The Software Architect trek
Design patterns, distributed systems, API design, event-driven architecture, cloud-native patterns, security architecture, and the decision-making framework of senior architects.
Architecture fundamentals
What software architects actually do, quality attributes, architectural thinking, and the fitness functions that guide design decisions.
Design patterns
The Gang of Four patterns you'll apply daily, and the more important skill of knowing when not to use a pattern.
Clean architecture & DDD
Hexagonal architecture, Domain-Driven Design, bounded contexts, and structuring code that survives years of change.
Distributed systems fundamentals
CAP theorem, consistency models, replication, consensus, and the fundamental constraints of distributed computing.
Microservices & service mesh
Service decomposition, inter-service communication, API gateways, service meshes, and the operational complexity microservices introduce.
Event-driven architecture
Event sourcing, CQRS, event streaming with Kafka, and building systems where the event log is the source of truth.
API design
REST, GraphQL, gRPC, and the API design principles that make systems maintainable across teams and over time.
Data architecture patterns
Data modeling for scale, polyglot persistence, data mesh, and choosing the right database for each job.
Security architecture
Threat modeling at the architectural level, zero trust, authentication architecture, and designing systems that are secure by default.
Cloud-native architecture
Cloud-native patterns, the 12-factor app, serverless, and designing for the managed services era.
Architecture decision records & communication
Documenting decisions, facilitating design reviews, communicating with stakeholders, and the soft skills that separate good architects from great ones.
Capstone — architect a real system
Design a complete, production-ready architecture for a real-world system. Present it, defend it, and document it for posterity.
Trek complete. What's next?
You've walked the full roadmap. Now ship the capstone, write about it, and share the path with the next engineer who needs it.