ArchitectThe first three topics of every volume are live. New topics are added in rounds across all volumes, so the whole path grows evenly.
Security Architecture
1.1 Security ArchitecturePrinciples, security boundaries, trust boundaries and attack surface1.2 CIA TriadConfidentiality, integrity and availability as design goals for every asset1.3 Security PrinciplesLeast privilege, defense in depth, fail secure, zero trust and secure by designSystem Design Fundamentals
1.1 What Is System Design?Structuring components, data and interactions to meet requirements under constraints1.2 RequirementsFunctional and non-functional requirements that can be designed and tested1.3 ConstraintsFixed boundaries that shape the solution spaceLarge-Scale & Distributed System Design
1.1 Traffic DistributionGetting each user to the nearest healthy place that can serve them1.2 Load BalancingSpreading requests across instances by health and real load1.3 Horizontal ScalingAdding instances instead of bigger machines — and knowing where it stops workingEnd-to-End Solution Architecture
1.1 Understanding the BusinessHow the business makes money, where it hurts, and what success looks like in numbers1.2 Stakeholder IdentificationFinding everyone who can shape, block or be affected by the solution — and what each needs1.3 Business CapabilitiesMapping what the business does — the stable backbone for services, teams and investmentArchitecture Decisions, Trade-offs & Risk
1.1 ADRArchitecture Decision Records — short, immutable documents that preserve why the system is the way it is1.2 Decision ContextThe forces, facts and assumptions that make one option better than another — and when to decide1.3 AlternativesGenerating real options, evaluating them fairly, and knowing when the evidence is strong enoughLegacy Modernization & Transformation
1.1 Legacy System DiscoveryFinding out what really exists — code, data, jobs, integrations, users and the people who know1.2 Dependency AnalysisMapping what depends on what — in code, at runtime, through data and in the batch night1.3 Architecture Reverse EngineeringRecovering the architecture as it really is — from code, runtime, data and people — into views you can reason aboutSolution Architecture Delivery & Governance
1.1 Architecture & AgileIntentional architecture plus emergent design — building just enough runway ahead of features1.2 Architecture & Product ManagementPartnering with product — enablers in the backlog, options instead of vetoes, and shared prioritisation1.3 Architecture & Development TeamsEnabling autonomous teams — topologies, decision rights, guardrails and golden pathsSolution Architect Workshops, Interviews & Final Assessment
1.1 Clarifying RequirementsTurning a deliberately vague prompt into an agreed, bounded problem — in five to eight minutes1.2 Asking the Right QuestionsHigh-impact questions first, asked with purpose, batched and summarised1.3 Identifying ConstraintsWhat you cannot change — and how it shapes every choice on the board
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