[roguecoder]

You only need microservices for massive scale or to enable micromanagement of teams, but that doesn't mean you have to give up on clear module boundaries.

You can get the architectural benefits of microservices by using message-passing-style Object-Oriented programming. It requires the discipline not to reach directly into the database, but assuming you just Don't Do That a well-encapsulated "object" is a microservice that runs in the same virtual machine as the other mircoservices.

Java is the most mainstream language that supports that: whenever you find yourself reaching for a microservice, instead create a module, namespace the database tables, and then expose only the smallest possible public interface to other modules. You can test them in isolation, monitor the connections between them, and bonus: it is trivial to deploy changes across multiple "services" at the same time.

[DarkNova6]

Or you have a good understanding of your logical boundaries and enforce them with ArchUnit.