# Tightly Coupled Architecture

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Tightly coupled architecture is an architectural style where a number of application components are interdependent 
(the opposite paradigm of [loosely coupled architectures](https://glossary.cncf.io/loosely-coupled-architecture/)). 
This means that a change in one component will likely impact other components. 
It is generally easier to implement than more loosely coupled architectural styles, 
but can leave a system more vulnerable to cascading failures. 
They also tend to require coordinated rollouts of components 
which can become a drag on developer productivity.

Tightly coupled application architectures are a fairly traditional way of building applications. 
While not necessarily consistent with all the best practices of [microservice](https://glossary.cncf.io/microservices-architecture/) development 
they can be useful in specific circumstances. 
They tend to be faster and simpler to implement and 
much like [monolithic applications](https://glossary.cncf.io/monolithic-apps/) they can speed up the initial development cycle.

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- Canonical URL: https://glossary.cncf.io/tightly-coupled-architecture/
- Status: Completed
- Last modified March 27, 2024: ` [en] Update links to 'microservices' (#3009) ` ([693b72b](https://github.com/cncf/glossary/commit/693b72b1b49449570de53822cec27af98e73afa7))
- Source: https://github.com/cncf/glossary/blob/main/content/en/tightly-coupled-architecture.md
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