The role of microservice approach in edge computing: Opportunities, challenges, and research directions

Edge computing has emerged as a promising computing paradigm that enables real-time data processing and analysis closer to the data source and boosts decision-making applications in a safe manner. On the other hand, the microservice is a new type of architecture that can be dynamically deployed, migrating across edge clouds on demand. Therefore, the combination of these two technologies can provide numerous benefits, including improved performance, reduced latency, and better resource utilization. In this paper, we present a thorough analysis of state-of-the-art research on the use of microservices in edge computing environments. We take into consideration several distinct microservice research directions, including coordination, orchestration, repositories, scheduling, autoscaling, deployment, resource management, and different security issues. Furthermore, we explore the potential applications of microservices in edge computing across various domains. Finally, the unsolved research issues and future directions of emerging trends in this area are also discussed.