Scenario

You are planning the next sprint, and navigating through the backlog suddenly find 3 stories that seem related

1. New Riders need to upload a profile or avatar image.

2. New Drivers need to upload their drivers licence.

3. Employees need to upload their receipts for expense reports.

You may consider the idea of having a dedicated file [micro]service solely for handling file storage(pictures). But, do we really need it? Well, it depends.

Why not?

1. Unnecessary Complexity: A separate file service adds another layer of communication and management, increasing the overall complexity of the system.
2. Performance Overhead: Inter-service communication introduces latency, which can negatively impact performance, especially when dealing with large files or frequent file operations.
3. Maintenance Burden: Maintaining a dedicated file service requires additional effort in terms of development, deployment, and monitoring.
4. Reinventing the Wheel: Cloud storage providers offer mature and highly optimized solutions for file management, making a custom service redundant.

Although

While a dedicated file service might not always be the best solution, there are specific scenarios where it could be justified:

1. Complex File Processing: If the application requires extensive file manipulation (e.g., image processing), a dedicated service might be useful to offload these tasks from the main application.
2. Abstraction and Encapsulation: A file service can provide a layer of abstraction, shielding the application from the specifics of the underlying storage implementation. This can be beneficial if you anticipate needing to switch storage providers in the future.
3. Security and Access Control: In some cases, a file service might be used to enforce specific security policies or access control rules for file storage.

In Short

While not a universally applicable rule, the advice to avoid creating a file [micro]service in most cases is sound. However, the counters explore the exceptions and nuances of the issue, adding valuable context. As with any architectural decision, careful consideration of the specific requirements and constraints of the project is crucial.