You’re looking to sharpen your system design and software architecture skills, right? Here are some system design books that will help crack FAANG
This book comprises the best resources put together for system design and software architecture to help increase your knowledge base and view software in an architectural context.
We narrowed the choices for you instead of spewing too many. These are books covering core architecture principles and system design topics from a software architect’s view.
Software architecture is a very broad domain, and by industry in particular, so mastering everything isn’t easy. But the resources below give you key tools and techniques to design dependable, secure, and scalable software. They help you take an architect’s point of view, focusing on important design elements rather than the fine details.
Key Differences: Developers vs. Architects
Usually, such minute details like classes and methods are taken care of by the developers. Architect’s main focus would be towards inter-component communication, the technology stack, persistence strategies, non-functional requirements, including security, scalability, and resilience. A lot of input that the suggested books give regarding design patterns, coding best practices, and avoiding errors during early development stages can be leveraged.
Best Books for Professional Developers on System Design
Here is a list of must-reads for the seasoned Java developer, programmer, or aspiring software architect. They will help expand your awareness and give you a “big picture” view.
1. System Design Interview Volumes 1 & 2
Written by: Alex Xu
This book is an excellent insight into real-world system design for any serious preparation for a system design interview. Authored by Alex Xu with experience working with FAANG companies, the book contains great diagrams and mock interviews on critical design choices, including SQL vs. NoSQL and client-side vs. server-side routing.
It also has Alex’s System Design course on ByteByteGo, which goes deep into popular system design questions and frameworks for solving design problems.
2. Designing Data-Intensive Applications
Written by: Martin Kleppmann
Martin Kleppmann’s book is recommended for getting a depth understanding of the subtleties of data storage and processing technologies. The concepts, algorithms, and applications across data systems are presented in an accessible style and provide insights that can be very handy for both developers and architects.
3. Patterns of Enterprise Application Architecture
Written by: Martin Fowler
This book by Martin Fowler discusses very essential enterprise architecture patterns and is one of the classics. This book is the perfect companion to the classic “Design Patterns” book and suits those developers who should understand principles behind the framework for web and enterprise software.
4. Google Software Engineering: Lessons Learned from Programming Over Time
Written by: Google engineers Titus Winters and Hyrum Wright, along with Tom Manshreck
Google Software Engineering: Lessons Learned from Programming Over Time Authored by Google engineers Titus Winters and Hyrum Wright, along with Tom Manshreck, this book gives a detailed look into Google’s software engineering practices and culture. It is a serious learning material for anybody wanting to know the design and engineering philosophies of one of the leading tech companies in the world.
5. Software Architecture in Practice
Written by: Len Bass
It is ideal for novices who are learning core ideas in software architecture. There are also anecdotes and real-life examples to provide some insight into the choices and lessons related to software design. Using this resource with Coursera’s Software Architecture course will maximize active learning.
6. Clean Architecture
Written by: Robert C. Martin
This excellent book by Uncle Bob-author of Clean Code-speaks on adaptable and maintainable architecture. It deals with issues such as SOLID principles and clean coding practices with recommendations in evaluation and selection of architectural designs.
7. Building Microservices: Designing Fine-Grained Systems
Written by: Sam Newman
The book is useful for developers looking forward to migration towards microservices application and understanding what it takes to design distributed systems that power the apps of today like Uber and Netflix. It is particularly useful for people transitioning from monolithic applications to microservices-based applications.
7. Domain-Driven Design: Tackling Complexity in the Heart of Software
Written by: Eric Evans
Tackling Complexity in the Heart of Software by Eric Evans This book should be read by developers who wish to dig into architectural understanding. The book generally discusses practical design challenges and solutions in software systems though not solely for architects it is knowledge which is important to know to those who wish to gain entry into architecture.
Further Reading
Another resource that is pretty helpful when it comes to interview preparation is Grokking the System Design Interview by Design Guru. It addresses topics like scaling, load balancing, and caching, which also includes solutions for common problems in system design. On top of the book, DesignGuru also offers Grokking courses to build your interview-ready skills in places like OOP design and dynamic programming. These resources are excellent for developers who are willing to take their knowledge to the next level and prepare themselves for advanced roles in software design and architecture. Be it a solution architect or a system design expert, these books could be a good starting point.
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