microservices
/ˌmaɪ.krəʊˈsɜː.vɪ.sɪz/ IELTSAcademic
noun
A way of building software as many small, separate services. Each service does one job and can work with others through an API.
- Our team moved the app to microservices.
- Each microservice handles one task.
- Microservices can be updated separately.
Adinary Nuance
Microservices are smaller and more independent than a monolith. They are also more specific than the general word architecture, which can describe any system design. Writers choose microservices when they want to stress separate, small services rather than one large application.
In other languages
- Vietnamese
- vi kiến trúc
- Spanish
- microservicios
- Chinese
- 微服务
- Japanese
- マイクロサービス
- Korean
- 마이크로서비스
Etymology
This word comes from micro- meaning 'small' and services. It became common in software engineering in the early 2000s.
Common phrases
microservices architecturemicroservices-based systemmove to microservicesbuild with microservices
Synonyms
Related words
Frequently asked questions
- Is microservices singular or plural?
- It is usually plural. In technical writing, people often say "microservices" for the whole approach.
- Is microservices used in business writing?
- Yes. It is common in software, product, and engineering writing.
- What is the difference between microservices and monolith?
- Microservices use many small services. A monolith is one large application.
- Can I say microservice for one part?
- Yes. One small service is a microservice; the full system uses microservices.