Microservices is one of the top five software architecture patterns in use today. Microservices are individual components that perform specialized services and interact with others to form a complete application. Each can undergo independent deployment, updates and scaling without affecting the entire application. These and other benefits appeal to developers and business owners alike, dramatically increasing the demand for applications using this method.
Other architectures require developers to complete all components of a project before it can run. Any modifications affect the performance of the entire application. Using microservices eliminates these issues. Amazon, Netflix, PayPal and Uber are examples of enterprise-level companies that utilize microservices to power various operations.
“Our architects need to shift their thinking away from creating the perfect end product, and instead focus on helping create a framework in which the right systems can emerge, and continue to grow as we learn more.”
― Sam Newman, Building Microservices: Designing Fine-Grained Systems
Many types of applications use microservices, so your development team must also have additional skill sets. Finding a developer with the right combination of skill sets is often difficult within local talent pools.
Market trends, emerging technologies and niche skill sets present challenges to the ever-changing developer hiring landscape. Identifying and hiring the right microservices developer is crucial to producing a successful product, but do you know how to hire Microservices developers?
We put together this guide that provides crucial information and hiring tips to simplify your sourcing and hiring process for Microservices developer freelancers.
| Monolithic architecture intertwines components into a single code base that runs as one application. | Microservices are independent, but can communicate with each other through an API. |
| You cannot scale or change single components without affecting the entire application. | You can change, scale and add services as needed. |
| If one process fails, there is a risk that the application may fail. | If a service fails, the application degrades its functionality, rather than crashing. |
| Constructing an application or making changes to programming languages or frameworks is often expensive, complex and time-consuming. | Making changes to a single service is simpler, more straightforward, faster and usually more cost-effective. |
| Monolithic architecture does not conform to the Agile methodology. | Microservices architecture works well with the popular Agile development method. |
Hiring a Freelance Microservices Developer
You may decide to hire employees or freelancers to staff your team. Your project requirements might indicate the best hiring method, but hiring a freelancer Microservices developer is often the best choice thanks to the many benefits, which include:
- A greater likelihood of finding unique skill sets
- Increased flexibility
- Cost and time savings
- On-demand hiring
Several of the top sites on our list offer no-risk trial periods, letting you evaluate each microservices developer before committing to a hire.
What Does a Microservices Developer Do?
Formerly popular monolithic architecture tightly combines multiple software components into a single unit. This approach requires scaling every component when the demand for one process increases. Every addition makes the code base larger and more complex, limiting possibilities and increasing failure risk.
Software developers sought solutions to address these problems, and microservices were born. Microservices developers construct software projects that perform single tasks with the ability to handle multiple requests simultaneously. Each service can communicate with others via an API. Benefits of microservices include:
- Continuous integration and delivery: Enables easier updates, experimentation and decreased deployment times
- Cost savings: Faster development and the ability to utilize dynamic hosting are just two ways this method saves money
- Flexibility: Promotes easy scaling and has multiple available tools
- Resilience: Failing individual components does not make entire applications crash
- Reusable code: Developers can use previously coded services as building blocks for new features
- Team ownership: Small teams focus on a single task, empowering independence, accountability, ownership and freedom
Microservice architecture is secure and can improve user experiences.
Why hire microservices developers? They can produce individual high-quality components quickly, representing cost savings for you. These services perform independently, giving you more flexibility and opportunities.
Over time, applications change. Certain features may become wildly popular, requiring fast scaling to meet the demand. You may need to add a feature to address particular issues. The microservices architecture makes it simpler to complete various tasks without requiring an entire application overhaul.
“…A great architecture alone isn’t enough to guarantee your software will be a smashing success, but the wrong architecture almost guarantees failure. …”
— Michael Keeling, “ Design It! From Programmer to Software Architect ”
Microservices architecture is best for:
- Small components in websites or mobile applications
- Rapidly-changing websites
- Some database applications
- Projects easily separated into well-defined, independent components
Developers can use microservices with multiple programming languages, including Golang, Java, .NET, Node.js and Python. There are also many frameworks and platforms that support microservices, such as Spring Boot, AWS, Spark and Eclipse.
When you hire dedicated microservices developers, they can construct services that authenticate user identification, generate alerts, perform data searches and logging, support user interfaces and many other specific tasks.
Hiring a microservices development team takes thorough planning and utilizing the right sources. When searching for microservices developers for hire, you must also consider the other skill sets needed for the specific application. Use this resource to learn more about other skills.
How to Hire Microservices Developers
Your hiring process begins by creating a business plan or feasibility study for your project. Clearly define and document your:
- Budget and return on investment
- Goals, nature, scope and duration
- Projected timeframe
- Necessary and desired skill sets
- Job description and expectations
You must also determine your sourcing and hiring methods and the number of team members you will need. Options include:
- Part-time or full-time
- Employees or freelancers
- Contract-to-hire
- On-site, remote or hybrid
Many technologies enable online collaborations with team members from around the corner and all over the globe. Remote and freelance microservices developers can provide value to your team and projects without compromising quality.
During your search, you will see developers at many skill levels. Generally speaking, the higher the skill level, the more years of experience that person has. Senior-level developers may have management experience and expertise in particular areas. However, these professionals usually cost more to hire.
How do you choose which skill level(s) you should look for? Your project’s specific requirements and your budget may be determining factors.
Achieving seniority does not necessarily mean that the developer is better than others. Entry-, junior- and mid-level developers may produce work of comparable quality. Regardless of skill level, you should vet each developer to ensure that their stated qualifications are accurate. Many of the 15 top sites in this guide vet developers for you, taking that responsibility off your plate.
Competency in the required technical skills is vital, but having other qualities is just as important. Look for skilled developers who:
- Understand your industry, project and goals
- Have experience with similar projects
- Have extensive knowledge about microservices and how to utilize them effectively
- Keep up with emerging trends
When you use talent-matching services like Toptal, they take these and other factors into consideration when determining the best microservices developers for you.
What Skills To Look for When Hiring a Microservices Developer?
The right candidates will have a balanced mix of technical and soft skills. Although your specific project may require other skill sets, all microservices developers need these technical skills:
- Architecture, framework and cloud knowledge
- Containers and DevOps
- Continuous integration/ continuous delivery
- Domain modeling and event sourcing
- Programming languages
- Security and unit testing
Look for developers who use this knowledge in innovative ways. Review portfolios to gauge how well a developer’s design meets owner and end-user expectations.
Microservices developers with high competency in every technical skill are not always the best candidates. Why? All team members must also possess vital soft skills, including:
- Collaboration and teamwork
- Communication (active listening, oral and written skills, including fluency in your preferred language)
- Creativity
- Emotional intelligence and level-headedness under pressure
- Flexibility and time management
- Problem-solving and critical thinking
- Self-motivation
You should also keep in mind that team members have unique, individual personalities that must blend without creating problems to ensure smooth project development. If you hire employees, you typically have no recourse if you discover that a developer does not fit with the rest of your team. However, some freelance hiring sites give you trial periods to evaluate each hire.
Each candidate on your shortlist probably has similar technical qualifications, making soft skills a determining factor in your hiring decisions. To maintain inclusion, diversity and fairness, you should create a consistent scoring model and list of interview questions to compare microservices developer skills.
How Much Does It Cost To Hire a Microservices Developer?
In the U.S., microservices developers earn an average of $105,047 yearly, or $51 per hour. Annual salaries range from $41,500 to $159,500, depending on project complexity, location, skill levels and years of experience.
Tips for Writing a Microservices Developer Job Description
Not only does a microservices developer job description advertise your open position, but it should also convince job seekers to apply. Highlight your company’s projects, culture and achievements, and provide relevant information:
- Role qualifications and responsibilities
- Project description, goals and timeframe
- Hiring structure (employee or freelance)
Decide if, when and how you will test candidates’ technical skills. Some sourcing sites allow you to include testing as part of the application process, while others offer only pre-vetted candidates. Be sure to require the same tests for each candidate for accurate comparisons.
Common Interview Questions To Ask When You Are Looking To Hire a Microservices Developer
Although you will want to ask questions about a developer’s technical skills, interviews allow you to evaluate soft skills. Design questions to provoke responses that give you insights into a candidate’s personality, communication skills, knowledge and motivation.
Judging soft skills accurately is sometimes challenging. Posing vague, open-ended situational questions is a good method because you can:
- Assess attention to detail through the clarifications the candidate seeks
- Evaluate problem-solving and communication skills
- Gauge approach to work situations
Again, asking each candidate the same question is vital. Another question with telling answers is, “Why should I choose you for this role?” You can appraise attitude, confidence, teamwork mentality and self-worth.
Common role-based interview questions include:
- How would you describe microservices? Ascertain specific knowledge and communication skills.
- What testing methods do you recommend, and why? Ensure an in-depth understanding of microservices and testing methods; assess decision-making and confidence.
- Which framework will work best for my project? Evaluate expertise and project-based knowledge.
The questions themselves are not as important as the insights you obtain by asking them. Compose questions with specific goals in mind.
How To Find Freelance Microservices Developers for Hire
Recruitment agencies, professional networking, job boards and freelance marketplaces are viable sourcing options when you have microservices developer positions to fill. How do you decide which option to choose? Consider:
- Available skill sets and levels
- Hiring methods and speeds
- Pricing
- Screening and vetting standards
- Services offered
When you are comparing sites to hire microservices developers, also assess the amount of effort each option requires of you.
Strategic hiring is crucial when you need a top-notch team of microservices developers. Create and implement your strategy using the invaluable resources in this hiring guide.
Hiring Microservices Developers - FAQs
- Are Microservices Developers in Demand?
The projected compound annual growth rate for the cloud microservices market between 2023 and 2030 is 21.6%, growing from $1.54 billion to $6.04 billion. Software developers, as a whole, expect a 25% job outlook increase by 2032. Combined, this data suggests that the demand for microservices developers should continue to increase.
- Where Can I Hire Microservices Developers?
- Toptal, Reintech, Arc.dev, Hired and Gun.io offer multiple sourcing and hiring options. Compare the benefits of these and the other top sites in this hiring guide, then make your selection.
- How Much Does It Cost To Hire a Microservices Developer?
Pricing structures vary and include project-based or hourly costs and purchasing pre-set service packages. Many factors affect the amount you will pay:
- Location
- Project urgency and complexity
- Skill sets and levels
- Years of experience
If you hire employees, you will have wages and additional costs, including benefits, payroll taxes and overhead expenses.
- How Can You Hire Microservices Developers?
There are several steps to creating a successful hiring strategy:
- Determine project parameters.
- Choose your hiring structure (employee or freelancer).
- Craft a detailed, enticing job description.
- Decide which sourcing options you will use.
- Begin searching for candidates, and compose a shortlist of top microservices developers.
- Vet each candidate if necessary.
- Interview, select and hire developers.
When you use Toptal, you can begin interviewing pre-vetted candidates in 24 hours.
- Why Should You Hire a Microservices Developer?
Data creation results in almost 329 million terabytes every day and 120 zettabytes (one zettabyte = one trillion gigabytes) annually. Technological advances continue to create better ways to use, store and manage this vast amount of data.
The microservices architecture has multiple benefits, allowing developers to construct services quickly and efficiently to accommodate new and growing needs. Hiring a microservices developer keeps you in line with cutting-edge technologies, allows for easy scaling and extreme flexibility, cuts costs and creates new opportunities.