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The ADES Framework is a learning framework targeted at agile organizations. It ties together technical and organizational aspects and defines six »learning sectors«. Agile organizations need to continuously improve and work on these sectors to achieve the goal of sustainable agile practice. More

In agile contexts, software architecture is becoming more dynamic, fragmented, and distributed. Agile thinking brings cross-functionality, iterativity, and flexibility. This is changing the discipline of architecture. In large development projects, communication and ad hoc decisions are more difficult. How can agile architecture work be done effectively in this context? The sixth edition of our architecture cheat sheet summarizes the most important aspects. Download & info

In this iSAQB® curator interview, Stefan Toth, curator for iSAQB® CPSA-A® ARCEVAL and iSAQB® CPSA-A® AGILA, reveals why agility and software architecture go well together. You can also find out more about the architect:inenn role and the challenges in an agile team. Watch the video on YouTube here.

Software architecture documentation in practice Packt Publishing 1. Auflage Oktober 2019, gemeinsam mit G. Starke und M. Simons, R.D. Müller ISBN: 978-1839214356

Arcard is a card game, which is about the content of the iSAQB CPSA-FOUNDATION training. This card game was created by our trainer Markus Harrer. You can download it here: Arcard to print at home Please note that Arcard is only available in German.

Architecture is stable, software development is agile - there are constantly new requirements and new sprints with new plans. How do these two worlds fit together? In this episode Stefan Toth discusses these and other questions about agility and architecture - from team to company level. Youtube

Architecture reviews create transparency in software development, identify risks, and reveal compromises. With the fourth edition of our Architecture Cheat Sheet, we offer you a comprehensive overview of the topic. Download & Info

Why does a person get on a stamp? Who should not be missing from a “Who is who?” of software architecture? Anyone who tackles new topics is not only confronted with new terms. There are also names that everyone in the scene knows. The stars. This is also in the field of software architecture. Stefan has compiled his stars of the scene in an entertaining article and combined with important milestones & events from the history of software development. Blog

Training and continuing education to become an OMG Certified Expert in Business Process Management 2 (OCEB 2) – Fundamental Level Published by dpunkt Verlag, 2nd edition, February 2015, together with Tim Weilkiens, Christian Weiss, and Andrea Grass. More information

Blockchain – the solution to all of humanity’s problems or absurd hype? Neither: blockchain is suitable for some requirements and not for others. Lars Hupel and Stefan Tilkov explain the basics of blockchain technologies and provide an overview of existing and possible further use cases to demonstrate the potential of the technology.

Cloud environments are complex. When developing systems in the cloud, we cannot avoid key architectural issues. The three major cloud vendors (Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud) have each published their own ‘architecture frameworks’ – a set of design principles and best practices for architectural issues in the cloud. Learn more

Are you interested in exciting blog posts on the topic of adaptive software systems? Our trainer Alexander Kaserbacher writes posts on this topic in his blog ‘Shaping Shifts’. He publishes a new post every Tuesday, which you can subscribe to via email. Learn more

This small booklet explains the key topics of the iSAQB curriculum in a compact form and explains the modalities of the Foundation Level exam. It is not a substitute for a textbook!

All information on modular monoliths is summarized in this cheat sheet.

You can find the cheat sheet as a PDF here

All important information on the topic of web performance is summarized in this cheat sheet.

You can find the cheat sheet as a PDF here.

The fifth edition of our Architecture Cheat Sheet shows you how to build applications that fully exploit the potential of a cloud environment in our usual compact form. You are developing new cloud applications. What do you look for when designing architecture and selecting technology? There are concerns about cloud solutions. How do you address these? Which concerns are valid? Download & info

Continuous Delivery allows for faster and more reliable deployment of software in production. The foundation is a Continuous Delivery pipeline that automates the deployment process. This enables a reproducible, low-risk process to bring new releases into production. The book is a 100% practical guide to building Continuous Delivery pipelines that automate rollouts, improve reproducibility, and dramatically reduce risk. It introduces a proven Continuous Delivery technology stack, including Docker, Chef, Vagrant, Jenkins, Graphite, the ELK stack, JBehave, and Gatling. The book guides you through applying these technologies throughout build, continuous integration, load testing, acceptance testing, and monitoring. Wolff’s start-to-finish example projects offer the basis for your own experimentation, pilot programs, and full-fledged deployments.

Modern architectural approaches such as microservices place high demands on integration and distribution. What interactions exist between architectural style and CI/CD? The effects of changes in source code, technology and configuration are only recognised late in the development process. How do you get quick feedback? The 7th edition of our architecture cheat sheet summarises the most important aspects. Download & info

“I accept cookies.” Each of us accepts them several times a day. But what exactly happens when we do? Stefan Bodewig, Lucas Dohmen and Till Schulte-Coerne discuss this in this episode. A key topic is: Why do we use cookies and how are they related to sessions? Lucas, Till and Stefan also shed light on how cookies are structured and how they work. In addition: How long do cookies last? Who actually determines this and where are they stored? Listen to the podcast

Julia Dellnitz has been developing a playful and creative approach to work since 2012. She has described it in detail, based on many years of practical experience with colleagues, in the book “Daily Play. Agile Games for Coaches and Scrum Masters,” published by Rheinwerk Verlag. It includes 25 games for various team situations: developing ideas, clarifying roles, strengthening cooperation, and much more. About the book

Lucas Dohmen und Robert Glaser haben sich in dieser Folge einiges vorgenommen. Gemeinsam gehen sie der Frage nach: “Was passiert, wenn man im Browser Enter drückt?” und sprechen damit über nichts geringeres als das Rückgrat des World Wide Webs. Schritt für Schritt arbeiten sich die beiden durch die 3 Säulen des Webs – HTML, HTTP und URLs – bevor sie beim Kern des Pudels ankommen: dem statuslosen Request-Response-Zyklus mit Headern. Podcast anhören

Developers today have a wide range of options when it comes to choosing a database for their application. In this book, we discuss data models, scaling, and operation, with the aim of helping you make the right choice.

We are at a turning point in how we handle data. Our current data management practices are no longer adequate for complex organizational structures, increasingly numerous data sources, and the growing use of AI. This practical book by Zhamak Dehghani introduces you to Data Mesh, a decentralized socio-technical concept based on modern distributed architectures. Data Mesh is a new approach to the procurement, provision, access, and management of analytical data that also scales. Translated into German by our trainers Jochen Christ and Simon Harrer.

Machine learning (ML for short) is often mystified. In fact, it opens up entirely new possibilities. The approach and tools used differ significantly from those used in traditional software development. This cheat sheet provides a straightforward introduction to ML and shows you how to conduct your own experiments. Download & info

If you want to deliver software quickly and agilely, there’s no getting around DevOps. In this episode, Lucas and Anja talk about what DevOps is – and what it isn’t. According to Anja, there’s no such thing as a DevOps engineer who develops and operates software on their own – a real unicorn, in other words. But what is DevOps really? A conversation about organizational culture, trust, and autonomy—and the importance of platform, stream-aligned, and enabling teams. Listen to the podcast

Record designs, decisions, and solutions in a comprehensible and effective manner. Stefan Zörner’s book shows you how to record the central solution approaches of your software systems in such a way that they help you with development and further development. He considers both the situation where you are building a new software system and the “post-documentation” of existing solutions. Hanser Fachbuch, 3rd revised and expanded edition (Dec 2021). Website for the book

Effective, painless, and with little effort. Gernot Starke and Benjamin Wolf dispel some preconceptions about (technical) documentation and show you how to easily create sensible (architecture) documentation.

Domain-driven design (DDD for short) is a method for structuring software systems. Based on fundamental DDD concepts, this cheat sheet shows you a clear and adaptable process that will help you quickly and easily put your knowledge into practice. To the architecture cheat sheet.

Domain-driven design plays a crucial role in the design and implementation of technically demanding systems. Eric Evans’ DDD reference is an indispensable source for understanding DDD—and is now available in German for the first time with this book. Both the original version and the translation are licensed under Creative Commons. More info

Gernot Starke’s well-known guide helps aspiring software architects prepare for the iSAQB CPSA Foundation certification—now in its tenth edition. In over 400 pages and 16 clearly structured chapters, readers learn all the basics relevant to the exam.

In this book, we show you entertaining and practical ways to achieve better software architectures – effective, timeless, and technology-neutral! You will find typical behavior patterns of software architects, both good and bad. You will learn from successful patterns how to design better systems and work more effectively. From the “anti-patterns,” you will derive remedies for poor architectural practices. Special attention is paid to the evolution and modification of systems.

How do you motivate employees to take responsibility for their own professional development? Not at all, says Kim Duggen, because the assumption is that this desire is intrinsic. In the podcast, she explains how to awaken this dormant need for further training. Podcast on Spotify

Classical software testing cannot simply be transferred to AI. Model governance and internal audits are required to ensure fairness. Read more

Our handbook for product owners focuses on project work. Product ownership involves complex responsibilities. A clear overview of the tasks and principles involved is therefore very useful. The team of authors guides you on the journey from idea to successful practice, providing lots of details and tips from their own wealth of experience. To the book

The integration of data and functionality in the front end is a powerful but relatively rarely discussed topic. This article aims to highlight common patterns and briefly outline the possible advantages and disadvantages. Read article

The End of “Too Expensive” in Business Software? Exploring Features That Were Once Out of Reach. Go to blog post

GitOps is a way of implementing Continuous Deployment for cloud native applications. It focuses on a developer-centric experience when operating infrastructure, by using tools developers are already familiar with, including Git and Continuous Deployment tools. More info

Domain-driven Design practically explained with a massive case study. This book aims to explain the concepts of Domain-driven Design in a way that it is easily applicable in practice. Each chapter contains a theoretical part which is explained from the point of view of practical applicability and then exercises with solutions based on a comprehensive, complex case study (real estate loans). More info

More than 70 solutions to common Hibernate problems. More

On the INNOQ Podcast, Lucas Dohmen and Lisa Maria Moritz talk regularly with colleagues about software architecture, systems, and people. Try listening in

In this special series, INNOQ experts talk about topics from the security universe. Only available in German.

In this podcast series we talk about IT security fundamentals and more. Podcast

Kim Nena Duggen, curator of the SOFT advanced module, addresses relevant questions in the interview and gives a good overview of what you can expect from the SOFT training and what significance the module has for your professional practice as a software architect. More information

With Kim, the world of New Work has gained a powerful change maker. As an elected board member of a software company, Kim has taught and learned many important lessons in the areas of self-organization and leadership. Her wonderfully open manner is not only a testament to her considerable courage, but also to her deep experience in organizational development. In this episode, you will learn, among other things, what verbal thinkers are and why it is beneficial for managers to show their own insecurity. Interview on Soundcloud

Improve your coding skills by comparing your code to that of expert programmers, so you can write code that’s clean, concise, and to the point: code that others will read with pleasure and reuse.

Get hands-on advice to level up your coding style through small and understandable examples that compare flawed code to an improved solution. Discover handy tips and tricks, as well as common bugs an experienced Java programmer needs to know. More info

In the interview, Julia Dellnitz describes her career as a consultant, explains how she recognizes good teamwork, and why companies really need to embrace digitalization. To the interview with Julia

Over the last couple of years Kubernetes has arguably become the most popular infrastructure platform with a rapidly growing ecosystem. This practical guide shows you how to optimize the configuration of your Kubernetes cluster so that they run your workloads as efficiently as possible.

This cheat sheet describes a scalable assessment approach that quickly delivers initial, presentable results on four richly illustrated pages. More information and download

This article encourages leaner review approaches and presents LASR, a concrete procedure that you and your development team can use directly to assess your situation—without extensive preparation or involving many participants. Read the article on Informatik Aktuell

The compact quick start guide to machine learning and deep learning O’Reilly, 2nd edition, April 2021, together with Chi Nhan Nguyen ISBN: 978-3960091615

This booklet provides a brief overview of microservices and is a good starting point for working with microservices. More info

The third edition of our architecture cheat sheet highlights the principles and framework conditions that determine architectural style and how you can approach them in a well-prepared manner. Which of the solutions provided could be suitable for your system context, and what compromises are you prepared to make? Download & info

Microservices divide software systems into a multitude of small services. This improves maintainability and scalability, promises sustainable development, easy integration into legacy systems, and also makes continuous delivery easier. However, microservices also lead to greater complexity and challenges during deployment. The book contains a comprehensive introduction to microservices and examines technologies as well as architecture and organizational implications. It also explains nanoservices as even smaller services.

There are many technologies for microservices. This book covers the basics of microservices, the concepts behind the technologies, and finally specific recipes using technologies such as client- and server-side front-end integration, asynchronous microservices with Kafka or REST/Atom, synchronous systems with the Netflix stack and Consul, and microservices platforms with Kubernetes and Cloud Foundry. It also covers operation with monitoring using Prometheus, log analysis with the Elastic Stack, and tracing with Zipkin. The book thus offers a good introduction to microservices in practice.

This brochure presents technology recipes for implementing microservices. The examples are available for download as code. More information

The comprehensive resource on everything MLOps. Created and maintained by Larysa Visengeriyeva. Read more

Single-page applications (SPAs) shift the focus of an application toward the browser. How do you deal with the resulting architectural challenges? Our Spicker issue no. 9 will help you with this task! Download & info

What is performance in agile, self-organized structures, and how can “performance” be measured and ideally influenced positively in different contexts? Who is responsible for this? And what does all this have to do with leadership? In this episode, Kim not only brings up the topic and many questions, but also a guest, namely her father Finn Duggen, who is, among other things, managing director of Planetherm GmbH. To the podcast episode

The implementation of internal development platforms as software products for development teams is known as “platform engineering.” The central goal is to improve the developer experience and delivery speed. This cheat sheet describes the structure of a typical platform and provides valuable tips for implementation. To the architecture cheat sheet

Modern software architecture should be agile and practical. This book by our trainer Stefan Toth offers lightweight patterns that can be flexibly integrated into projects - without rigid specifications. Click here for the book.

This book provides software architects with a comprehensive collection of quality tactics to improve the quality of software systems. It serves as a source of ideas for different situations and contexts and helps to achieve the required level of quality for stakeholders. With hundreds of proven tactics, it is an indispensable tool for designing high-quality software architectures. Find this book on Leanpub.

d.punkt Verlag, 2nd revised and expanded edition, December 2019, Oliver Zeigermann, Nils Hartmann ISBN: 978-3-86490-552-0

Remote Mob Programming combines two ways of working: Mob Programming and working as a distributed team. Jochen Christ, Simon Harrer and Martin Huber share their experience with their working model - and why they don’t want to work differently anymore. Download

Practical guide to iSAQB CPSA-Advanced REQ4ARC by Dr. Gernot Starke and Dr. Peter Hruschka.

The book offers a theoretically sound, but above all practical guide to the professional use of RESTful HTTP. It describes the REST (Representational State Transfer) architectural style and its implementation within the framework of World Wide Web protocols (HTTP, URIs, and others). It shows how to design classic web applications and web services in such a way that they are consistent with the basic principles of the web and exploit its many advantages.

Are you curious about functional programming, and why Scala is such a great fit for this paradigm? Is your team considering a switch to Scala? This book allows you to explore Scala from scratch. You’ll get an overview of what it has to offer and a feeling for what it’s like to code in Scala. You’ll finish by developing a small command-line game. More info

Do you want to get a deeper understanding of Scala and functional programming? Has Scala from Scratch: Exploration whetted your appetite? This follow-up book gives you an in-depth understanding of Scala, including many of the advanced concepts. You’ll learn about best practices and you’ll be ready to get productive in real-life Scala code bases. More info

Microservices are still the most hyped software architecture. However, they cause additional complexity for operations. Service meshes are the latest technology to solve this problem. This primer explains what a service mesh is, shows reasons to use one, and give a complete executable example with Istio. It discusses also alternatives like Linkerd 2, Consul, and AWS App Mesh and when to use them.

All important information about “Sketchnotes in IT” on two pages. Here’s the german PDF.

This book provides a practical introduction to the world of sketchnotes. You will create your first sketchnote on the very first pages—regardless of your prior knowledge or talent. To the book

Once a week, Eberhard Wolff, Ralf D. Müller, or Lisa Maria Schäfer discuss topics related to software architecture in a live stream—often together with a guest. Viewers can join in the discussion or ask questions via chat, Twitter, or a form. To the website

This practical guide shows you how software systems that have grown over many years can be effectively analyzed and evaluated. More info

At the OOP in January 2024, our trainer Kim Nena Duggen gave a Software Snack, a short presentation, on the topic of “Team Topologies in Theory & Practice.” Watch the video recording.

Architecture reviews enable you to identify weaknesses and potential in software solutions, validate decisions, and evaluate improvement measures. This book introduces you to lightweight reviews that you can carry out yourself or in a small team after reading it! Leanpub

With a wealth of practical strategies and case studies, this book shows how companies can use their software systems to stay ahead of the competition. Readers will find valuable suggestions for implementing strategies to further develop their software in a sustainable manner. About the book

In this talk, Ralf D. Müller looks at the integration of AI into software design and in particular introduces ChatGPT, a Large Language Model (LLM). Watch this talk if you are interested in using ChatGPT in software architecture. Click here for the talk.

Organizing business and IT teams for a fast workflow. Including interactions in distributed teams – Workbook. Team topologies patterns for more productive collaboration.

You or your team are missing a compact overview of your existing software solution? You want to explain your architecture to new project members or cooperation partners? The source code is too »detailed« … The first edition of our Architecture cheat sheets supports you to get a high-level-overview of solution approaches in order to work effectively. Use the compact ingredients and fill your architecture overview with life – pragmatically and effectively. Download & Infos

The Rails™ 8 Way is the comprehensive, authoritative reference guide for professionals delivering production-quality code using modern Ruby on Rails. It illuminates the entire Rails 7 API, its most powerful idioms, design approaches, and libraries. Building on the previous editions, this edition has been heavily refactored and updated.

Using the same tools and processes as in software development enables you to maintain documentation efficiently. This Spicker explains the idea and helps you to document your projects. Click here to go to the Spicker.

Maybe you’ve experienced this too: Restructuring is underway and suddenly the operations team is being renamed. Your management is smart and knows full well that there can be no DevOps teams, so the new name is: Platform Team. But does such a team actually deserve this designation, and what is the difference between operations and platform teams? In this talk, Anja also discusses what internal development platforms actually are, why an operations team cannot offer such a platform, and what all this has to do with DevOps and unicorns. Watch the talk