Explore the ongoing debate between monolith and microservices architectures in this Scala Days 2023 Seattle conference talk. Delve into the critical factors often overlooked when choosing the optimal architecture for your project. Gain insights from years of Scala industry experience, learning how incorrect domain model granularity, inappropriate communication protocols, inefficient serialization strategies, poor observability, and improper dependency management can turn a sophisticated microservices architecture into a challenge. Discover why well-implemented microservices, rather than microservices themselves, are the key to success. Examine the topic from a Scala-centric perspective, exploring the language's native capabilities, libraries, frameworks, and build tools. Cover essential aspects such as small business capabilities, common dependencies, requirements, costs, threats, communication protocols, and more to make informed architectural decisions for your Scala projects.