microservices
Microservices and Distributed Systems
Microservices architecture splits a system into independently deployable services, each owning a specific business capability. This approach trades the simplicity of a monolith for flexibility in scaling, deployment, and technology choice -- but only when the organizational and technical complexity is justified.
When to Use Microservices vs Monolith
There is no universal answer. The decision depends on team size, domain complexity, and operational maturity.
| Factor | Monolith Favored | Microservices Favored |
|---|---|---|
| Team size | Small team (fewer than 10 developers) | Multiple autonomous teams that need independent release cycles |
| Domain complexity | Simple or poorly understood domain | Well-understood domain with clear bounded contexts |
| Deployment cadence | Infrequent releases are acceptable | Different parts of the system need to ship at different speeds |
| Scaling needs | Uniform load across the application | Specific components need independent scaling |
| Operational maturity | Limited infrastructure automation | Mature CI/CD, monitoring, and container orchestration |
| Data isolation | Shared database is manageable | Services need independent data stores and schemas |
Start monolithic unless you have a clear reason not to. A well-structured modular monolith can be decomposed later. A premature microservices architecture adds distributed systems complexity without proportional benefit.
More from krzysztofsurdy/code-virtuoso
symfony-upgrade
Symfony framework version upgrade guide using the deprecation-first approach. Use when the user asks to upgrade Symfony to a new minor or major version, fix deprecation warnings, update Symfony recipes, check bundle compatibility, migrate between LTS versions, or plan a Symfony version migration strategy. Covers PHPUnit Bridge deprecation tracking, recipe updates, bundle compatibility checks, version-specific breaking changes, and the changelog-first upgrade workflow.
95symfony-components
Comprehensive reference for all 38 Symfony framework components with PHP 8.3+ and Symfony 7.x patterns. Use when the user asks to implement, configure, or troubleshoot any Symfony component including HttpFoundation, HttpKernel, DependencyInjection, Form, Validator, Cache, Messenger, Console, EventDispatcher, Workflow, Serializer, Security, Routing, Twig, Doctrine integration, or any other Symfony component. Covers APIs, configuration, best practices, and common pitfalls.
88solid
SOLID principles for object-oriented design with multi-language examples (PHP, Java, Python, TypeScript, C++). Use when the user asks to review SOLID compliance, fix a SOLID violation, evaluate class design, reduce coupling, improve extensibility, or apply Single Responsibility, Open/Closed, Liskov Substitution, Interface Segregation, or Dependency Inversion principles. Covers motivation, violation detection, refactoring fixes, and real-world trade-offs for each principle.
49agentic-rules-writer
Interactive tool to generate tailored rules and instruction files for any AI coding agent. Use when the user asks to set up agent rules, configure Claude Code instructions, create Cursor rules, write Windsurf rules, generate Copilot instructions, or establish consistent AI coding standards for a team. Supports 13+ agents (Claude Code, Cursor, Windsurf, Copilot, Gemini, Codex, Cline, OpenCode, Continue, Trae, Roo Code, Amp) with global, team-shared, and dev-specific scopes. Defers to the `using-ecosystem` meta-skill for ecosystem discovery (skills, agents, recommendations) and runs an interactive questionnaire for workflow preferences.
48design-patterns
Comprehensive skill for all 26 Gang of Four design patterns with practical implementations and real-world examples. Use when the user asks to apply a design pattern, refactor code using patterns, choose between competing patterns, or review existing pattern usage. Covers creational (Abstract Factory, Builder, Factory Method, Prototype, Singleton, Object Pool), structural (Adapter, Bridge, Composite, Decorator, Facade, Flyweight, Proxy, Private Class Data), and behavioral patterns (Chain of Responsibility, Command, Interpreter, Iterator, Mediator, Memento, Observer, State, Strategy, Template Method, Visitor, Null Object) with real-world examples, trade-offs, and anti-patterns.
44refactoring
Comprehensive skill for 89 refactoring techniques and 22 code smells with practical examples. Use when the user asks to refactor code, detect code smells, improve code quality, reduce complexity, or clean up technical debt. Covers composing methods, moving features between objects, organizing data, simplifying conditionals and method calls, dealing with generalization, and detecting smells across bloaters, OO abusers, change preventers, dispensables, and couplers with before/after comparisons and step-by-step mechanics.
43