When to Use Microservices (And When to Stick With a Monolith)

Short summary

Microservices solve organizational scaling problems, not technical ones. A modular monolith—one deployable with strict module boundaries—delivers 80% of microservices' organizational benefits with 20% of operational complexity. Use the decision checklist: if you have 3+ independent feature teams, different scaling needs, clear domain boundaries, and dedicated DevOps capacity, microservices may be worth it; otherwise, optimize your monolith.

• •Monoliths work for teams under 10 people, fast iteration cycles, and single-domain systems; they're fast to develop and easy to debug
• •Microservices require 3+ independent feature teams, different scaling needs per component, clear bounded contexts, and dedicated DevOps capacity
• •Modular monoliths offer the middle ground: single deployable with module boundaries, in-process messaging, and the option to extract services later

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