Monolith

Definitions

1. A software application built as a single, unified unit where all components share the same codebase and deploy together. Once the default, now sometimes used pejoratively — though many successful companies run monoliths just fine.

   In plain English: A single, large application where everything is built together in one codebase — simpler to start with, but can become unwieldy as it grows.

Etymology

c. 3000 BCE

From Greek monolithos (single stone) — ancient cultures erected monoliths as monuments and boundary markers

1970s

Software architecture borrows the term for systems where all components are tightly coupled in a single deployable unit

2014

Martin Fowler and James Lewis contrast monoliths with microservices, making 'monolith' sound like a problem to solve

Related Terms

• Spaghetti Code
• Microservices
• Event-Driven Architecture
• API Gateway
• Service Mesh
• Portability
• Source of Truth
• Static Site Generator
• Architecture Style
• Architecture Tradeoff
• Caching Strategy
• Centralized Architecture
• Circular Dependency
• Command Dispatcher
• Command Handler
• Communication Bus
• Component Bus
• Component Model