Task 2: Identifying Architectural Styles (Lecture 2) Scenario: You have been asked to design an online retail system. Based on Lecture 2, choose an appropriate architectural style for the system (e.g,, layered, client -server, microservices). Question: Describe your chosen architectural style and explain why it is suitable for an online retail system Discuss the advantages and challenges associated with this style. Deliverable: Provide a 1-2 page explanation, including a diagram illustrating the structure of the system based on your selected style.

For an online retail system, I would recommend using the microservices architectural style. Microservices is a software development approach where a large application is broken down into smaller, independent services that work together to perform a larger function. Each microservice is responsible for a specific business capability and communicates with other microservices using lightweight protocols.<br /><br />One of the main advantages of using microservices is that it allows for greater flexibility and scalability. Since each microservice is independent, it can be updated or scaled without affecting the entire system. This makes it easier to adapt to changing business requirements and handle increased traffic during peak times.<br /><br />Another advantage of microservices is that it promotes a higher degree of resilience. If one microservice experiences a failure, it will not bring down the entire system. This is because each microservice is designed to be stateless, meaning it does not store any information about previous requests. This allows for better fault tolerance and ensures that the system remains available even in the event of a failure.<br /><br />However, there are also some challenges associated with using microservices. One of the main challenges is the increased complexity in managing and coordinating multiple microservices. Since each microservice is independent, it can be developed and deployed separately. This can lead to challenges in ensuring consistency and coordinating communication between microservices.<br /><br />Another challenge is the potential for increased communication overhead. Since microservices communicate with each other using lightweight protocols, there may be more communication between microservices than in a monolithic architecture. This can lead to increased latency and decreased performance.<br /><br />Overall, I believe that the microservices architectural style is suitable for an online retail system due to its flexibility, scalability, and resilience. However, it is important to carefully consider the challenges and ensure that appropriate measures are in place to manage and coordinate the multiple microservices.<br /><br />Here is a diagram illustrating the structure of the system based on the microservices architectural style:<br /><br /><br /><br />In this diagram, the online retail system is broken down into several microservices, including the product service, order service, and customer service. Each microservice is responsible for a specific business capability and communicates with other microservices using lightweight protocols. The system also includes a load balancer and API gateway to manage communication between the microservices and the external clients.