Hacker News with Generative AI: Software Architecture

A Principled Approach to Querying Data – A Type-Safe Search DSL (claudiu-ivan.com)
The rise of local-first web applications demands a rethinking of traditional client-server architectures.
Data, Databases, Programming, Web Development, Software Architecture
93 points by kioku 7 days ago | 18 comments
Why I'm No Longer Talking to Architects About Microservices (container-solutions.com)
It happened again last week. I was at an architecture review meeting when a fellow architect eagerly started another debate about *microservices*. Within minutes, eyes glazed over and we were knee-deep in an absurd discussion about something that should have been a means to an end, but had morphed into the end itself. At that moment, I realized: I’m done. I’ve finally sworn off talking to architects about microservices. Why? Because these conversations usually go nowhere productive.
Software Architecture, Microservices, Agile Development
117 points by saikatsg 33 days ago | 92 comments
The Synchrony Budget (morling.dev)
For building a system of distributed services, one concept I think is very valuable to keep in mind is what I call the synchrony budget: as much as possible, a service should minimize the number of synchronous requests which it makes to other services.
Distributed Systems, Software Architecture, Microservices
18 points by ingve 39 days ago | 9 comments
Krazam: Microservices [video] (youtube.com)
Microservices, Video, Technology, Software Architecture
10 points by Klaster_1 40 days ago | 4 comments
The New Three-Tier Application (dbos.dev)
In the beginning (that is, the 90’s), developers created the three-tier application. Per Martin Fowler, these tiers were the data source tier, managing persistent data, the domain tier, implementing the application’s primary business logic, and the presentation tier, handling the interaction between the user and the software. The motivation for this separation is as relevant today as it was then: to improve modularity and allow different components of the system to be developed relatively independently.
Software Architecture, Web Development
81 points by qianli_cs 44 days ago | 86 comments
Software Architecture Is More Than Boxes and Arrows (planetgeek.ch)
I watch many software architecture talks (on-site and virtually), and I am starting to think that my understanding of software architecture differs from that of most speakers.
Software Architecture, Software Development, Design
3 points by Kerrick 57 days ago | 0 comments
Conway's Law (2022) (martinfowler.com)
Pretty much all the practitioners I favor in Software Architecture are deeply suspicious of any kind of general law in the field. Good software architecture is very context-specific, analyzing trade-offs that resolve differently across a wide range of environments. But if there is one thing they all agree on, it's the importance and power of Conway's Law. Important enough to affect every system I've come across, and powerful enough that you're doomed to defeat if you try to fight it.
Software Architecture, Conway's Law, Software Design
26 points by yamrzou 87 days ago | 1 comments
Building a Generative AI Platform (huyenchip.com)
After studying how companies deploy generative AI applications, I noticed many similarities in their platforms. This post outlines the common components of a generative AI platform, what they do, and how they are implemented. I try my best to keep the architecture general, but certain applications might deviate. This is what the overall architecture looks like.
Generative AI, Platforms, Software Architecture, Artificial Intelligence
4 points by pknerd 91 days ago | 1 comments
Turning the database inside-out (2015) (kleppmann.com)
Databases are global, shared, mutable state. That’s the way it has been since the 1960s, and no amount of NoSQL has changed that. However, most self-respecting developers have got rid of mutable global variables in their code long ago. So why do we tolerate databases as they are?
Databases, Software Architecture, Programming, Distributed Systems
192 points by andection 95 days ago | 95 comments
REST is the new SOAP. A journey through a trendy hell (2017) (medium.com)
REST promised simplicity and delivered complexity. REST promised robustness and delivered fragility. REST promised interoperability and delivered heterogeneity. REST is the new SOAP.
RESTful APIs, Software Architecture, Web Development, Technology Criticism
4 points by hui-zheng 101 days ago | 0 comments
The Microservices Fallacy (ufried.com)
If you listen to discussions about microservices, they often feel like: Microservices are it! It’s how modern IT systems are built! Microservices reduce complexity! Microservices are needed for scalability! Everybody does Microservices! We want them! We need them!
Microservices, Software Architecture, Software Development
12 points by kiyanwang 101 days ago | 12 comments
The Raw Truth About Self-Publishing My First Technical Book (fractionalarchitect.io)
A week ago, my “Master Software Architecture” book reached a milestone: 800 copies sold (combining ebooks and physical copies). While I am incredibly happy about this achievement, you might wonder: is this a lot compared to what I planned? That is one of the many topics I will explore in today's post.
Self-Publishing, Technical Books, Authoring, Book Sales, Software Architecture
4 points by thunderbong 102 days ago | 0 comments
Clojure core.async.flow (github.com/clojure)
The fundamental objective of core.async.flow is to enable a strict separation of your application logic from its topology, execution, communication, lifecycle, monitoring and error handling, all of which are provided by and centralized in, c.a.flow, yielding more consistent, robust, testable, observable and operable systems.
Clojure, Programming Languages, Software Architecture, Concurrency
61 points by cempaka 105 days ago | 3 comments
The Architecture of Open Source Applications (aosabook.org)
Architects look at thousands of buildings during their training, and study critiques of those buildings written by masters. In contrast, most software developers only ever get to know a handful of large programs well—usually programs they wrote themselves—and never study the great programs of history. As a result, they repeat one another's mistakes rather than building on one another's successes.
Software Development, Open Source, Software Architecture
4 points by hubraumhugo 114 days ago | 0 comments
Building AI Products–Part I: Back-End Architecture (philcalcado.com)
In 2023, we launched an AI-powered Chief of Staff for engineering leaders—an assistant that unified information across team tools and tracked critical project developments.
Artificial Intelligence, Back-End Development, Software Architecture, Product Development
162 points by rafaelferreira 125 days ago | 21 comments
Ask HN: Are there any courses specifically for software architecture? (ycombinator.com)
Are there any online courses specifically for software application architecture (rather than learning syntax, math, etc.)?
Software Architecture, Online Courses, Education
12 points by mattyreed1 141 days ago | 4 comments
Hexagonal Architecture and Rails (codegardener.com)
Last night, Fito and I watched Alistair Cockburn's Hexagonal Architecture talk from the Tech Excellence Conference. We really enjoyed it, and despite thinking I already understood the pattern, I learned a ton. In fact, before you continue reading, you should go watch it. Go ahead! I'll wait...
Software Architecture, Programming
32 points by mooreds 145 days ago | 0 comments
Domains listening to many other domains in Event-Driven Architecture (reactivesystems.eu)
Usually, in an event-driven architecture, events are emitted by one service and listened to by many (1:n). But what if it’s the other way around? If one service needs to listen to events from many other services?
Event-Driven Architecture, Software Architecture, Microservices
6 points by lutzh 149 days ago | 1 comments
Thinking in Actors – Challenging your software modelling to be simpler (jeremycarterau.substack.com)
Challenging your software modelling techniques to be simpler
Software Development, Software Architecture, Design Patterns, Programming
135 points by jeremycarter 151 days ago | 45 comments
I don't know how to build software and you don't either (seangoedecke.com)
Are microservices better than monoliths? Should teams set their own technical direction, or is it better to have that dictated by some external architect? Should you write long-term complex projects in an untyped language? If you’re on the internet for ten seconds, you’ll see many engineers who argue about these topics as if the answer was obvious.
Software Development, Software Architecture, Programming Languages
32 points by gfysfm 151 days ago | 53 comments
Why microservices might be finished as monoliths return with a vengeance (venturebeat.com)
The shift towards microservices started gaining momentum in the early 2010s, as tech companies recognized the limitations of monolithic architectures. However, many companies such as Amazon (Prime Video), Invision, Istio and Segment are moving back to monolithic architectures. This article will explore why many organizations fail when transitioning to a microservices architecture.
Microservices, Monolithic Architecture, Software Development, Software Architecture
47 points by unclebucknasty 152 days ago | 32 comments
A Reconfigurable Architecture for Industrial Control Systems (mdpi.com)
The closed architecture and stand-alone operation model of traditional industrial control systems limit their ability to leverage ubiquitous infrastructure resources for more flexible and intelligent development.
Reconfigurable Architecture, Software Architecture, Industry 4.0
4 points by PaulHoule 154 days ago | 0 comments
Ask HN: Good books about architecturing cloud solutions for performance? (ycombinator.com)
What are some good books for architecture of web software for performance? Preferably ones targeted to Spring but also other technologies
Cloud Architecture, Software Architecture, Performance Optimization, Spring Framework
15 points by akkad33 156 days ago | 6 comments
Data Modeling with Sums and Products (funktionale-programmierung.de)
Data Modeling is often an underappreciated aspect of software architecture, yet it plays a crucial role in achieving not only functional but also usability and maintainability goals.
Data Modeling, Software Architecture, Programming
54 points by markusschlegel 156 days ago | 20 comments
The Practical Guide to Scaling Django (slimsaas.com)
Most Django scaling guides focus on theoretical maximums. But real scaling isn’t about handling hypothetical millions of users - it’s about systematically eliminating bottlenecks as you grow. Here’s how to do it right, based on patterns that work in production.
Django, Web Development, Scaling, Performance Optimization, Software Architecture
149 points by rbanffy 167 days ago | 34 comments
Why software only moves forward (swizec.com)
At scale there are no rollbacks and no cut-overs. Your software only moves forward.
Software Development, Software Architecture, Scalability
92 points by speckx 177 days ago | 64 comments
Leveraging the lightcone around the source of truth with Postgres (benoitessiambre.com)
To summarize, the postgres-centrism hypothesis says that integrated, entropy-minimizing systems that reduce dependency distances, and anchor logic near the source of truth, leveraging the efficiencies of proximity, often better aligns with fundamentals of computing, physics, information theory, thermodynamics and intelligence.
Databases, Software Architecture, Information Theory
9 points by BenoitEssiambre 179 days ago | 5 comments
Killing the Command message: should we use Events or Documents? (2007) (microsoft.com)
If we want to decouple a SOA system, we must get away from the notion of the remote procedure call.  In other words, our services need to have as few "command" messages as we can get away with.  This is a design philosophy but it is easier said than done.
SOA, Software Architecture, Design Patterns, Microservices
9 points by chipdart 180 days ago | 1 comments
Using the Strangler Fig with Mobile Apps (martinfowler.com)
Incremental replacement of a legacy mobile application is a challenging concept to articulate and execute. However, we believe by making the investment in the pre-requisites of legacy modernization, it is posible to yield benefits in the long term. This article explores the Strangler Fig pattern and how it can be applied to mobile applications. We chart the journey of an enterprise who refused to accept the high cost and risk associated with a full rewrite of their mobile application.
Mobile Development, Software Architecture, Legacy Systems
57 points by timbilt 181 days ago | 13 comments
The Dual Nature of Events in Event-Driven Architecture (reactivesystems.eu)
Given that events play such a central role in event-driven architecture, there’s an astonishing lack of agreement on what should be contained in an event.
Event-Driven Architecture, Software Architecture, Software Development, Events
112 points by lutzh 182 days ago | 63 comments