monolithic system
{{for|the American semiconductor company|MoSys}}
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A monolithic system is a system that is integrated into one whole, analogous to a monolith. The phrase can have slightly different meanings in the contexts of computer software and hardware.
In application software
In application software, software is called "monolithic" if it has a monolithic architecture, in which functionally distinguishable aspects (for example data input and output, data processing, error handling, and the user interface) are all interwoven, rather than containing architecturally separate components.{{cite book|author=Rod Stephens|title=Beginning Software Engineering|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SyHWBgAAQBAJ&pg=PA94|date=2 March 2015|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn=978-1-118-96916-8|page=94}} Software systems like this are examples of monolithic applications.{{cite web|url=https://www.atlassian.com/microservices/microservices-architecture/microservices-vs-monolith|website=atlassian.com|title=Microservices vs. monolithic architecture: When monoliths grow too big it may be time to transition to microservices|first=Chandler|last=Harris|year=2022}}
In hardware
An electronic hardware system, such as a multi-core processor, is called "monolithic" if its components are integrated together in a single integrated circuit. Note that such a system may consist of architecturally separate components{{spaced ndash}}in a multi-core system, each core forms a separate component{{spaced ndash}}as long as they are realized on a single die.{{fact|date=May 2023}}
In system software
In system software, a monolithic kernel is an operating system (OS) architecture where the entire OS is working in kernel space.