Like a number people, I scan through the LinkedIn “Powered by AI and the LinkedIn Community” questions, looking for new insights and discussions on topics I’m familiar with or might want to correct.
Today’s question: “What strategies can you use to ensure cloud-based software design is interoperable and portable?” Today’s answer: “Adopt microservices architecture.”
What? No.
It’s frustrating to see how often microservices are touted as the go-to solution for every software architecture challenge. While microservices offer advantages like modularity and scalability, they aren’t a cure-all—especially when it comes to ensuring interoperability or portability. These qualities rely far more on strong interface design, adherence to standards, and the right underlying infrastructure than on microservices alone.
The “microservices solve everything” mindset can lead organizations into unnecessary complexity without delivering the expected benefits.
There are valid reasons to adopt a microservices architecture, such as:
- Feature development teams needing separation
- Application modules requiring different resources
- High internal application complexity
However, this complexity doesn’t just disappear—it becomes operational complexity. Service discovery, communication, data consistency, versioning, and dependency management all become more challenging. Deployment, monitoring, integration testing, and security also become much more involved.
Real advice: Stick with a monolith as long as possible. Transition to something more complex only when necessary, and do so with full awareness of the trade-offs.