Monolithic Design
Monolithic design is a software architecture pattern where an application is built as a single, unified unit with tightly coupled components. It typically includes the user interface, business logic, and data access layers all packaged together, often deployed as one executable or process. This approach contrasts with distributed architectures like microservices, where functionality is split into independent, loosely coupled services.
Developers should consider monolithic design for simpler applications with limited scope, where development speed and straightforward deployment are priorities, such as small business websites or internal tools. It's also suitable when the team is small, the technology stack is homogeneous, and there's no immediate need for scalability across multiple services, as it reduces operational complexity compared to distributed systems.