AFRIKAI Service Registry

January 24, 2025 View on GitHub Live Demo

Project Overview

This project uses OpenAPI to document the Service Registry endpoints. The documentation is rendered using Swagger UI, allowing users to view and test the API interactively.

Below is a screenshot of the Swagger UI:

Swagger UI Rendering

To view the documentation in your browser, follow these steps:

Ensure the service is running.
Open Swagger UI at http://localhost:<port>/swagger-ui.html.
Test the endpoints directly using the "Try it out" feature.

For more details, refer to the OpenAPI Specification.

Overview

The Service Registry is a crucial component in our microservices architecture, powered by Netflix Eureka Server. It acts as a central directory that maintains a dynamic registry of all microservices in the ecosystem. This enables automatic service discovery, registration, and load balancing, eliminating the need for hardcoded service locations and allowing for dynamic scaling of the application landscape.

Features

Dynamic Service Registration: Automatic registration of new service instances
Service Discovery: Enables services to locate and communicate with each other without hardcoded URLs
Health Monitoring: Built-in health checks for registered services
Fault Tolerance: Automatic handling of service failures and rebalancing
Dashboard UI: Web-based interface for monitoring service registry status
Self-Preservation: Protection against network partitions and mass service de-registration
REST API: RESTful endpoints for service registry operations

Technical Specifications

Java Version: 17
Framework: Spring Boot
Discovery Server: Netflix Eureka Server
Communication: HTTP/REST
Default Port: 8761
Registry Protocol: Netflix Eureka Client-Server protocol

Application Flow

Service Registration:
- Services start up with Eureka Client configuration
- Automatically register themselves with the Eureka Server
- Provide metadata including host, port, and health indicators
Service Discovery:
- Client services query the registry to discover other services
- Registry provides up-to-date service locations
- Load balancing handled through client-side routing
Health Monitoring:
- Regular heartbeat checks between services and registry
- Automatic removal of unhealthy instances
- Self-preservation mode during network issues

Setup Instructions

Prerequisites

Java 17 or higher
Maven 3.6+ or Gradle
Spring Boot 3.x

Configuration Steps

Add the following dependencies to your pom.xml:

<dependency>
    <groupId>org.springframework.cloud</groupId>
    <artifactId>spring-cloud-starter-netflix-eureka-server</artifactId>
</dependency>

Configure application.properties:

spring.application.name=eureka-server
server.port=8761
eureka.client.fetch-registry=false
eureka.client.register-with-eureka=false

Add @EnableEurekaServer annotation to your main application class:

@SpringBootApplication
@EnableEurekaServer
public class ServiceRegistryApplication {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        SpringApplication.run(ServiceRegistryApplication.class, args);
    }
}

Run the application using:

mvn spring-boot:run

Accessing the Dashboard

Once running, access the Eureka Dashboard at:

http://localhost:8761

Benefits

Enhanced Scalability: Easily add or remove service instances without configuration changes
Improved Resilience: Automatic failover and load balancing
Simplified Management: Centralized view of all services
Reduced Complexity: No need for hardcoded service URLs
Better Maintainability: Easy monitoring and troubleshooting
Cloud Ready: Designed for cloud-native applications

Client Configuration

For services to register with Eureka Server, they need:

Eureka Client dependency:

<dependency>
    <groupId>org.springframework.cloud</groupId>
    <artifactId>spring-cloud-starter-netflix-eureka-client</artifactId>
</dependency>

Client properties:

eureka.client.serviceUrl.defaultZone=http://localhost:8761/eureka/
spring.application.name=your-service-name

Additional Notes

Ensure proper network connectivity between services and the registry
Consider running multiple registry instances for high availability
Monitor the self-preservation threshold in production environments
Regularly check the Eureka dashboard for service health
Configure appropriate timeouts for service registration/discovery
Implement circuit breakers for enhanced fault tolerance

Contributing

Please read CONTRIBUTING.md for details on our code of conduct and the process for submitting pull requests.

License

This project is licensed under the ALX Backend Curriculum