Monoliths Aren't Bad
Microservices solve specific problems. They also create new ones.
The Monolith
One deployable unit:
app/
├── Controllers/
│ ├── UserController.php
│ ├── OrderController.php
│ └── PaymentController.php
├── Models/
├── Services/
└── database/
Pros:
- Simple deployment
- Easy debugging
- No network latency between components
- Single database transactions
Cons:
- Scaling means scaling everything
- Large codebase can get messy
- Team stepping on each other
Microservices
Separate deployable services:
users-service/ → Users DB
orders-service/ → Orders DB
payments-service/ → Payments DB
Pros:
- Scale services independently
- Teams own their service
- Technology flexibility
- Isolated failures
Cons:
- Network complexity
- Distributed transactions are hard
- More infrastructure to manage
- Debugging across services
When to Split
Consider microservices when:
- Different parts need different scaling
- Teams are large and stepping on each other
- You have clear bounded contexts
- You can afford the operational complexity
Start Monolith
// Modular monolith - best of both
app/
├── Modules/
│ ├── Users/
│ │ ├── Controllers/
│ │ ├── Models/
│ │ └── Services/
│ ├── Orders/
│ └── Payments/
Clear boundaries inside one deployable. Split later if needed.
The Rule
If you can't build a well-structured monolith, you can't build microservices.
Microservices are a scaling solution, not an architecture silver bullet.