Distributed monolith architecture: What it is, why it happens, and how to fix it

A distributed monolith is an architectural anti-pattern where a system uses separate services that remain tightly coupled through shared databases, synchronous communication, and coordinated deployments. This often occurs during microservices migrations when teams fail to redefine domain boundaries, resulting in a system that possesses the complexity of microservices but the rigidity of a traditional monolith.