Case study
From 25 services to 82% savings:
The architecture that paid for itself
We discovered that architectural excellence isn't about how many microservices you have - it's about having exactly the right number. In this case, that meant eliminating 80% of them.
Starting point
The automotive industry had anticipated that in-car infotainment systems would support extensive embedded applications. Our client built a highly modular, scalable backend architecture with 25 microservices to support this expected ecosystem of in-car apps.
However, user behavior evolved differently - drivers preferred using their smartphones for services rather than vehicle displays. The complex infrastructure, designed for a use case that didn't materialize, resulted in disproportionately high maintenance costs and operational overhead that needed to be addressed.
The art of architectural subtraction
Approach
We approached the audit not as consultants with clipboards, but as operators with root access. Direct access to cloud environments and monitoring tools revealed the truth: the system was having more conversations with itself than with users.
Our modernization strategy was counterintuitive: we made the system better by making it smaller. We consolidated 25 microservices into 5domain-aligned applications, each serving a genuine business capability rather than a theoretical architectural principle. This wasn't simplification - it was distillation.
We preserved every external interface, ensuring zero business disruption while fundamentally restructuring the internals. Each consolidated domain became more powerful, not less - combining related capabilities that had been artificially separated. The new architecture aligned with actual user behavior patterns rather than hypothetical use cases.
Breaking The Linear
We challenged the fundamental assumption that more microservices equal better architecture. Instead of optimizing complexity, we eliminated it. We reduced the service count by 80% while improving system performance. We didn't negotiate better cloud rates - we used 82% less cloud. We didn't streamline monitoring - we had 70% less to monitor.
When less architecture means more business
Summary
This transformation proved that architectural decisions should follow user behavior, not anticipate it. The client now operates a lean, purposeful system that costs a fraction to run while delivering the same value to users.The simplified architecture accelerated development velocity - new features that once required coordinating across multiple teams now happen within single domains.
The reduction in complexity had compound effects throughout the organization. Onboarding time for new developers dropped dramatically when they only needed to understand 5 applications instead of 25. Debugging became straightforward when service interactions were intentional rather than incidental. The support team could focus on evolution rather than maintenance.
Most importantly, the client learned that architectural courage sometimes means admitting you built too much. They now have a system scaled to their actual business, not their original assumptions. The foundation is solid, the costs are sustainable, and future growth can happen organically rather than architectural speculation.
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