Thomas Johnson articles - 41 total
If you Think Good Architecture is Expensive, try Bad Architecture
“If you think good architecture is expensive, try bad architecture” is a quote from Brian Foote &...
3 Features Every Debugging Tool Should Have
In today's complex software landscape, debugging distributed systems has become increasingly...
Understanding Technical Debt in Modernization Efforts
Modernization isn’t just about upgrading systems—it’s about addressing the compromises we’ve quietly...
AI, Platforms, and DX: What Should You Actually Invest In?
TL;DR Before you commit budget, it’s critical to set expectations. Both about what you're...
REST Is Easy Until It Isn’t. Modern API Paradigms Explained
Modern software development relies on different types of APIs, each serving specific purposes and...
System Design vs. Software Design: Stop Arguing, Start Architecting
When you ask an engineer to provide clear cut definitions of System Design, System Architecture,...
Operational Architecture: Control and Application Planes
Modern SaaS architectures divide functionality into two distinct operational layers: the control...
Identifying Code That Needs Refactoring
While developers can often spot code that needs improvement, strategic prioritization is essential...
Backend Software Engineers are Designers and Artists Too
The internet is overflowing with memes of “dev vs designer”, and it’s undeniable that it’s a...
Improving Developer Onboarding: Best Practices
When a new developer arrives at a company, everything comes at them all at once - new team, projects,...
Why I don’t (and won’t) miss whiteboards
Remember that 👆 infamous 2022 “Twitter code review” post? I recently came across Jane Manchun...
Whiteboards Were Great… Until They Weren’t
Remember that 👆 infamous 2022 “Twitter code review” post? I recently came across Jane Manchun...
On-Premises Architecture Solutions
On-premises architecture represents the traditional approach to hosting applications, where...
Essential Components of Effective Software Design Documents
Creating impactful software design documents requires a careful balance between providing...
Designing APIs with Users in Mind
APIs serve as critical building blocks for applications, services, and integrations. Whether used...
Understanding Monolithic Design for Modern Software
Monolithic architecture represents a unified approach to web application development where all...
Core Principles of Platform Engineering
Platform engineering creates a robust foundation for software development by establishing...
The Power of Test Automation
As software applications grow in complexity and scale, manual testing becomes increasingly...
Understanding Technical Debt: Core Concepts
Technical debt often emerges when development teams make compromises that prioritize immediate...
How to Prevent Devs from Rolling Their Eyes at Docs
If you start a conversation with an engineer by saying “We need to write the architecture...
5 Habits of High-Functioning Development Teams
Evolutionary scientists argue that working together is what enabled homo sapiens to succeed as a...
Devs Need to Invest More in *Visual* Communication
If you tell three engineers they'll be having fish for dinner, each one will imagine a different...
6 Best Practices Every Backend Dev Should Know
Most modern software systems are distributed systems. Nowadays they are a must for various...
Multi-player Mode is Everywhere, Even in Dev Tools
The shift from single-player to multi-player in software can also be described as the rise of...
Unpacking Technical Debt: The Types Every Dev Should Know
Development teams encounter various forms of technical debt throughout their projects. Understanding...
Don’t Just Draw It, Design It: Making System Diagrams Useful
Diagrams are seductive. They make complex systems look simple, neat, and easy to understand. And yet,...
From Lone Architects to Team Players: How System Design Has Evolved
A decade ago, system design felt like an exclusive club. A few senior architects drew elegant...
Observability 2.0: Rethinking Debugging
Imagine you're troubleshooting a production issue. You’ve got logs open in one tab, traces in...
How and why to choose a multi-cloud architecture
The primary goal of adopting a multi-cloud architecture is to ensure high availability and resilience...
Application Dependency Mapping: A Real-World Example
To better understand the concept of application dependency mapping, the ideal approach is to explore...