Architecture Pattern
Microservices vs. Monolith
Whether an application is built as one deployable unit or split into independently deployable services.
What it is
A monolith is one application, one codebase, deployed as a single unit. Microservices split the same functionality into independently deployable services that communicate over a network. Neither is inherently 'more advanced' — they trade simplicity for independent scalability and deployment.
When to use it
Start with a monolith for most new products — it's simpler to build, deploy, and debug. Microservices earn their complexity when different parts of the system genuinely need to scale, deploy, or be owned by different teams independently.
Real tradeoffs
- —Microservices adopted too early add real operational complexity (networking, monitoring, deployment coordination) with no corresponding benefit yet
- —A monolith that's genuinely outgrown its scale becomes hard to deploy safely — one bug in one feature can risk the whole application
- —The migration path from monolith to microservices is itself a real project, not a free upgrade
Related
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