Simply put, microservices are a software development method where applications are structured as loosely coupled services. The services themselves are minimal atomic units which together, comprise the entire functionality of the entire app. Whereas in an SOA, a single component service may combine one or several functions, a microservice within an MSA does one thing — only one thing — and does it well.
Microservices can be thought of as minimal units of functionality, can be deployed independently, are reusable, and communicate with each other via various network protocols like
HTTP(More on that in a moment).
Read the whole thing. I have a love-hate relationship with these but it’s a pattern worth understanding.