Most engineers still believe one thing: “Microservices = expensive infrastructure.” That’s no longer true. In 2026, you can build a scalable, production-ready microservices system without spending a dollar. 🧠 The Idea Behind This Stack The goal isn’t just to make things “cheap.” It’s to: Keep services independent Use async communication where it matters Avoid vendor lock-in Stay production-realistic This isn’t a toy setup. This is something you can actually build on. 🧱 The Stack Breakdown 1. Frontend Layer Use: Next.js Vercel (free tier) This layer handles user interaction and sends requests to your backend. 2. API Gateway / Service Mesh Spring Cloud Gateway Istio or Linkerd This is the entry point to your system: Routes requests Handles load balancing Manages traffic 3. Service Discovery & Config Eureka Spring Cloud Config Instead of hardcoding service URLs, services discover each other dynamically. 4.…