# Simple microservices architecture on AWS
<a name="simple-microservices-architecture-on-aws"></a>

 Typical monolithic applications consist of different layers: a presentation layer, an application layer, and a data layer. Microservices architectures, on the other hand, separate functionalities into cohesive *verticals* according to specific domains, rather than technological layers. Figure 1 illustrates a reference architecture for a typical microservices application on AWS. 

![Diagram showing a typical microservices application on AWS](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/whitepapers/latest/microservices-on-aws/images/typical-microservices-application.png)