Microservices: When You Really Need Them

Microservices are a tool for organizational and load scalability, not a goal in themselves.

Signs it is time

• Different parts evolve at different speeds with different teams;
• Load is uneven: one module needs ten times the resources;
• You need independent releases and fault isolation;
• You have mature infrastructure and observability.

When to wait

• The team is smaller than ten people;
• The domain is still being explored and changes often;
• Deployment automation and monitoring are missing.

A good compromise is a modular monolith with clear boundaries that can be split later.