Why Most Systems Start as Monoliths Before Moving to Microservices

A common assumption is that new projects should begin with microservices, but many high-scale systems actually grow into that architecture over time. The article argues that teams should start with a monolith, prioritizing correctness, development speed and clarity. As codebases and teams grow, the real problem is tight coupling between parts rather than the monolith itself, so a modular monolith with clear boundaries is recommended first. Microservices become worthwhile when uneven scaling needs make a single deployment inefficient, though they introduce network-related complexity. The piece walks through this progression stage by stage, explaining what breaks at each point and how teams respond.
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