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Technical Vocabularynoun · /ˈmaɪ.kroʊ.sɜːr.vɪ.sɪz/

microservices

In simple English

Microservices represents a modern software design philosophy that contrasts with traditional monolithic architecture. Instead of building one large application, teams build multiple smaller applications (services) that work together. Each microservice typically handles one specific function, such as user authentication, payment processing, or inventory management. For example, in an e-commerce platform, you might have separate microservices for user accounts, product catalog, shopping cart, and order processing. This approach allows different teams to work on different services simultaneously, use different technologies for different services, and deploy updates without affecting the entire system. In real tech companies, microservices have become the standard for building scalable, maintainable applications, though they also introduce complexity in orchestration, communication, and monitoring.

Understand what microservices architecture is and how it differs from monolithic applications in modern software development.

At a glanceCEFR C1
Commonness5/5
Versatility5/5
FormalityCasualFormalFormal
Spoken ↔ WrittenSpokenWrittenBoth
Directness ↔ DiplomaticDirectDiplomaticDirect
RegionUS and UK
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Say it like this

✓We are transitioning to a microservices architecture.
✓The microservices approach gives us more flexibility.
✓This system uses microservices for better scalability.

Real examples

in a standup

"We have completed the migration of the payment service to microservices; it is now independent and can scale separately."

in a code review

"This change aligns well with our microservices strategy by keeping the authentication logic isolated."

in a team meeting

"Moving to microservices will allow each team to deploy their service independently without waiting for others."

Don't say this

Handle with care. Often confused with microservice (singular) or treated as a verb when it is only a noun. Not to be confused with monolithic architecture.

✕We microservices the application last month.
✓We migrated to microservices last month.— Microservices is a noun describing an architecture, not a verb. You cannot microservices something; you migrate to microservices or adopt microservices.
✕We use a microservice instead of microservices.
✓We use microservices in our architecture.— While microservice (singular) refers to one service, microservices (plural) refers to the overall architectural pattern. In technical discussions, the plural is standard.
✕Microservices means making everything smaller.
✓Microservices means breaking an application into independent, single-purpose services.— Size alone does not define microservices; the key is independence, single responsibility, and loose coupling.

Other forms

noun

microservices

"Microservices allow teams to deploy updates independently."

noun

microservice

"Each microservice in our system handles a single business domain."

adjective

microservices-based

"Our microservices-based architecture provides better scalability."

Often used with

adopt microservicesTo start using microservices architecture in a project or organization.
microservices architectureThe complete design pattern and structure of building applications with microservices.
migrate to microservicesTo transition from a monolithic system to a microservices-based system.
microservices-based applicationAn application built using the microservices architectural pattern.
microservices communicationHow different microservices interact and exchange data with each other.

Similar words

service-oriented architecture (SOA)Similar concept but broader in scope; SOA predates microservices and is less specific about service granularity.
distributed architectureA general term for systems spread across multiple machines; microservices is a specific implementation of distributed architecture.

Opposites

monolithic architecturemonolith

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Practice

Try it

4 quick exercises

Pick the most natural phrasing

1. You are explaining your system design to a new team member. Which sounds most professional?

Complete the sentence

2. The company decided to _______ to _______ to improve deployment speed and team autonomy.

Spot the mistake

3. Which sentence uses microservices incorrectly?

Rewrite naturally

4. Rewrite this sentence using microservices: 'We broke up our big application into many small parts that work together and can be updated separately.'

Questions

Quick poll

Have you said "microservices" in a standup this week?

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