What is a monolith vs. microservices architecture? Pros and cons?
This question evaluates your understanding of system design — not just definitions, but your ability to explain the trade-offs, real-world implications, and when each architecture is suitable.
Answer 1: Full explanation with reasoning
English
A monolithic architecture is a traditional approach where all components — such as the frontend, backend, and business logic — are packaged into a single codebase and deployed as one unit. It’s often easier to develop, test, and deploy in the early stages of a project, especially with a small team.
However, as the application grows, a monolith can become difficult to maintain. A small change may require redeploying the entire application, and dependencies across modules can become tightly coupled.
In contrast, a microservices architecture breaks the application into smaller, independent services that each handle a specific function and communicate over APIs. This allows teams to develop and deploy features independently, improving scalability and fault isolation.
However, microservices introduce challenges such as network latency, service coordination, distributed tracing, and the need for robust monitoring and logging infrastructure.
For example, if you’re working on a fast-growing product with multiple engineering teams, microservices help improve team autonomy and scalability. But for simpler applications, a monolith may be more efficient.
Key Phrases
- monolithic architecture: Single-unit system combining all components
- microservices architecture: System split into independently deployable services
- loosely coupled: Independent modules with minimal dependencies
- distributed tracing: Monitoring a request across multiple services
- service discovery: Mechanism to locate services dynamically
- network latency: Delay introduced by communication between services
Answer 2: Concise and interview-friendly summary
English
Monolithic architecture means building everything in a single codebase. It’s easier to start with, but harder to scale as the system grows.
Microservices architecture splits the system into smaller, focused services. It improves scalability and team autonomy but requires more infrastructure, coordination, and monitoring.
Use monoliths when the project is small or the team is just starting out. Use microservices when scaling fast, handling complex domains, or enabling multiple teams to work in parallel.
Key Phrases
- scalability: Ability to handle increased traffic or workload
- team autonomy: Teams work independently without blocking others
- deployment overhead: Extra effort needed to deploy and manage multiple services
- infrastructure complexity: Tools and systems needed to support service orchestration
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