How do approaches to system design differ between monolithic and microservice architectures?

Monolithic and microservice architectures differ in their approach to system organization and decomposition.

Monolithic:

• All logic and functionality are combined into a single application.
• Easier to develop and deploy initially.
• Components are tightly coupled, which can hinder scaling and maintenance.
• Changes in one part may affect the entire system.

Microservices:

• The system is divided into independent services, each responsible for a specific business function.
• Each service can be developed, tested, deployed, and scaled independently.
• Requires well-designed communication between services (e.g., REST, gRPC, messaging).
• Increased infrastructure and orchestration complexity.

When designing:

• Monoliths focus on internal structure and modularity within a single application.
• Microservices emphasize clear service boundaries, contracts, and fault tolerance in a distributed system.

The choice depends on scalability requirements, development speed, and maintenance considerations.