[SoK] Identifying Mismatches Between Microservice Testbeds and Industrial Perceptions of Microservices

Abstract

Microservices have increasing been a popular way of designing and building large-scale distributed systems. The challenges in developing microservices-based distributed applications have given rise to much academic research. However, the benchmarks used in academia are far from real-world microservices-based applications. This paper fills this gap and proposes ways microservices benchmarks should evolve to be more realistic. The authors take the readers through the limitations of existing testbeds, interviews with industry participants focusing on understanding the distance between benchmarks and real-world microservice-based applications, and propose ways to improve existing testbeds. I believe that the paper has the potential to support and accelerate research in this important area.