The 7 Software Architecture Books Experienced Developers Need to Read

Hello devs, being an author of a popular Java programming blog, I receive a lot of queries from senior Java developers who aspire to become software architects or solution architects, like what can they do to become a software architect? Which books, resources, or certifications can help? And general queries like how much experience you need to become a software architect etc.

In the past, I have been suggesting to them individually about best software architecture courses and books to read to expand their knowledge base and look at the software from architecture and design perspectives. This article is a compilation of many such suggestions.

Since many books can confuse you, I have only selected seven best and must-read books from the software architect's perspective, with a couple of System design and Software development books.

Since architecture is a vast subject and highly depends upon the domain you are working in, it's impossible to learn everything you need to design software from top to bottom. Still, these books will give you the tools and techniques to build robust, secure, and maintainable software.

They will also help you develop the mindset required to focus on essentials rather than details, a crucial difference between how a developer thinks and how an architect thinks.

In general, developers focus on low-level details, like class and methods, while architects focus on high-level information, like how individual components should communicate. How should the persistence layer behave? Which technology stack to use? What will non-functional requirements be reporting, archiving, logging, security, scalability, resiliency, etc?

These books are also full of advice regarding object-oriented design, good coding practices, and avoiding costly mistakes in the initial phase of software development.

7 Best Software Architecture Books for Experienced Developers

Without any further ado, here is my list of some books every experienced Java programmer and all the developers who want to become software architects or solution architects should read. These books will expand your knowledge and fill gaps in your understanding. They will also help you to understand the big picture instead of focusing on technical details.

1. Patterns of Enterprise Application Architecture

This is one of those books that doesn't need a review. It's one of the classics like Gang of Four books every programmer should read.

Martin Fowler is one of my favorite authors and a Guru in the software development world, and this book clearly shows why. The text is very well written and easy to follow.

This book complements the original Java design patterns book but lists many more patterns from the Enterprise architecture point of view.

You must read this book to learn the patterns and architectural principles behind the popular frameworks programmers use to make sophisticated, real-world software on the web. If you prefer active learning, you can combine this book with my favorite Basics of Software Architecture and Design Patterns in Java course on Udemy.

2. Designing Data-Intensive Applications By Martin Kleppmann

In this fantastic book on system design, Martin Kleppmann will help you understand the pros and cons of all the different technologies used for storing and processing data. It is a book that is written in a lucid style and presents a comprehensive overview of data storage systems.

You will get an excellent grasp of fundamental concepts, algorithms, and practical applications of various technologies.

This is also one of the most popular books for learning Software design and System Design, and I highly recommend this book to all software developers.

The book is also suitable for beginners, experienced developers, software architects, and anyone who wants to improve in depth in software design.

You can combine this book with the Mastering the System Design Interview by Frank Kane (Ex Amazon Hiring Manager) on Udemy for better preparation.

3. System Design Interview Part 1 and 2 By Alex Xu

As the title suggests, this book is perfect for everyone preparing for a system interview. Trust me; this book is the finest on the internet right now. This book is created by Alex Xu, who has undergone the same process.

You will get access to several drawings and diagrams that will assist you in gaining an understanding of the natural system. You will be able to understand what the recruiters are looking for in your answers to questions.

Alex also has a companion System design course on ByteByteGo, where you will find not only all the content of this book and the second part of System Design Interview Book by Alex Wu but also new content, deep dive into popular system questions like how to design YouTube and WhatsApp as well as proven System design framework to solve a Software design problem.

In short, if you read this book, you can breeze through your following system design interview. This is also one of the most recommended System design books on Reddit, Quora, Hacker News, Twitter, and other online platforms, and it’s evident from the number of reviews this book has on Amazon.

4. Software Architecture in Practice

This book is a good start for those curious or wanting to understand the basic concepts and ideas behind Software Architecture. Still, it is somewhat abstract, which many programmers might not enjoy.

What I like about the books are stories and anecdotes about incidents in history. Since I firmly believe that it’s stories that teach you what to do and what not to do, and our mind is more open to remembering stories than concepts, I found this book worth mentioning in this list.

You can use this book as a textbook to learn about software architecture, and If you want, you can also combine this book with Coursera's famous Software Architecture online course for more active learning.

5. Clean Architecture

This is one of the first books you should read on Software architecture. Uncle Bob, the author of Clean Code and Clean Coder, two must-read books for professional programmers, has presented his years of experience building clean architecture.

Something robust, maintainable, and adaptable to change. In this book, you learn about essential concepts of architecting software and the terminology used at that level.

You will also learn about SOLID design principles and good coding practices required for writing clean code. The book also gives practical advice on evaluating different designs and architecture by comparing their pros and cons.

In short, one of the most fundamental books on software architecture, which every senior programmer or someone who aspires to become a solution architect should read.

6. Building Microservices: Designing Fine-Grained Systems

Another great book to learn about the design and architecture of modern, distributed software, particularly Microservices, which power this generation, is the most excellent apps, like Uber, Facebook, NetFlix, etc.

If you want to move away from monolithic applications to the world of Microservices, then this is the book you should read. And if you want to learn from courses, you can also check out the Master Microservices with Spring Boot and Spring Cloud course by Ranga Karnam on Udemy. It's one of the best and most up-to-date techniques to learn how to build Microservices in Java using Spring Boot and other tech stacks.

7. Domain-Driven Design: Tackling Complexity in the Heart of Software

This is one of the oldest book features on this list, and many of you would argue that it's not for a software architect. I agree; it's not for a software architect but a must-read for programmers who want to become software architects.

This is ideal for a software developer with 3 to 5 years of experience because it puts forth many practical problems and their solutions, which can only be learned through real-world experience.

These problems and their solutions work in many different environments, and someone thinking of design and architecture should be at least familiar with those.

In short, this book provides deep architectural insight and helps you to create robust systems in a changing environment. Most importantly, Eric Evans has done a fantastic job explaining all these in a language the developer can understand.

One of the critical attributes of a software architect is knowledge of every aspect of the software, like design, coding, maintenance, deployment, support, etc. That attribute can only be acquired by expanding your knowledge base and experience. These books, along with a couple of advanced training courses on leading-edge technology, like REST and Spring security, can help you to get there.

That's all about some of the best books for software architects, technical leads, and solution architects. Suppose you are a senior Java developer with 8 to 10 years of experience and want to move the next step in your career toward becoming a software architect. In that case, these are the books to read to expand your vision and knowledge.

Thanks for reading this article so far. Please share these books with your friends and colleagues if you like them. If you have any questions or feedback, then please drop a note.