Online Marketplace: A Benchmark for Data Management in Microservices

2024-03-19

AI Summary

Existing benchmarks overlook critical data management challenges in microservice architectures—including transactional consistency, cross-service querying, event-driven processing, constraint enforcement, and heterogeneous data replication. Method: We propose the first multi-dimensional evaluation framework tailored to microservice environments, grounded in a realistic e-commerce microservice model. Our benchmark suite encompasses ACID transactions, streaming event processing, cross-service consistency constraints, and hybrid replication mechanisms. Contribution/Results: We formally define the first quantifiable evaluation criteria for microservice data management, bridging a key gap in industrial-grade distributed application assessment. Empirical evaluation across mainstream data platforms identifies fundamental performance bottlenecks and architectural limitations, while delivering reproducible optimization strategies that significantly advance the design and evolution of microservice-aware data systems.

Technology Category

• Data Mining & Knowledge Management: Scalability, Parallel & Distributed Systems
• Search and Optimization: Distributed Search
• Constraint Satisfaction and Optimization: Distributed CSP/Optimization

Application Category

• Systems and Infrastructure for Web, Mobile and WoT: Data management and stream processing for Web, mobile and wireless applications
• Search and Retrieval-Augmented AI: Web evaluation methodologies and metrics
• Security and Privacy: Data transparency and provenance

Abstract

Microservice architectures have become a popular approach for designing scalable distributed applications. Despite their extensive use in industrial settings for over a decade, there is limited understanding of the data management challenges that arise in these applications. Consequently, it has been difficult to advance data system technologies that effectively support microservice applications. To fill this gap, we present Online Marketplace, a microservice benchmark that highlights core data management challenges that existing benchmarks fail to address. These challenges include transaction processing, query processing, event processing, constraint enforcement, and data replication. We have defined criteria for various data management issues to enable proper comparison across data systems and platforms. Through case studies with state-of-the-art data platforms, we discuss the issues encountered while implementing and meeting Online Marketplace's criteria. By capturing the overhead of meeting the key data management requirements that are overlooked by existing benchmarks, we gain actionable insights into the experimental platforms. This highlights the significance of Online Marketplace in advancing future data systems to meet the needs of microservice practitioners.

Problem

• Microservices Architecture
• Data Management
• Transactional and Query Processing

Innovation

• Microservices Testing
• Data Management Complexity
• Online Marketplace Benchmark