Monolith
An application whose major capabilities are deployed as one integrated unit.
Plain English
One application contains and ships many parts together.
In context
A monolith can provide simple development and operations until scale or organizational boundaries justify separation.
Example
“The product still runs as a modular monolith.”
When you'll hear this
- architecture review
- scaling
- migration
Common misunderstanding
Monolith does not mean unstructured; modular monoliths can have strong boundaries.
Also known as
monolithic application
Commonly used by
Related terms
Updated: 2026-08-25
