This document discusses monolithic architectures and microservices. It notes that while microservices are an improvement over monoliths and "balls of mud", they are not a "silver bullet" and care must be taken to realize their benefits. Specifically, having microservices share a monolithic database can cause issues around ownership and changing the database schema. The document provides some tips for implementing microservices including making services RESTful, assuming private APIs will become public, and emulating Johnny Cash by destroying monoliths "One Piece at a Time".