Author: Source
Summary
This article critiques the tech industry’s obsession with microservices by arguing that most of the benefits attributed to microservices have existed in other forms for decades — notably in modules. The core argument is that the promises of scalability, maintainability, and independence are not unique to microservices, and that their hype often distracts from the real architectural and organizational issues that teams face.
The author dissects commonly touted microservice benefits, showing how they echo older technologies and philosophies like Unix, EJB, and modular programming from the 1970s. The key takeaway is that it’s not about adopting microservices for the sake of trendiness, but about understanding organizational clarity and modular thinking—concepts that are tech-agnostic and long-standing.
Ultimately, the article calls for a return to fundamentals: instead of chasing distributed architectures blindly, teams should focus on reducing interdependencies, aligning skillsets with goals, and architecting solutions based on clear needs—not hype.
Key Ideas
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Microservices aren’t a silver bullet. Many of their perceived benefits are rooted in much older software principles.
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Much of the excitement about microservices is just history repeating itself under a new name.
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The real issue is organizational: breaking down dependencies between teams and aligning them around clear goals.
Notable Quotes
“At the heart of microservices, we find… modules.”
“We have a tendency in this industry to re-use our hype points over and over again.”
“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” — George Santanyana
“Getting distributed systems right—performance, reliability, scalability, whatever ‘right’ means—is hard.”
“Do you need to reduce the dependencies your development team is facing? Then begin by looking at those dependencies and working with partners to determine which of them you can bring into the team’s wheelhouse.”
“The well-defined ‘separate, distinct program modules’ covers about half of the suggested benefits of microservices, and we’ve been able to do that for fifty years.”
“At the heart of microservices, we should find… organizational clarity.”