The Best Software Architecture Books of All Time
By: Thilina Ashen Gamage
Tags: Software Architecture, Software Testing, Software Engineering, Software Development, Programming

The Best Software Architecture Books of All Time

Software Architects are primarily responsible for maintaining the conceptual integrity of a software system. In order to become one of them, you need both theoretical and practical exposure in technology and business domains. With this curated list of all-time best Software Architecture books, you will be able to significantly speed up your learning process.

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#1 — Get your hands dirty with some clean coding

GoF | Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software [1994] by Erich Gamma, Richard Helm, Ralph Johnson, John Vlissides (Gang of Four a.k.a. GoF) | Learn: 23 OOP patterns to improve the reusability and flexibility of code | Amazon: 4.7/5 (1,147) | Goodreads: 4.18/5 (9,972) | ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Clean Code: A Handbook of Agile Software Craftsmanship [2007] by Robert C. Martin (“Uncle Bob”) | Learn: Coding best practices to improve the readability of code and maintain quality with TDD | Amazon: 4.6/5 (2,239) | Goodreads: 4.4/5 (15,271) | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Clean Architecture: A Craftsman’s Guide to Software Structure and Design [2016] by Robert C. Martin (“Uncle Bob”) | Learn: Common rules of software architecture to improve developer productivity throughout the life of any software system | Amazon: 4.6/5 (958) | Goodreads: 4.23/5 (3,078) | ⭐⭐⭐

Refactoring: Improving the Design of Existing Code (2nd Edition) [2018] by Martin Fowler | Learn: Coding best practices to improve existing code for better understandability and maintainability | Amazon: 4.7/5 (306) | Goodreads: 4.25/5 (7,021) | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Pragmatic Programmer (2nd Edition): Your Journey to Mastery, 20th Anniversary Edition [2019] by Andrew Hunt, David Thomas | Learn: Practical insights and advice on creating better software and rediscovering the joy of coding | Amazon: 4.8/5.0 (632) [2nd Edition — 2019] | Goodreads: 4.32/5.0 (16,114) [1st Edition — 1999] | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

#2 — Build state-of-the-art system designs

POSA1 | Pattern-Oriented Software Architecture Volume 1: A System of Patterns [1996] by Frank Buschmann, Hans Rohnert | Learn: Patterns with a higher level of abstraction for large-scale applications | Amazon: 4.3/5.0 (45) | Goodreads: 3.89/5.0 (200) | ⭐⭐⭐

POSA2 | Pattern-Oriented Software Architecture Volume 2: Patterns for Concurrent and Networked Objects [2000] by Frank Buschmann, Hans Rohnert | Learn: 17 Patterns for application and middleware design in concurrent and networked environments | Amazon: 4.5/5.0 (35) | Goodreads: 3.68/5.0 (77) | ⭐⭐⭐

EAA | Patterns of Enterprise Application Architecture [2002] by Martin Fowler | Learn: Solution patterns for designing and building enterprise applications and frameworks | Amazon: 4.4/5 (342) | Goodreads: 4.11/5 (3,409) | ⭐⭐⭐⭐

EIP | Enterprise Integration Patterns: Designing, Building, and Deploying Messaging Solutions [2003] by Gregor Hohpe | Learn: 65 Patterns to design effective messaging solutions and integrate enterprise applications | Amazon: 4.6/5 (255) | Goodreads: 4.09/5 (1,333) | ⭐⭐⭐⭐

DDD | Domain-Driven Design: Tackling Complexity in the Heart of Software [2003] by Eric Evans | Learn: Domain modelling in software design | Amazon: 4.5/5 (402) | Goodreads: 4.15/5 (4,181) | ⭐⭐⭐⭐

POSA4 | Pattern-Oriented Software Architecture Volume 4: A Pattern Language for Distributed Computing [2007] by Frank Buschmann, Hans Rohnert | Learn: 114 patterns for developing distributed computing middleware and applications | Amazon: 4.0/5 (12) | Goodreads: 3.55/5 (42) | ⭐⭐⭐

Building Microservices: Designing Fine-Grained Systems [2015] by Sam Newman | Learn: High-level solution patterns for modelling, integrating, testing, deploying, and monitoring microservices | Amazon: 4.5/5 (499) | Goodreads: 4.18/5 (3,493) | ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Designing Data-Intensive Applications [2015] by Martin Kleppmann | Learn: State-of-the-art data handling technologies and architectural approaches to building data-intensive applications | Amazon: 4.7/5 (1,103) | Goodreads: 4.71/5 (3,546) | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Building Evolutionary Architectures: Support Constant Change [2017] by Neal Ford, Rebecca Parsons, Patrick Kua | Learn: Best practices to building software architectures that support change over time | Amazon: 4.0/5 (78) | Goodreads: 3.73/5 (632) | ⭐⭐⭐

#3 — Understand the software building culture & delivery processes

Continuous Delivery: Reliable Software Releases Through Build, Test, and Deployment Automation [2010] by Jez Humble, David Farley | Learn: Principles and practices for rapid, incremental, and high-quality software delivery | Amazon: 4.6/5 (256) | Goodreads: 4.18/5 (2,905) | ⭐⭐⭐⭐

SRE | Site Reliability Engineering: How Google Runs Production Systems [2016] by Betsy Beyer, Niall Richard Murphy, Chris Jones, Jennifer Petoff | Learn: Best practices for building and operating large distributed computing systems | Amazon: 4.6/5 (356) | Goodreads: 4.23/5 (1,818) | ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Release It!: Design and Deploy Production-Ready Software (2nd Edition) [2018] by Michael T. Nygard | Learn: Best practices to design state-of-the-art distributed systems with better stability and safety | Amazon: 4.6/5.0 (109) [2nd Edition — 2018] | Goodreads: 4.25/5.00 (2,588) [1st Edition — 2007] | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thinking in Systems: A Primer [2008] by Donella H. Meadows, Diana Wright | Learn: A toolkit for problem-solving on scales ranging from the personal to the global | Amazon: 4.6/5.0 (1,042) | Goodreads: 4.27/5.0 (8,353) | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Just Enough Software Architecture: A Risk-Driven Approach [2010] by George H. Fairbanks | Learn: Practical guidelines for risk-driven architecting and engineering practices | Amazon: 4.2/5.0 (42) | Goodreads: 3.45/5.0 (133) | ⭐⭐⭐

Software Systems Architecture: Working with Stakeholders Using Viewpoints and Perspectives [2011] by Nick Rozanski, Eóin Woods | Learn: Practical guidelines to design and implement effective architectures | Amazon: 4.4/5.0 (42) [2nd Edition — 2011] | Goodreads: 4.1/5.0 (198) [1st Edition — 2005] | ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Accelerate: The Science of Lean Software and DevOps: Building and Scaling High Performing Technology Organizations [2018] by Nicole Forsgren, Jez Humble, Gene Kim | Learn: Practical insights and guidelines on managing DevOps transformation in an organization | Amazon: 4.5/5 (733) | Goodreads: 4.09/5 (3,425) | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Technology Strategy Patterns: Architecture as Strategy [2018] by Eben Hewitt | Learn: A toolbox for approaching business & IT strategy | Amazon: 4.4/5.0 (78) | Goodreads: 4.03/5.0 (115) | ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Model Thinker: What You Need to Know to Make Data Work for You [2018] by Scott E. Page | Learn: A toolkit for leveraging data and information to self-advantage and becoming clearer thinkers | Amazon: 4.4/5.0 (201) | Goodreads: 3.91/5.0 (411) | ⭐⭐⭐

The Phoenix Project (A Novel About IT, DevOps, and Helping Your Business Win) [2018] by Gene Kim, Kevin Behr, George Spafford | Learn: A story on real-world DevOps culture, challenges, and solutions | Amazon: 4.7/5 (5,603) | Goodreads: 4.27/5 (29,585) | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Unicorn Project: A Novel About Developers, Digital Disruption, and Thriving in the Age of Data [2019] by Gene Kim | Learn: A story on exploring developer productivity while managing technical debt and complexity | Amazon: 4.6/5 (1,217) | Goodreads: 4.15/5 (3,835) | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Fundamentals of Software Architecture: An Engineering Approach [2020] by Neal Ford, Mark Richards | Learn: A comprehensive overview of the software architecture field | Amazon: 4.6/5.0 (109) | Goodreads: 4.46/5.0 (165) | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Software Architect Elevator: Redefining the Architect’s Role in the Digital Enterprise [2020] by Gregor Hohpe | Learn: Practical insights and guidelines for modern Enterprise Architects | Amazon: 4.8/5.0 (36) | Goodreads: 4.55/5.0 (40) | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Some Advice on Books, Patterns, and Experts