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The point isn’t that there are no good definitions. The point is that there are many definitions.

I also have a working definition of a microservice, which is that it is a functional part of a system which exposes its functionality to other parts of the system via HTTP. This works for my team.

In general, we shouldn’t fetishize any particular technology, idea, or phrase. If a term obfuscates more than it clarifies, it’s not very useful.

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> I also have a working definition of a microservice, which is that it is a functional part of a system which exposes its functionality to other parts of the system via HTTP.

How do you differentiate service and microservice?

A microservice is a type of service which faces internal systems. A service in general may also face the internet.

Wouldn't that be considered an API?

An API is an abstract interface - the "I" stands for interface after all. An implementation of an API can be a microservice.

API can mean a library, an RPC, an HTTP call using query params/XML/Json, a CLI, the list goes on.

In my definition, what matters is there’s something responding to HTTP requests internal to the system.

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