A service catalog is a centralized repository that offers a comprehensive overview of an organization's microservices, simplifying the process for developers to locate, track, and access these services. This tool is crucial in the realm of microservices architecture, which allows for the development of large, complex applications by breaking them into manageable components, thereby enhancing adaptability to market changes. However, the distributed nature of microservices introduces complexity in operations and data management, necessitating the use of service catalogs to maintain visibility and control. Service catalogs offer a uniform profile of microservices, including details like ownership, dependencies, service maturity, and deployment environments, among others, and help mitigate the challenges of managing numerous services with varying owners. They are often a component of larger software catalogs, which provide metadata and context for all application-related elements in an organization, enabling better organization, dependency mapping, and incident management. Tools like Spotify’s Backstage and Port’s Software Catalog are popular implementations, with the latter offering extensive customization and integration capabilities to suit specific organizational needs.