What makes a good service?

Before microservices were conceptualized, whenever we thought of enterprise application integration, middleware looked like the most feasible option. Software vendors offered Enterprise Service Bus (ESB), and it was one of the best options for middleware.

Besides considering these solutions, our main priority should be inclined toward the architectural features. When microservices arrived, middleware was no longer a consideration. Rather, the focus shifted to contemplation of business problems and how to tackle those problems with the help of the architecture.

In order to make a service that can be used and maintained easily by developers and users, the service must have the following features (we can also consider these as characteristics of good services):

• Standard data formats: Good services should follow standardized data formats while exchanging services or systems with other components. The most popular data formats used in the .NET stack are XML and JSON.
• Standard communication protocol: Good services should obey standard communication formats, such as SOAP and REST.
• Loose coupling: One of the most important characteristics of a good service is that it follows loose coupling. When services are loosely coupled, we don't have to worry about changes. Changes in one service will not impact other services.