coupled and have minimal dependencies on each other[5].

### 2. Use Appropriate Communication Protocols

- **API Gateway**: Utilize an API Gateway as the entry point for external communications with your microservices. This helps in managing requests to the appropriate services, aggregating responses, and simplifying the client interface[4]. - **Direct vs. Gateway Communication**: For internal service-to-service communication, evaluate whether to communicate directly or through the API Gateway. Direct communication can be more efficient but requires proper service discovery mechanisms[4].

### 3. Implement Asynchronous Communication

- **Asynchronous Requests**: When services do not depend on each other's responses, use asynchronous communication to improve performance. This allows multiple services to be called in parallel, reducing overall response time[2].

### 4. Optimize Performance

- **Batch APIs**: Provide batch APIs for operations that can be processed in bulk. This reduces the number of requests and can significantly improve performance[2]. - **Caching Strategies**: Implement caching mechanisms, such as a hybrid of memcache and instance cache, to reduce latency and the load on your services. However, be mindful of the complexity this adds[2].

### 5. Ensure Loose Coupling and High Cohesion

- **Loose Coupling**: Design services to be independent, with minimal dependencies on each other. This facilitates easier updates, scaling, and maintenance of individual services[5]. - **High Cohesion**: Services should be internally cohesive, focusing on a single, well-defined task or domain[5].

### 6. Security Considerations

- **Shared Secrets for Security**: While generally not recommended, using shared secrets for communication between microservices in the same application can be considered for performance gains. Ensure that security enforcement is lightweight and efficient[2].

### 7. Utilize Design Patterns and Frameworks

- **Microservices Design Patterns**:

Familiarize yourself with various microservices design patterns and choose the ones that best fit your application's requirements. Patterns can address common challenges such as service discovery, configuration management, and load balancing[3]. - **Python Frameworks**: Leverage Python frameworks like Flask or Django, which are well-suited for developing microservices. These frameworks provide tools and libraries that simplify the development process[1].

### 8. Monitoring and Tracing

- **Trace Microservice Requests**: Use tools like Cloud Trace to monitor and analyze the performance of your microservices. Tracing helps identify bottlenecks and optimize the flow of requests between services[2].

### 9. Continuous Refinement

- **Iterative Improvement**: Scaling and optimizing microservices is an ongoing process. Stay informed about new technologies, patterns, and best practices to continually refine and improve your microservices architecture[5].

By adhering to these best practices, developers can create robust, scalable, and efficient microservices applications in Python, ensuring that they are well-prepared to handle the complexities and challenges of modern software development.

Citations: [1] https://ppl-ai-file-upload.s3.amazonaws.com/web/direct-files/6136/24cd5538-0f48-48c9-a4d0-0f618ec374e1/2023-2024_csd-4523.pdf [2] https://cloud.google.com/appengine/docs/legacy/standard/python/microservice-performance [3] https://www.knowledgehut.com/blog/programming/microservices-design-pattern [4] https://stackoverflow.com/questions/42105805/microservices-communication-design [5] https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/scaling-python-microservices-strategies-best-practices-shibu-kt [6] https://github.com/roelzkie15/python-microservices-patterns [7] https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/mastering-python-microservices-communication-unleashing-shibu-kt [8] https://www.reddit.com/r/learnpython/comments/k67bos/best_practices_for_creating_python_micro_services/ [9] https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/top-microservices-patterns/ [10] https://www.sayonetech.com/blog/microservices-communication/ [11] https://kinsta.com/blog/python-microservices/ [12] https://www.oreilly.com/library/view/microservice-patterns-and/9781788474030/869793e0-daee-42cf-a9e8-88a70e9338fe.xhtml [13] https://www.searchmyexpert.com/resources/python-development/microservices-python [14] https://www.tutorialspoint.com/microservices_design_patterns/microservices_design_patterns_quick_guide.htm [15] https://www.codemotion.com/magazine/microservices/microservices-python/ [16] https://www.edureka.co/blog/microservices-design-patterns [17] https://www.ml4devs.com/articles/python-microservices-tornado-01-asyncio-lint-test-coverage-project-setup/ [18] https://python.plainenglish.io/fastapi-microservice-patterns-3052c1241019?gi=bf75abcd02a9 [19] https://www.couchbase.com/blog/microservices-development-best-practices/ [20] https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/microservices-design-principle-patterns-himansh-sharma

Lesson Plan March 18:

Introduce Flask for creating microservices

Cover Django for more complex applications, (as mentioned in the course description)

To create a Django web application that takes data from HTML forms and echoes it back to the HTML page, you'll need to follow these steps:

Set up a Django project: First, install Django if you haven't already, and start a new project.

bash cmd PowerShell : (RUN as Administrator)

pip install django

django-admin startproject echoapp

cd echoapp

Create a Django app: Within your project, create a new app.

bash

python manage.py startapp formecho

Define a model: Although you're not connecting to a database yet, it's good practice to define a model for your form data.

python

Explain# formecho/models.py

from django.db import models

class FormData(models.Model):

name = models.CharField(max_length=100)

message = models.TextField()

Create a form: Define a Django form in your app.

python

Explain# formecho/forms.py

from django import forms

class EchoForm(forms.Form):

name = forms.CharField(label='Your name', max_length=100)

message = forms.CharField(widget=forms.Textarea, label='Your message')

Create a view: Define a view that handles the form display and response.

python

Explain# formecho/views.py

from django.shortcuts import render

from .forms import EchoForm

def echo_form(request):

if request.method == 'POST':

form = EchoForm(request.POST)

if form.is_valid():

return render(request, 'echo.html', {'form': form})

else:

form = EchoForm()

return render(request, 'echo.html', {'form': form})

Configure URLs: Set up the URL patterns to route to your view.

python

Explain# echoapp/urls.py

from django.contrib import admin

from django.urls import path

from formecho.views import echo_form

urlpatterns = [

path('admin/', admin.site.urls),

path('echo/', echo_form, name='echo_form'),

]

Create templates: Make a directory for templates in your app and create the HTML files.

html

Explain

<!DOCTYPE html>

<html>

<head>

</head>

<body>

{% csrf_token %}

</form>

{% if form.data.name %}

<p>Message: {{ form.data.message }}</p>

{% endif %}

</body>

</html>

Run the server: Start the Django development server.

bash

python manage.py runserver

Access the application: Open a web browser and navigate to http://127.0.0.1:8000/echo/ to see the form.

This code provides a basic Django application that demonstrates the request-response cycle using an HTML form. The user's input is echoed back on the same page after submission. As you progress with your lessons, you can extend this application to connect to a MongoDB database and store the form submissions.

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