Microservices vs Distributed Systems Explained

Microservices and distributed systems are two separate concepts with some distinctions between them.

1. Microservices is a software architecture pattern where applications are divided into a group of small, independently deployable services that can be developed, deployed, and scaled independently. Each microservice has its own data storage and communication mechanism, allowing for the use of different programming languages and technology stacks. On the other hand, distributed systems are an architecture pattern where components of an application are spread across different computers and communicate over a network.
2. Microservices are a way to implement distributed systems by breaking down applications into multiple small services to achieve a distributed architecture. Microservices typically use lightweight communication mechanisms (such as HTTP or message queues) for inter-service communication, allowing each microservice to be independently deployed, scaled, and updated. Meanwhile, distributed systems can adopt different architecture patterns such as message passing, remote procedure calls, or distributed databases.
3. Microservices often come with added complexity such as service discovery, load balancing, and fault tolerance, but they offer increased flexibility, scalability, and maintainability. Distributed systems also face similar challenges but focus more on the overall system design and architecture.

In general, microservices are a distributed system architecture pattern that involves breaking down applications into smaller services to improve flexibility and scalability. Distributed systems, on the other hand, is a more macro level system architecture pattern that can be implemented in various ways for distributed computing.