Topic / Architecture through real-world projects
Architecture through real-world projects
Learn how software fits together by following practical projects from an initial idea to a working system.
6 articles available
5 min read
Define System Boundaries with an Online Store
Use Fieldnote, a fictional stationery shop, to turn an unclear system boundary into explicit ownership, participants, and an order-acceptance promise.
5 min read
Design Services and Contracts Without Splitting the Monolith
Assign stock, order, payment, and checkout responsibilities inside one modular backend, then specify meaningful success, pending, and failure results.
5 min read
Trace a Synchronous Checkout with a Sequence Diagram
Trace one purchase through two local commits and a remote payment call, with explicit decline and unknown-outcome branches.
5 min read
Process Orders Asynchronously Without Losing Work
Turn one accepted order into durable packing and receipt jobs, then distinguish local task uniqueness from an external email effect.
6 min read
Handle Checkout Failures with Idempotency and Explicit Trade-offs
Recover a lost payment response without inventing a decline or creating a second payment attempt, and record the costs that safe recovery still carries.
4 min read
Trace a request before choosing a service boundary
A small report service makes responsibilities, waiting, and failure visible before you split the code.
Learning paths in this topic
Learning path · 3 proposed modules
System design in practice
A proposed route from tracing one request to reasoning about boundaries, failures, and change. Start with a system you can explain.
2 articles available
Learning path · 3 proposed modules
Online Store Architecture: From Boundaries to Reliable Orders
Follow one purchase through a modular online store: map its boundaries, define contracts, trace checkout, schedule durable work, and recover from ambiguous outcomes. A focused five-lesson route, not a complete system-design curriculum.
5 articles available