The trade-offs between Monolithic vs. Distributed Architectures

TL;DR

This paper critically reviews the advantages and disadvantages of monolithic versus distributed architectures, examining their characteristics, the impact of cloud computing, and the recent trend of shifting back to monolithic systems.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive analysis of architectural trade-offs, integrating theoretical insights with practical considerations and highlighting recent industry trends.

Findings

Distributed architectures face higher complexity and cost.

There is a recent trend of moving back to monolithic architectures.

Cloud computing influences architectural decision-making.

Abstract

Software architects frequently engage in trade-off analysis, often confronting sub-optimal solutions due to unforeseen or overlooked disadvantages. Such outcomes can detrimentally affect a company's business operations and resource allocation. This article conducts a critical review of archi- tectural styles, particularly focusing on the strengths and weaknesses of both monolithic and distributed architectures, and their relationship to architectural characteristics. It also explores the role of cloud computing in transitioning from monolithic to distributed-based applications. Utilizing a broad range of sources, including papers and books from both industry and academia, this research provides an overview from theoretical foundations to practical applications. A notable trend observed is a shift back from distributed to monolithic architectures, possibly due to factors such as cost, complexity, and performance.