Software → System Design
Service Discovery
A mechanism for finding available service instances and their network locations.
Motivation
Service discovery lets systems find where other services are running. It solves the problem of dynamic addresses in distributed environments.
Mental model
Instead of hardcoding hosts, services ask a registry, DNS, or platform for current endpoints.
Where it fits
Service Discovery belongs to the Software track, inside System Design. It connects to nearby concepts through the graph relationships on this page and in the graph explorer.
Common mistakes
- Hardcoding service locations in configuration.
- Ignoring stale registrations.
- Forgetting health checks.
Related concepts
Use the metadata panel or return to the graph to explore concepts that this one requires or relates to.