How to: Microservices vs Service-oriented architecture (SOA)
You might have seen _Service-oriented architecture (SOA)_ mentioned around the internet, sometimes even interchangeably with microservices, but they are different from each other and the main distinction between the two approaches comes down to _scope_.

Service-oriented architecture (SOA) defines a way to make software components reusable via service interfaces. These interfaces utilize common communication standards and focus on maximizing application service reusability whereas microservices are built as a collection of various smallest independent service units focused on team autonomy and decoupling.