What Is Microservice Architecture?

Microservices, though popular among tech giants like Netflix and Amazon, are a well-established software design approach that involves breaking down applications into small, independent services communicating through well-defined APIs. This architecture contrasts with monoliths, which are large, singular codebases encompassing all functionalities and requiring comprehensive testing as a whole. While monoliths offer simplicity and ease of iteration in the early stages of a project, microservices provide scalability, fault isolation, smaller team sizes, and flexibility in technology choice, allowing for more frequent releases. However, microservices present challenges such as maintaining autonomy, ensuring services are focused and small, and managing the complexities of distributed systems, which can lead to a "distributed monolith" if not properly decoupled. Despite their scalability advantages, microservices are not always the best choice, particularly during the initial stages of development when the project's scope is still being defined.