Software Engineering · Architecture
A single deployable unit where all features and components of the application live together and run as one process.
In practice: Often maligned, but a well-structured monolith is genuinely easier to develop, test, and deploy than a distributed system — the case for breaking it up only becomes compelling when the deployment bottleneck or team scaling problem actually exists.
Debated: Reflexive 'monoliths are bad' thinking is common but often wrong — the distributed systems tax is real, and many teams have made their lives worse by premature decomposition.