Monolith vs. Microservices

Monolith

• What is it? All code (Frontend, API, Background Workers) lives in one repository and deploys together.

• ✅ Pros: Easy to debug, easy to deploy, simple local development.

• ❌ Cons: If one part breaks, everything breaks. Hard for 50+ developers to work on at once.

• Verdicts: Start here. 90% of apps should be monoliths.

Microservices

• What is it? Breaking the app into distinct services (e.g., a specific server just for PDF generation).

• ✅ Pros: Scaling is precise (add more servers just for the busy part). Teams are independent.

• ❌ Cons: "Distributed Monolith" hell. Extremely hard to debug. Requires DevOps experts.

• Verdict: Only use if you have 50+ developers or distinct scaling needs.

Serverless

• What is it? You don't manage servers. You upload functions (AWS Lambda, Vercel) that run only when triggered.

• ✅ Pros: Infinite scaling, pay only for what you use ($0 if no users).

• ❌ Cons: Cold starts (can be slow), vendor lock-in (hard to move off AWS).

• Verdict: Great for frontend-focused teams and side projects.