Systematic review of microservice architecture: Advantages over monolithic systems in cloud environments

This paper examines the characteristics of microservice architecture, highlighting its benefits compared with monolithic systems in cloud environments. The methodology is based on selecting relevant peer-reviewed articles from leading scientific repositories and industry reports. The results demonstrate that microservices deliver high scalability through horizontal scaling of individual components, reduce downtime by enabling isolated service recovery, and accelerate CI/CD workflows via parallel development and independent module releases. Moreover, the adoption of containerization and orchestration technologies (Docker, Kubernetes, etc.) enhances technological adaptability. At the same time, the analysis identifies several challenges: increased complexity of inter-service communication, the need for advanced observability systems, and more complicated configuration management. To address these risks, strategies are proposed ranging from unified API gateways and service meshes to automated request tracing and centralized monitoring. In conclusion, although the initial costs of designing and deploying a microservice architecture are significant, its use in the cloud lays the foundation for sustainable growth, greater innovation, and rapid response to evolving business requirements. The findings will interest software architects, CTOs, and researchers in cloud computing and software engineering.