.NET Architecture & System Design Interview Question #101

What is a monolithic architecture?

Microservices, API Gateway, Service Communication & Event-Driven Architecture Mid-Level Intermediate

Quick Interview Answer

A monolithic architecture deploys the application's major capabilities as one application unit. Modules may be logically separated in code, but they are normally built and deployed together and often run in the same process.

Detailed Explanation

A monolith is not inherently poor architecture. It can be simple to develop, test, deploy, and operate. Problems arise when boundaries are weak, the codebase becomes tightly coupled, or different parts require independent scaling and release cycles.

Code Example

Client
  |
Monolithic Application
  |- Orders
  |- Billing
  |- Inventory
  |- Users
  |
Database