# Design principles, architectural smells and refactorings for microservices: A multivocal review

## TL;DR

This paper systematically reviews literature to identify common architectural smells in microservices and discusses refactoring strategies to address these issues, aiming to improve microservice design and implementation.

## Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of recognized architectural smells in microservices and proposes refactoring solutions, filling a gap in consolidated knowledge.

## Key findings

- Identified key architectural smells in microservices.
- Mapped refactoring strategies to specific smells.
- Highlighted the importance of addressing smells for better microservice quality.

## Abstract

Potential benefits such as agile service delivery have led many companies to deliver their business capabilities through microservices. Bad smells are however always around the corner, as witnessed by the considerable body of literature discussing architectural smells that possibly violate the design principles of microservices. In this paper, we systematically review the white and grey literature on the topic, in order to identify the most recognised architectural smells for microservices and to discuss the architectural refactorings allowing to resolve them.