Polyrepo vs Monorepo

Developers should adopt polyrepo when building distributed systems like microservices, where each service can evolve independently with its own release cycle and technology stack meets developers should use a monorepo when working on interconnected projects that share common code, such as microservices, frontend and backend applications, or libraries with tight integration. Here's our take.

Polyrepo

Nice Pick

Developers should adopt polyrepo when building distributed systems like microservices, where each service can evolve independently with its own release cycle and technology stack

Pros

• It is ideal for large organizations with multiple teams, as it allows teams to work autonomously without being blocked by changes in other repositories
• Related to: microservices, git

Cons

• Specific tradeoffs depend on your use case

Monorepo

Developers should use a monorepo when working on interconnected projects that share common code, such as microservices, frontend and backend applications, or libraries with tight integration

Pros

• It simplifies dependency management, reduces duplication, and facilitates large-scale refactoring and code reuse
• Related to: version-control, git

Cons

• Specific tradeoffs depend on your use case

The Verdict

Use Polyrepo if: You want it is ideal for large organizations with multiple teams, as it allows teams to work autonomously without being blocked by changes in other repositories and can live with specific tradeoffs depend on your use case.

Use Monorepo if: You prioritize it simplifies dependency management, reduces duplication, and facilitates large-scale refactoring and code reuse over what Polyrepo offers.

The Bottom Line

Polyrepo wins

Developers should adopt polyrepo when building distributed systems like microservices, where each service can evolve independently with its own release cycle and technology stack