← Back to microservices patterns map
šŸ“‹
Microservices Pattern

Decompose by Business Capability

Split services around stable business capabilities such as users, orders, billing, and shipping.

decompose

Detailed Description

This pattern starts from what the business does, not from technical layers. Each service owns one business capability end to end.

It works well when teams can own a capability independently, including its API, data, release cycle, and operational responsibility.

Visual Diagram

Business capabilities
ā”œā”€ User Management -> UserService
ā”œā”€ Order Processing -> OrderService
ā”œā”€ Billing -> BillingService
└─ Shipping -> ShippingService

Tradeoffs

Pros

Stable boundaries, org-aligned ownership, lower coupling

Cons

Requires deep domain knowledge upfront

Examples: Amazon teams for Cart, Search, Checkout