Microservice communication basics in Express - Cheat Sheet & Quick Revision

Recall & Review

beginner

What is microservice communication?

Microservice communication is how small, independent services talk to each other to work together as one system.

beginner

Name two common ways microservices communicate.

Microservices communicate using synchronous methods like HTTP/REST and asynchronous methods like message queues.

beginner

What is synchronous communication in microservices?

Synchronous communication means one service waits for a response from another before continuing, like a phone call.

beginner

What is asynchronous communication in microservices?

Asynchronous communication means services send messages and continue working without waiting, like sending an email.

intermediate

Why use asynchronous communication in microservices?

It helps services stay fast and reliable by not waiting for others, which improves system scalability and fault tolerance.

Which communication type waits for a response before continuing?

A Broadcast

B Asynchronous

C Synchronous

D Multicast

Synchronous communication waits for a response before the sender continues.

Which protocol is commonly used for synchronous microservice communication?

A MQTT

B SMTP

C FTP

D HTTP/REST

HTTP/REST is widely used for synchronous communication between microservices.

What is a benefit of asynchronous communication?

A Faster response time

B Requires less code

C No need for network

D Always uses HTTP

Asynchronous communication allows services to continue working without waiting, improving response time.

Which tool is often used for asynchronous messaging in microservices?

A Message queue

B REST API

C SOAP

D WebSocket

Message queues help services send and receive messages asynchronously.

What happens if a synchronous call fails in microservices?

A Caller waits indefinitely

B Caller can handle error or timeout

C Message is queued automatically

D No impact on caller

In synchronous calls, the caller must handle errors or timeouts if the call fails.

Explain the difference between synchronous and asynchronous communication in microservices.

Think about waiting for responses versus sending messages and continuing.

Describe why asynchronous communication can improve microservice system scalability.

Imagine a busy restaurant kitchen where cooks don’t wait for each other.