Building Microservices - more than just another "microservices book"

Finally! Hundreds of pages dedicated to microservices have been transferred to my brain. Even if only a tenth of what I read stays with me, then Sam Newman has definitely succeeded. "Building Microservices" is enormous - not just in size (there are certainly bigger books!) but in the vast range of topics it covers. What some people think of as "Microservices" might only be the summit of an enormous "MICROSERVICES" mountain.

This book is about the topography of that mountain. It doesn't delve too deeply into every aspect, but it provides an overview, gives directions, helps with navigation, highlights pitfalls, and suggests proven routes - all to ensure that you can reach the summit safely. Like any mountain climb, adopting microservices comes with decisions to make and trade-offs to take.

Newman starts the book with the fundamentals: What are microservices? How do we model microservices in relation to the problem we are solving (i.e., the product we are building)? How do we split an existing monolithic solution into microservices?

He then moves on to the technical aspects: communication, security, building and testing, monitoring, and even front-end development.

The last part is about us, the people who build microservices. Once again, we learn how important Conway's Law is, what the optimal organizational structure to support microservices development looks like, and the role of architects in all of this.

I was very excited to read the book. I loved that the author provided enough information to understand the topics and left breadcrumbs, referencing books, articles, and videos so that one can delve deeper and learn more. "Building Microservices" will find its audience among architects, novice and experienced backend developers alike. I highly recommend it.