Microservices - Where Did It All Go Wrong?

Explore the widespread misunderstandings and misimplementations of microservices architecture in this conference talk from NDC Melbourne 2025. Examine how the original microservices concept, as defined by James Lewis and Martin Fowler in 2013, has been distorted through mis-associations with Cloud Native styles and poor migration strategies from monoliths. Learn why many so-called microservices architectures are actually distributed monoliths that fail to deliver promised benefits while creating painful and costly systems to maintain. Understand the key misconceptions surrounding microservices including what "micro" actually means, how to achieve true independent deployability, and how to avoid common anti-patterns. Discover the specific problems that monoliths cannot solve and when microservices remain the appropriate architectural choice, while addressing the current backlash and calls for returning to monolithic architectures. Gain clarity on the original intent behind microservices and how to properly implement this architectural style to realize its intended benefits.