Microservices means splitting a large application into small, independent services. Each service has its own database, its own deployment cycle, and its own technology stack. Netflix, Amazon, Uber — companies that widely adopt microservices. Advantages: independent deployment, technology flexibility, separate scaling.
Challenges: distributed system complexity (network latency, partial failure), distributed transactions, service discovery, harder monitoring and debugging. Martin Fowler: the "Microservices premium" — this architecture only pays off for sufficiently complex systems. For a small project, a "Modular monolith" — prepared for microservices but in a single deployment — is often the optimal choice.
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