How a Microservice Works — Microservices are the software LEGOs® we need in order to build reliable, scalable, cloud-capable applications — because they are simple, make sense, and can be snapped together to build bigger things. We’ll take an individual microservice actor apart so we can see how it works. What Is a Microservice and Why Should We Care? The microservice architectural pattern provides…

How to Make Implementing Cloud-Native Applications Easier — From the first programming languages, to advanced programming paradigms, to the development of virtualization and cloud infrastructure, the history of computer science is the history of the evolution of abstractions that hide complexity and empower the creation of ever more sophisticated applications. The development of reliable, scalable applications for the…

What we can learn about software development from an Army field manual — Managing a business in a competitive market is filled with uncertainties. So why do we work so hard to avoid acknowledging uncertainty in our business planning? How often do we build our software development plans around uncertain assumptions — and how often do we cling to a plan after too…

How it began and how it might end — We, in the United States, are engaged in a vigorous dispute over the political direction of our country. The actual arguments of the dispute are far less important than how that dispute is being conducted. …

How to Create a REST API That You Can Learn to Love — Designing a solid REST API is not as hard as you might think. But to do it, first you have to understand that REST is not a procedural API like those with which you are most familiar. …

There Is a Lesson for All of Us — Being an autocrat makes you ignorant and being ignorant can make you stupid. Whether intelligent or otherwise, you cannot make effective decisions without accurate and reasonably unbiased information. But who is willing to tell a strongman, who might literally shoot the messenger, what he doesn’t wish to hear? This is…

What It Takes to Make Agile Work for You — Agility is the speed with which an organization can exploit opportunities and respond to challenges. It is a priceless competitive advantage for businesses that achieve it. In today’s ultra-competitive world, business agility requires a mastery of computing and software technology. To achieve that, we must also master Agile software development. What Is Agile Development?

Spring Boot Is the Most Popular Way to Build Microservices Applications — Most of the job postings for microservice architects and developers ask for experience with Spring Boot. But is Spring Boot the best way to implement your microservice applications? Let’s take a look at the answer. What Kinds of Issues Do Microservices Address? The microservice architectural pattern addresses some of today’s more pressing software development, deployment, and operational…