The answer
A part of the domain that can be reasoned about independently. Auth is a bounded context. Chat is another. They have their own data, rules, and changes, which makes them good service candidates.
Service Boundaries: How to Decide What Becomes a Microservice
What is a bounded context?
More FAQs in Service Boundaries: How to Decide What Becomes a Microservice
Use domain-driven design, look for bounded contexts, find features with independent change rates or scaling needs, and align with team structure. Let the real product teach you the boundaries.
No. That is a layered architecture, not a service boundary. It couples services tightly because every request crosses all layers. Split by business domain instead.
Yes. A service that does one tiny thing adds operational overhead without payoff. Each service should be substantial enough to justify running it.
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