Defined scope
- Service boundaries
- Independent deployment
- API and event contracts
- Data ownership
- Observability
- Team topology
CONCEPT
Microservice Architecture
Microservice architecture structures a software system as independently deployable services aligned with bounded capabilities and communicating through explicit contracts.
Microservices can improve independent evolution and scaling but add network, data, deployment, observability and organizational complexity.
active
production
EDITORIAL FRAME
What this entry establishes.
A concise view of its scope, position, limitations and supporting sources.
Editorial position
- Microservice value depends on organizational and domain boundaries, not service count.
- A modular monolith is often the stronger starting architecture when independent deployment is not required.
Explicit limits
- Splitting an application into many processes without coherent domain boundaries
- Treating microservices as the default architecture for small systems
Tags and disciplines
MicroservicesModular MonolithService BoundariesDistributed SystemsSoftware ArchitectureSystems DesignProgramming
References behind this page
- Microservices James Lewis and Martin Fowler / MartinFowler.com / 2014-03-25
Definition
Microservice architecture divides a system into services that own bounded capabilities and can be deployed independently. Each service communicates through defined APIs or events and should minimize shared implementation assumptions.
Tradeoff
Independent deployment can support scaling, team autonomy and failure isolation. The cost is distribution: network latency, partial failure, contract evolution, data consistency, security and operations become first-order concerns.
Electronic Artefacts position
VASTE should not be decomposed into microservices merely to appear modern. Runtime boundaries should follow real ownership, scaling or isolation needs. A modular core with explicit contracts can preserve future options.
Limitations
Poorly chosen boundaries create chatty services, duplicated logic and distributed transactions. Microservices also require mature deployment, monitoring and incident practices.
References
See Lewis and Fowler, Event-Driven Architecture, Graph Runtime and Contextual Execution.
DOCUMENTED RELATIONSHIPS
Connected work and ideas.
Each link names the relationship between two entries and why it matters.
Microservices, Modular Monoliths and System Boundaries
Microservices, Modular Monoliths and System Boundaries documents microservice architecture and its tradeoffs.
Runtime Engines and Domain Operating Systems
Runtime Engines and Domain Operating Systems documents Microservice Architecture as one of its declared subjects.
Knowledge Hub Third Wave
Microservice Architecture is an explicit member of the Knowledge Hub Third Wave collection.
Record details Metadata, sharing and citation
Microservice Architecture
Cite this page
Microservice Architecture. 1.0.0. Electronic Artefacts, 2026-06-24. https://electronicartefacts.com/knowledge/concepts/microservice-architecture/
Nearby relationships
3 public links connect this page to nearby projects, concepts and references.