A Microservices Developer is a professional who specializes in designing, developing, and maintaining microservices-based applications. Microservices architecture is an approach where an application is built as a collection of loosely coupled and independently deployable services. These developers are responsible for creating scalable, resilient, and efficient microservices that enable organizations to build complex and distributed systems. In this blog post, we describe the primary responsibilities and the most in-demand hard and soft skills for Microservices Developers.

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Main Responsibilities of a Microservices Developer

The following list describes the typical responsibilities of a Microservices Developer:

Adhere to

• Adhere to standards and processes outlined for work tracking tools such as JIRA up to date.

• Adhere to system design patterns and coding standards.

Build

• Build effective relationships with internal / external stakeholders and ensures alignment.

• Build, reuse and leverage containers and other cloud-native tools.

• Build robust and scalable APIs for inter-service communication.

• Build solutions in an agile workflow.

• Build solutions that are supportable, scalable and achieve our aspiration of common assets.

Collaborate with

• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to define service boundaries and APIs.

• Collaborate with database administrators and implement appropriate data storage solutions for microservices.

• Collaborate with frontend developers to integrate microservices with user interfaces.

• Collaborate with product managers and business stakeholders to understand requirements and translate them into technical solutions.

• Collaborate with senior architects and integration engineers to identify efficient architectures.

Complete

• Complete all work as according to our "definition of done”.

• Complete applications development by coordinating requirements, schedules, and activities.

Conduct

• Conduct code reviews and provide constructive feedback to team members.

• Conduct independent analysis and assessment to resolve strategic issues.

• Conduct load testing and performance tuning of microservices to optimize resource utilization.

Coordinate with

Coordinate with offshore and global teams.

Create

• Create conceptual architecture and develop solution options.

• Create documentation and training related to technology stacks and standards within assigned team.

• Create DTO, DAO, Service, Controller, Utility packages for each packages for better code maintenance.

• Create solutions by developing, implementing, and maintaining Java based components and interfaces.

• Create technical methodologies / documents for engineering solutions.

Decompose

• Decompose monolithic applications into smaller, manageable microservices.

• Decompose business requirements and translates them into detailed design specifications and code.

Define

Define site objectives by analyzing user requirements, envisioning system features and functionality.

Design

• Design and develop back-end.

• Design and develop major VCAPS components and modules.

• Design and develop microservices-based architectures for applications.

• Design and implement product features in collaboration with IT stakeholders.

Develop

• Develop and implement technical requirements.

• Develop Microservices Code based on given architecture and design by Technical Architects.

• Develop Spring Boot Microservices based architecture services.

• Develop XML schema designs.

Diagnose

Diagnose / fix highly complex technical issues independently.

Document

Document and maintain technical documentation for microservices architecture and implementation.

Ensure

• Ensure adherence to coding standards and best practices for microservices development.

• Ensure code is well designed, testable, maintainable, scalable and supportable.

• Ensure proper security measures, such as authentication and authorization, within microservices.

• Ensure scalability, availability, and reliability of microservices in production environments.

• Ensure that documentation related to specific modules / applications is correct and up to date.

• Ensure that expected application performance levels are achieved.

• Ensure the best possible performance, quality, and responsiveness of the applications.

Evaluate

Evaluate new technologies with team members and develop proof of concepts / prototypes.

Follow

• Follow specific, outlined, and detailed procedures.

• Follow technology trends and best practices, promoting them within the team where appropriate.

Handle

Handle versioning and backward compatibility of microservices.

Help

Help identify areas for sharing of work with other team members.

Identify

• Identify and communicate cross-team dependencies.

• Identify bottlenecks and bugs, and devise solutions to these problems.

• Identify emerging issues and trends to inform decision-making.

Implement

• Implement and integrate microservices using programming languages such as Java, Python, or Node.js.

• Implement and maintain automated testing and continuous integration/continuous deployment (CI/CD) pipelines for microservices.

• Implement appropriate API error handling messages same as existing APIs.

• Implement appropriate exception handling in handling error scenarios.

• Implement caching strategies and data replication techniques to improve performance.

• Implement circuit-breaking and rate-limiting mechanisms to prevent cascading failures.

• Implement event-driven and asynchronous communication patterns between microservices.

• Implement fault tolerance, resilience, and scalability patterns in microservices.

• Implement logging using fluentd.

• Implement metrics / transaction tracking using Sleuth.

• Implement monitoring and logging solutions to track the performance and behavior of microservices.

• Implement non-blocking I / O coding.

• Implement Rest controller with spring boot project structure.

• Implement transformation with Apache Camel project structure.

Improve

Improve VCAPS technical foundation using proven architecture patterns, frameworks and libraries.

Integrate

• Integrate security into all daily efforts, including secure design and coding practices.

• Integrate third-party services and external APIs within microservices.

Interact with

Interact with tech lead to understand technology direction / changes, standards and best practices.

Lead

• Lead and implement initiatives as required to deliver business objectives.

• Lead / conducts detailed code-reviews and provides feedback in a constructive manner.

• Lead the development effort of web services, Design and develop SOAP based Web services.

Leverage

Leverage containers and other cloud-native tools.

Make

Make recommendations to improve our processes & systems.

Monitor

Monitor and optimize the performance of microservices using appropriate tools and techniques.

Participate in

Participate in architectural discussions and provide insights on microservices design and implementation.

Perform

• Perform and / or lead design, coding, testing, implementation, and documentation of solution.

• Perform a variety of tasks.

• Perform hands on coding using Java / J2EE & unit testing.

• Perform peer code inspection, reviews developed solutions, and provides relevant feedback.

• Perform peer code reviews.

Promote

Promote system reliability and operability.

Provide

• Provide career coaching and mentoring.

• Provide demos of software products to stakeholders.

• Provide end-to-end support to applications.

• Provide specialized consulting, analytical and technical support.

• Provide technical guidance and collaborate with other team members.

• Provide technical leadership and direction to team members.

Recommend

• Recommend and implement solutions based on analysis of issues and implications for the business.

• Recommend changes in development, maintenance, and system standards.

Report

Report weekly status to next level supervisor.

Resolve

Resolve technical issues through debugging, research, and investigation.

Review

• Review and challenges functional requirements.

• Review code of other team members and provide technical feedback and / or other mentoring duties.

Secure

Secure design and coding practices.

Set

Set standards while designing integrated and reusable solutions.

Stay updated with

Stay updated with emerging technologies, frameworks, and best practices in microservices development.

Support

• Support client by developing documentation and assistance tools.

• Support production issues, includes independently completing root-cause analysis and diagnosis.

• Support the build and deployment pipeline, both diagnose and solve production support issues.

• Support the management of specific project deliverables & outcomes.

• Support the resolution of production issues and problems.

Test

Test and debug microservices to ensure their functionality and performance.

Troubleshoot

Troubleshoot and resolve issues or bugs within microservices.

Update

Update job knowledge by researching new internet / intranet technologies and software products.

Work with

• Work closely with DevOps teams to deploy and manage microservices in cloud or containerized environments.

• Work is closely managed and reviewed regularly.

• Work on clearly defined tasks.

• Work toward the objective of defect free software.

• Work very closely with architecture groups and drive solutions.

• Work with cross-functional teams to identify and resolve dependencies between microservices.

• Work with Product, Design, and QA to deliver web and mobile digital experiences.

• Work with Technical Analyst, Technical Architect to create Detailed Design for the applications.

• Work with the Solution Architects to understand various enterprise integrations.

Write

• Write high quality code with attention to scalability, security, and performance.

• Write JUnit Test Cases for each Micro Services for quick unit testing.

Most In-demand Hard Skills

The following list describes the most required technical skills of a Microservices Developer:

1. Proficiency in programming languages such as Java, Python, or Node.js.

2. Strong understanding of microservices architecture principles and patterns.

3. Experience with containerization technologies like Docker and orchestration tools like Kubernetes.

4. Knowledge of RESTful API design and implementation.

5. Familiarity with cloud platforms like AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud.

6. Expertise in building and consuming APIs using frameworks like Spring Boot, Express.js, or Flask.

7. Experience with message brokers and event-driven architectures (e.g., Kafka, RabbitMQ).

8. Proficiency in using databases like MySQL, PostgreSQL, or MongoDB within microservices.

9. Knowledge of caching mechanisms like Redis or Memcached.

10. Experience with CI/CD pipelines and automation tools like Jenkins or GitLab.

11. Understanding of distributed tracing and observability tools like Jaeger or Prometheus.

12. Proficiency in using version control systems like Git.

13. Familiarity with testing frameworks like JUnit, Mockito, or PyTest for microservices.

14. Knowledge of containerization and infrastructure-as-code tools like Terraform or Ansible.

15. Understanding of security best practices for microservices development (e.g., OAuth, JWT).

16. Experience with performance testing and profiling tools like JMeter or Gatling.

17. Knowledge of database scaling and replication techniques.

18. Proficiency in using API gateways and service meshes (e.g., Istio, Kong).

19. Experience with log management and monitoring tools like ELK Stack or Prometheus-Grafana.

20. Understanding of software development methodologies like Agile or DevOps.

Most In-demand Soft Skills

The following list describes the most required soft skills of a Microservices Developer:

1. Strong problem-solving and analytical thinking abilities.

2. Excellent communication and collaboration skills.

3. Adaptability and willingness to learn new technologies and frameworks.

4. Ability to work independently and as part of a team.

5. Attention to detail and commitment to delivering high-quality code.

6. Strong time management and organizational skills.

7. Creative thinking and innovative approach to problem-solving.

8. Ability to work in a fast-paced and dynamic environment.

9. Effective documentation and technical writing skills.

10. Continuous learning mindset and passion for technology.

Conclusion

Microservices Developers play a crucial role in designing and implementing scalable and distributed systems using microservices architecture. By fulfilling their main responsibilities and possessing the most in-demand hard and soft skills, these professionals enable organizations to build flexible, resilient, and efficient applications that can adapt to changing business needs and technological advancements.