What is a monolithic architecture?
A monolithic architecture puts an application’s main functions in one deployable unit.
How it works and where it is used
One codebase and process can simplify local development, transactions and initial deployment. A monolith is not synonymous with bad design; clear modules and boundaries can exist inside it. As a product grows, whole-app deployments, large test suites and shared database coupling may become harder.
Limits, safety and selection criteria
A common approach is to build strong modules first and split services only when concrete needs appear. Team structure, fault isolation and maintenance cost matter as much as traffic. Measure actual bottlenecks instead of assuming microservices are always more advanced. A shop can package catalog, orders and accounts together while still enforcing module boundaries. A shared process eases debugging, and a single database transaction simplifies some consistency problems. But all code may need testing and redeployment for a small change, and scaling one hot path by copying the entire app can waste resources. Architecture depends on team size, traffic and change rate. It is possible to evolve a modular monolith without immediately moving every function into a network service.