On dry runs, limits, and easy session switching
The coronavirus pandemic has been with us for the past few months. Software conferences all over the world are either canceled, postponed, or moved online. I had three major conferences where I was supposed to speak, which got canceled.
In addition to speaking at various conferences, I organized one major conference for the past couple of years — “Architecture Next.” It ran the risk of cancellation as well. However, together with my colleagues, we decided to run the conference nonetheless, and move it from a physical setting to a virtual one.
Unlike organizing physical conferences and meetups, this was the first time I hosted an online conference. I knew we were sailing into uncharted territory for us. Nevertheless, in hindsight, we had a very successful conference with more than 1,100 registrants and more than 500 attendees and minimal technical glitches. …
Introduction
This article describes how to build a custom URL shortener service using Azure’s serverless platform with Azure Functions and Cosmos DB. I had this idea after I recently read Jussi Roine’s article, where he built a URL shortener service (such as bit.ly) using a serverless Azure approach, an approach he led with Azure Logic Apps and a custom web app. As I was reading his article, I realized that building the same solution with Azure Functions and proper use of input and output bindings, can yield a highly elegant solution. …
Comparing the strengths and weaknesses of each
Introduction
As a software architect dealing with a lot of microservice-based systems, I often encounter the ever-repeating question: “Should I use RabbitMQ or Kafka?”
For some reason, many developers view these technologies as interchangeable. While this is true for some cases, there are various underlying differences between these platforms.
As a result, different scenarios require a different solution and choosing the wrong one might severely impact your ability to design, develop, and maintain your software solution.
Part 1 of this series explains the internal implementation concepts of both RabbitMQ and Apache Kafka. …
An architect’s dilemma
Introduction
As a software architect dealing with a lot of microservice-based systems, I often encounter the ever-repeating question , “Should I use RabbitMQ or Kafka?” For some reason, many developers view these technologies as interchangeable. While this is true for some cases, there are various underlying differences between these platforms.
As a result, different scenarios require a different solution, and choosing the wrong one might severely impact your ability to design, develop, and maintain your software solution.
The goal of this piece is first to introduce the basic asynchronous messaging patterns. Then, it continues to present both RabbitMQ and Kafka and their internal structures. Part 2 highlights the critical differences between these platforms, their various advantages and disadvantages, and how to choose between the two. …
Can You Talk About Yourself?
A couple of weeks ago I had the privilege to speak in a setting which was unfamiliar to me. Usually, I speak about professional topics — Software Architecture, Cloud Computing, etc., but this time it was different. This time I was asked to speak about myself. A good friend of mine told me that he was organizing an event about how developers and IT professionals can grow their career by getting more into cloud computing. He asked me if I can talk about why is it important to understand the cloud, and how I personally got into the field. While I’m not usually the person who likes to speak about himself, I believed that the cause was crucial — getting more developers and IT pros to be familiar with the cloud. The cloud is the modern platform which drives the entire industry forward and has the power to transform one’s career. …
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