Balancing technology heterogeneity in microservice architectures [EMSE Journal]

Abstract

Microservices are a popular architectural style that allows systems to be built from a potentially large number of microservices, all of which can be developed independently and by their own teams. As a resulting benefit, development teams can choose the technologies optimal for their microservices, leading to a diversity of different programming languages, frameworks, and further technology in use. However, this heterogeneity presents challenges as it prevents code reuse and complicates moving individuals between microservices due to knowledge hurdles. We performed 15 expert interviews in a qualitative survey to build a theory on how technological heterogeneity can be balanced in microservice architectures to reach a context-dependent compromise between its benefits and drawbacks. We contribute by (1) gathering empirical data from industry professionals on a research topic that has been acknowledged but has only seen limited exploration so far, (2) developing a comprehensive theory of technology heterogeneity as a major integration challenge in microservice-based projects, (3) proposing a framework to overcome the challenge of balancing technological heterogeneity in microservice architectures, (4) optimizing the theory’s presentation for practical use in industry by using the well-known pattern format, and (5) generating research hypotheses to guide and inspire future investigations into this phenomenon.

Keywords

Microservices, technologies, technological heterogeneity, integration, governance, best practices.

Reference

Schwarz, G., Heltweg, P., & Riehle, D. (2025). Balancing Technology Heterogeneity in Microservice Architectures. In Empirical Software Engineering (EMSE), vol. 30 (2025), article 127 (Springer).