Side-by-Side Pattern

1. Introduction

The Side-by-Side Pattern is an architectural pattern that facilitates the coexistence of multiple components or systems working in parallel. This pattern is particularly useful in scenarios where different versions of a service or application need to be run concurrently, such as in microservices architecture, A/B testing, or gradual feature rollouts.

2. Key Concepts

3. Implementation

Implementing the Side-by-Side Pattern involves several steps:

1. Identify Components: Determine which components or services need to coexist.
2. Versioning Strategy: Develop a versioning strategy to manage different implementations.
3. Routing Logic: Implement routing logic to direct traffic to the appropriate version based on user segmentation or feature flags.
4. Monitoring: Set up monitoring to gather data on performance and user interactions.
5. Feedback Loop: Use the data collected to refine and optimize components.

Code Example: Routing Logic

function routeRequest(user) {
    if (user.hasFeatureFlag('newFeature')) {
        return serveNewVersion();
    } else {
        return serveOldVersion();
    }
}
        

4. Best Practices

• Ensure proper version control to manage coexistence smoothly.
• Implement robust monitoring to track the performance of each version.
• Utilize feature flags to toggle between versions easily.
• Communicate changes clearly to users to avoid confusion.

5. FAQ