Skill

system-design

System design patterns for distributed systems: monolith vs microservices decision, modular monolith, event-driven, strangler fig, CQRS, cell-based architecture. Use when choosing architecture, scaling systems, decomposing services.

Install

npx claudepluginhub rnavarych/alpha-engineer --plugin billy-milligan

Tool Access

This skill is limited to using the following tools:

ReadGrepGlob

Preview

- Choosing between monolith, modular monolith, and microservices

Supporting Assets

assets/architecture-review-checklist.mdreferences/event-driven-patterns.mdreferences/modular-monolith.mdreferences/monolith-vs-microservices.mdreferences/scaling-reference.mdreferences/strangler-fig-migration.mdscripts/detect-architecture.sh

SKILL.md

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Stats

Parent Repo Stars9

Parent Repo Forks0

Last CommitFeb 23, 2026

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Core principles

Start with a monolith — premature decomposition is the #1 distributed systems mistake

Decouple at the seam, not at the start — build modular monolith first, extract when needed

Every network hop is a failure domain — each service boundary adds latency AND failure surface

Data ownership is the hard part — not code separation

Eventual consistency is a product decision — not just a technical one

References available

Load these on demand — ONLY when the specific subtopic is being discussed:

references/monolith-vs-microservices.md — decision matrix with team size/traffic thresholds, when to split

references/modular-monolith.md — module structure, inter-module communication, import rules

references/event-driven-patterns.md — outbox pattern, idempotent consumers, saga, DLQ, schema versioning

references/strangler-fig-migration.md — phased migration from legacy, facade rules, timeline

references/scaling-reference.md — concrete numbers: RPM thresholds, cell-based architecture, CQRS triggers

System Design Patterns

When to use

Choosing between monolith, modular monolith, and microservices
Designing for scale or migrating from monolith to distributed
Applying patterns: outbox, saga, strangler fig, CQRS

Core principles

Start with a monolith — premature decomposition is the #1 distributed systems mistake
Decouple at the seam, not at the start — build modular monolith first, extract when needed
Every network hop is a failure domain — each service boundary adds latency AND failure surface
Data ownership is the hard part — not code separation
Eventual consistency is a product decision — not just a technical one

References available

Load these on demand — ONLY when the specific subtopic is being discussed:

references/monolith-vs-microservices.md — decision matrix with team size/traffic thresholds, when to split
references/modular-monolith.md — module structure, inter-module communication, import rules
references/event-driven-patterns.md — outbox pattern, idempotent consumers, saga, DLQ, schema versioning
references/strangler-fig-migration.md — phased migration from legacy, facade rules, timeline
references/scaling-reference.md — concrete numbers: RPM thresholds, cell-based architecture, CQRS triggers

Scripts available

scripts/detect-architecture.sh — analyzes project structure to identify current architectural pattern

Assets available

assets/architecture-review-checklist.md — reusable checklist for reviewing system design decisions